Take Away English-Golf's Place in Today's World 今日高尔夫

An ancient yet modern sport

The Scottish are certain that they invented the game of golf over 500 years ago but the Chinese, the French and even the Dutch have also made such claims in the past.

We may never know who first played the game but does this ancient sport really have a place in the modern world?

When the US golf team stepped off the plane in Ireland recently at the beginning of the Ryder Cup competition they were dressed head to toe in matching tweed suits and Fair Isle¹ knitwear. It seemed they wanted to invoke² golf's history, roots and traditions but in fact, most commentators³ and spectators⁴ thought they just looked plain daft.

At the Royal and Ancient golf club of St Andrews in Scotland the traditions, rules and regulations of golf are still alive and well. Some say the numbers of dos and don'ts can seem pretty overwhelming⁵ while others say the golfing code of conduct allows golf to maintain its sporting values in spite⁶ of becoming a multi-million pound international industry.

At the heart of golf's rules are two principles - respect for the course and respect for fellow golfers. Examples include not talking during a player's swing, not disturbing a player who's putting on the green and replacing divots.

Tiger Woods, the Thai-American player, is currently⁷ the world's number one golf professional. He is also the face of one of the world's biggest management consulting companies – Accenture. In today's global marketplace everyone is looking for a way to get ahead and having the trusted Tiger Woods as a spokesperson might just give this company the edge it's looking for.

In China golf lessons are going to be compulsory⁸ for some students at Xiamen University where its president Zhu Chongshi, recently said "It will teach students communication skills and benefit their future careers."

So it seems the ancient art of golf and the modern world of commerce have found a happy balance together all around the globe.

GLOSSARY 词汇表
invented 发明 head to toe 从头到脚 Fair Isle knitwear （有费尔岛特色的）杂色图案毛线针织品 commentators and spectators 解说和观众 rules and regulations 规章 dos and don'ts （打球）须知 respect for the course – 尊重场地（规则） putting on the green 果岭推杆 the face of 头面人物 the edge 棱角	claims 声称 matching tweed suits 上下一致的粗花呢套装 roots 起源 plain daft 难看；傻乎乎 alive_and_well 有效力的 at the heart of 核心 a player's swing 球员击球 divots –(高尔夫击球过低时)削起的一块草皮 global marketplace 全球市场地位 compulsory 必修

 

1 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

2 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

3 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 spectators   

n.观众，旁观者( spectator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun. 看得出观众在炎热的阳光下快支撑不住了。
• The policemen asked the spectators to stand well back. 警察要求旁观者靠后站。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 overwhelming   

adj.势不可挡的，压倒的，无法抵抗的

参考例句：

• The flood was overwhelming and the city was soon drowned.洪水来势凶猛，很快这个城市就被淹没了。
• The act was adopted by an overwhelming majority.该法案以压倒多数通过。

6 spite   

n.（用于短语）虽然，不顾，尽管

参考例句：

• He has modern ideas in spite of his great age.尽管他年事很高，但思想观念却很入时。
• In spite of his anger,his remarks were restrained.他尽管生气，说的话还是有节制的。

7 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

8 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。