Anyone familiar with the legend① of Robin Hood knows archery competitions date back at least to mediaeval times. Indeed， today’s archers still honor the fabled② outlaw. The term “Robin Hood” now refers to splitting the shaft of an arrow already in the target with another arrow.
The equipment has crept forward in its technology since Robin and his merry men had the run of Sherwood Forest， but the sport of archery remains essentially unchanged. A recurve bow coated in fibreglass has become standard， and arrows made of aluminium and carbon graphite can travel more than 240km/h， but the most important requirements are straightforward： steady hands， strong shoulders， flexible muscles③， sharp eyes and nerves of steel.
Archery was a feature④ of the Olympic Games several times from 1900 to 1920， but then disappeared for more than 50 years. It reappeared at Munich in 1972 and has remained a fixture ever since.
① legendn. 传说，传奇故事，传奇文学
② fabledadj. 寓言中的，虚构的
③ musclen. 【解】肌，肌肉
④ featuren. 特征，特色
射箭概述
熟悉罗宾汉传奇故事的人们都知道，射箭比赛的历史至少可以追溯到中世纪。事实上，今天的射箭运动员们仍然尊敬那些传说中的绿林好汉。“罗宾汉”一词在现代英语中的意思是：射出一支箭，将已经插在靶子上的另一支箭的箭杆剖为两半。
与罗宾汉和他的手下在舍伍德森林中占山为王的时代相比，射箭运动的器材装备在技术上已经逐渐进步了不少，但是这项运动在本质上并没有改变。覆盖着玻璃纤维，向内凹进的弓已经成为了标准用具，用铝和石墨制成的箭时速可高达240公里。然而，最关键的要求还是那么简单：稳健的双手、强有力的肩膀、柔韧的肌肉、犀利的眼睛和钢铁一般的神经。
在1900年至1920年期间，射箭曾一度是奥运会上的一大亮点，但此后它在50多年的时间当中都销声匿迹。1972年，射箭项目重新出现在慕尼黑奥运会上，并且从此一直是奥运会的固定比赛项目。
