It's not a chocolate coin wrapped in gold foil, people. That's actual metal that composes that Olympic medal, so why do athletes bite them?
大伙儿，这可不是包裹在金箔纸里的金币巧克力，奥运会金牌是货真价实的金属制品，那为什么运动员热衷于咬金牌？
There's actually a few reasons, but the most obvious is that it's a
pose photographers really, really like to capture.
"It's become an
obsession with the photographers," David Wallechinsky, the president of the International Society of Olympic
Historians and co-author of "The Complete Book of the Olympics" told CNN in 2012. "I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don't think it's something the athletes would probably do on their own."
Biting down on a hunk of
metal is more likely something someone might have done during the Gold Rush to test whether the shiny golden rock they just panned for was actually pyrite or fool's gold. Human teeth are harder than gold but softer than pyrite, according to the Mohs Hardness Scale. This means a quick
gnaw to real gold would actually leave an indentation. A hard chew of pyrite, meanwhile, might damage your teeth.
The practice also once served to see whether coins were solid gold or just gold-plated over a cheaper metal, Today I Found Out explains.
With that in mind, it's likely that Old West/pirate
lore led to someone once biting their Olympic medal in a
spontaneous, "Is this real life?" moment, and the photographers thought it was cute. Because if someone really was hoping to discover whether that gold medal is pure gold, their smiles would quickly fade.
Olympic gold medals are actually just 1.34 percent gold. The rest is
sterling silver. And much of it is recycled silver this time around, which makes the 20-16 Rio medals "the most sustainable ever made," according to Forbes magazine contributor Anthony DeMarco. DeMarco says the materials that make up a "gold" medal are worth $564.
相关单词：foil
foil解释：n.箔，金属薄片，陪衬；vt.挫败，使受挫折
foil例句：
Milk bottle tops are made of tin foil.牛奶瓶盖是用锡箔做的。
An ugly woman serves as a foil to a pretty girl.一个丑女人可以将美丽的姑娘反衬得更加漂亮。
相关单词：pose
pose解释：vt.造成，陈述；vi.摆姿势，装腔作势；n.姿势
pose例句：
He sat in a relaxed pose.他轻松自如地坐着。
He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend.他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
相关单词：obsession
obsession解释：n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)
obsession例句：
I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。
相关单词：historians
historians解释：n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )
historians例句：
Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。
相关单词：gnaw
gnaw解释：v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨
gnaw例句：
Dogs like to gnaw on a bone.狗爱啃骨头。
A rat can gnaw a hole through wood.老鼠能啃穿木头。
相关单词：lore
lore解释：n.传说；学问，经验，知识
lore例句：
I will seek and question him of his lore.我倒要找上他，向他讨教他的渊博的学问。
Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend.早期人类通过传说传递有关植物和动物的知识。
相关单词：spontaneous
spontaneous解释：adj.自发的，不由自主的
spontaneous例句：
The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。
Spontaneous applause broke out as soon as she finished speaking.她一讲完，大家不约而同都鼓起掌来。
相关单词：sterling
sterling解释：adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)
sterling例句：
Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。
查看更多关于【英语时事】的文章
