Turn on any American sitcom centered around teenagers and high school, and more often than not, you’ll encounter the cliched portrayal of the pretty cheerleader as one of the most popular people in school. While this stereotype may not hold true for every American high school, it does reflect the prevalence of cheerleading as a common extracurricular activity in the United States.
The fact that cheerleading is often viewed as an American image can be traced back to the inception of the activity itself. Cheerleading began in the United States during the 19th century, though the exact date remains unknown. There are records of crowds chanting cheers at Princeton University sporting events in the 1880s, but the idea of organized cheerleading didn’t emerge until 1898. In November of that year, Johnny Campbell, a student from the University of Minnesota, took the field and led a crowd of students in an organized chant. He is now recognized as the first cheerleader.
Following Campbell’s display, many colleges started organizing groups, or “yell leaders” as they were then called, to stir up the crowd and boost their teams’ morale. Cheerleading also expanded to high schools and the groups began to incorporate flags, drums, megaphones, and other props. However, contrary to the current image of cheerleaders, at that time, all cheerleaders were men.
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It wasn’t until World War II that cheerleading became dominated by women. Just as the workplace started hiring women during that time, so did cheerleading squads turn to women to fill the ranks when men went to war. Interestingly, even after the war was over, cheerleading remained primarily a female activity. More recently, cheerleading has become popular across the world and is now regarded as a highly athletic endeavor.
收看任何一部圍繞著青少年和高中的美國情境喜劇，你多半會看到劇情描寫漂亮的啦啦隊隊員是學校的風雲人物這種陳腔濫調。雖然這樣的刻板印象不一定在每一所美國高校都是事實，但它的確反映出啦啦隊在美國作為常見課外活動的盛行。
啦啦隊常被視為美國形象這一事實可追溯至這項活動本身的開端。啦啦隊始於十九世紀的美國，但確切的日期仍不得而知。有紀錄指出，在 1880 年代，普林斯頓大學的運動賽事中有群眾呼喊著加油，但有組織的啦啦隊這一想法直到1898年才出現。那年的十一月，明尼蘇達大學的學生強尼．坎伯上陣，帶領學生群進行有組織的呼喊。他現在被認定為第一個啦啦隊隊員。
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坎伯的展示過後，許多大學開始組織團體（當時稱作「隊呼小組」）來帶動群眾並提振自己隊伍的士氣。啦啦隊也擴展到高中，這些團體開始加入旗子、鼓、擴音器和其他道具。然而，與現在啦啦隊的形象相反，當時所有的啦啦隊隊員都是男性。
直到二戰，啦啦隊才變成由女性主宰。正如當時的職場開始聘僱女性，當男性上戰場時，啦啦隊小隊也尋求女性來填補空缺。有趣的是，即使戰爭結束了，啦啦隊仍主要是女性的活動。在更近期，啦啦隊開始在全球流行，且現在是高度運動性的領域。
Words in Use
1. portrayal n. 描寫，描繪
The novel gives a vivid portrayal of urban life.
那部小說生動描寫出都市生活。
2. stereotype n. 刻板印象
Stereotypes can lead to unfair misconceptions about certain groups of people.
刻板印象可能會造成對特定族群的不公平誤解。
3. prevalence n. 盛行，流行
Research has found a high prevalence of obesity among children in developed countries.
研究發現已開發國家小孩之間的肥胖盛行率很高。
4. chant vt. & vi. 反覆呼喊 & n. 反覆呼喊的詞語
A group of protesters chanted slogans while marching through the streets.
一群抗議人士在遊街時反覆呼喊著口號。
In baseball games, catchy chants are created to root for players.
棒球比賽會創造出朗朗上口的呼喊詞幫球員加油。
5. emerge vi. 興起；出現
This park has emerged as a youth hangout.
這座公園已成為年輕人出沒的地方。
Practical Phrases
1. be centered around... （主題、話題等）圍繞著……∕以…為中心
The conference was centered around global warming.
這場會議的主題圍繞在全球暖化上。
2. take the field 上陣，上場
The soccer team took the field, determined to beat its opponent.
那支足球隊上場比賽，決心要打敗對手。
3. stir up... / stir... up 帶動∕煽動……；激起……（情緒等）
Dr. Lin’s persuasive speech stirred up the listeners.
林博士說服性的演講煽動了聽眾。
The plan to eliminate some regulations stirred up controversy among the employees.
要刪除某些規定的規畫在員工間引起了爭議。
4. contrary to... 與……相反
Contrary to what the advertisement claimed, the product wasn’t useful at all.
與廣告宣稱的相反，那項產品一點都不好用。
5. Just as + S + V, so + 倒裝句 正如…一樣，……也……
Just as hard work pays off, so does perseverance pave the path to achievement.
正如努力會有所回報，堅持不懈也會為成就鋪路。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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