美国国家公共电台 NPR--As the U.S. Open begins, the golf tournament is caught up in turmoil

As the U.S. Open begins, the golf tournament is caught up in turmoil¹

Transcript²

Some of the sport's biggest stars are under scrutiny³ for participating in a breakaway series funded by the Saudi Arabian government.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The next big tournament in men's golf, the U.S. Open, begins today outside of Boston. And it is filled with turmoil. It comes on the heels of last week's debut⁴ of the controversial LIV series. That's the breakaway tour funded by the Saudi Arabian government that's lured⁵ away some of the game's biggest stars. It has divided men's professional golf. And now players from both sides of that divide have come together for the open. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman is here. Tom, doesn't seem like there's been much pre-tournament talk about the U.S. Open's punishing golf course or who's going to win. Has the LIV controversy⁶ really swallowed this major tournament?

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE⁷: Seems so, A. At least one of the top golfers, two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks⁸ Koepka, lamented⁹ the black cloud hovering¹⁰ over the event. But he blamed the media for creating that black cloud. Make no mistake, though, the Saudi LIV series and the PGA Tour players who joined it and then were suspended by the tour last week for joining, that's created this. It's real. And it has driven a wedge. It's important to note, though, the PGA Tour doesn't run the U.S. Open; the U.S. Golf Association - the USGA - does. And it decided¹¹ to let LIV players compete at this open.

MART?NEZ: All right. Now, who's on either side of that divide?

GOLDMAN: Well, you've got outspoken¹² PGA Tour loyalists like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm. They talked about the nearly century-old PGA Tour's legacy¹³ and sneer¹⁴ at how the LIV players chased the huge and guaranteed Saudi money. Then you've got the LIV players, who insist it's their right to play where they want and that LIV is good for golf.

MART?NEZ: And then you add to it a big, thick layer of politics fueling all this.

GOLDMAN: Oh, yeah, the ongoing¹⁵ debate over the Saudis involvement. Critics accuse the LIV players of taking blood money due to the Saudi's abysmal¹⁶ human rights record. Families of 9/11 victims have said the players should be ashamed of working with a government that was deeply involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, defenders¹⁷ of LIV players say it's hypocritical to blame golfers but stay silent about many other public figures and entities¹⁹ that behave in a less than ethical²⁰ way. So it's going to be interesting to see what happens at this tournament. Will this schism²¹ cause confrontations²² in a very genteel sport? At the very least, everyone, golfer and fan, knows who the LIV players are. They'll be keeping track of how each side does and rooting accordingly.

MART?NEZ: Tom, do you ever remember a sports split like this in the past?

GOLDMAN: Well, you know, A, there's been talk about pro-basketball and how the ABA challenged the NBA back in the '60s and '70s. Ultimately, that led to a merger²³ of the two. The National Hockey League also has had to fend¹⁸ off challenges from rival leagues. Most recently in the 1990s in Indy car racing²⁴, you had a split that led to drivers leaving one league for another. And that caused a lot of economic damage. And the aftereffects, reportedly, are still felt today. What will be golf's fate, ultimately - probably won't be resolved soon. An indication, perhaps - the head of the USGA said this week he could foresee a time when LIV players are banned from the U.S. Open. But he didn't say when that might be.

MART?NEZ: Right. Before we let you go, I want to take one quick turn to the NBA Finals tonight. Game 6, the Golden State Warriors²⁵ one win away from another title. The game, though, is in Boston. And the Celtics are going to try and hope to stay alive at home. What do you think might be up for tonight?

GOLDMAN: Oh, it's a tough one, A. Boston's been resilient this postseason. The Celtics have won several elimination²⁶ games. But they've lost two straight to Golden State. So they got to figure out something different. The Warriors have won with the amazing guard, Steph Curry²⁷, being amazing. And they've won when Curry was less than amazing. He's the greatest shooter ever. But in Game 5, he didn't hit a single three-point shot, first time that's happened since 2018. The fact that it happened and the Warriors still one, that's got to worry Boston, as should a widespread belief that Curry is going to bounce back in a big way tonight.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman. Tom, thanks.

GOLDMAN: You're welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF SEBASTIAN DAVIDSON AND MELOSENSE'S "LEAVE U HERE")

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

4 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

5 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

6 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

13 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

14 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 abysmal   

adj.无底的，深不可测的，极深的；糟透的，极坏的；完全的

参考例句：

• The film was so abysmal that I fell asleep.电影太糟糕，看得我睡着了。
• There is a historic explanation for the abysmal state of Chinese cuisine in the United States.中餐在美国的糟糕状态可以从历史上找原因。

17 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

19 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

20 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

21 schism   

n.分派，派系，分裂

参考例句：

• The church seems to be on the brink of schism.教会似乎处于分裂的边缘。
• While some predict schism,others predict a good old fashioned compromise.在有些人预测分裂的同时，另一些人预测了有益的老式妥协。

22 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

23 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

24 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

25 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

26 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

27 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。