2007年VOA标准英语-Bach, Malaythong Lead US Hopes for Olympic Badm

By David Byrd
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17 July 2007

They come from as far away as Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Laos, but they compete for the United States and share a passion for the sport of badminton. VOA's David Byrd filed this report on the U.S. Badminton team competing in this month's Pan¹ American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

They are featured in an advertisement for a vitamin-enriched drink playing against Chicago Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. The comical ad ends with Ortiz smashing² the shuttlecock into Bob Malaythong's leg.

It is probably the biggest exposure³ badminton players in the United States have gotten.

Bob Malaythong, left, with Howard Bach

But to Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong of the U.S. badminton team, doubles matches are no laughing matter. Howard Bach won the 2005 world championship in men's doubles with his former partner Tony Gunawan. Bach says he hopes the ad helps raise awareness⁴ of badminton in the United States.

"Actually at the very beginning I didn't know who Urlacher and Ortiz were. I didn't have any idea they were like the big names in their sport. And they were both huge. So when we got there I was like 'holy ...  two big giants!' And I am a pretty small guy, so I felt a little bit left behind. But it's great for the sport and hopefully we will get the attention and the publicity⁵ like we do for vitamin water in the future," he said.

While some in the United States think of badminton as a game played at backyard barbecues or social clubs, the International Badminton Federation⁶ says there are more than 50 million competitors in 156 countries worldwide.

This year's Sudirman Cup badminton team championship in Scotland⁷ was broadcast to an estimated⁸ 500 million fans worldwide.

Malaythong says that the speed and excitement of the sport make it fun to watch and to play. He says a new rally⁹ scoring system, where every point scores rather than changing serve, makes for a more exciting game.

"It's a totally different game. It gives the underdog much more of a chance and makes the game faster and more even. If you have never played badminton before, I think if you try it, most people would get hooked¹⁰ on it," he said.

Eva Lee

One person who got hooked on it is Eva Lee, who was born in Hong Kong, but like  Bach and Malaythong immigrated¹¹ to the United States when she was a child. Eva told VOA Sports that playing in front of international crowds is something she loves to do.

"It's amazing. It's a totally different feeling. Badminton is not very popular in the United States, so it's kind of like a drag. But when you get out there and you see all the crowds and everything else you are just like so excited to play," she said.

Eva Lee is Howard Bach's mixed doubles partner. She also plays women's doubles with May Mangkalakiri, who unlike her three other teammates was born in the United States. May says badminton requires strength and quickness, much like a more familiar game - tennis.

"The speed at which the shuttle leaves the racket is a lot faster than tennis I think. It is just a different game. Our games are not as long as tennis, but the speed is much - you have to be very quick. But I think the best thing is just to let people try it and then they will know how hard it is," she said.

Unlike athletes from other countries, the USA Badminton team is not subsidized by the government. Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong have to work for a living. Eva Lee lives with her parents. May Mangkalakiri says keeping a job is tough because of the demands of travel and competition.

While professional badminton players do earn prize money for some events, it is their ranking points that will determine whether they go to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Howard Bach and his teammates hope their next major international competition includes the Summer Games next year.

1 pan   

n.平底锅；v.严厉批评

参考例句：

• The water had all boiled away and the pan was burned.水煮干了，锅也烧坏了。
• The eggs were frying in the pan.鸡蛋正在锅里煎。

2 smashing   

adj.极好的；粉碎的；惨重的；活泼的adv.极好地v.打碎；捣毁；重击；撞毁（车辆）

参考例句：

• We had a smashing time. 我们过得非常愉快。
• While you are on the phone, the baby pulls the table-cloth off the table. smashing half your best crockery and cutting himself in the process. 你接电话时小孩把桌布扯了下来，把你最好的陶器打碎了一半，同时他还把自己磕破了。 来自《用法词典》

3 exposure   

n.暴露，面临；揭露，揭发；曝光

参考例句：

• After only a short exposure to sunlight he began to turn red.他在阳光下只晒了一会儿，皮肤就开始变红了。
• I threatened them with public exposure.我扬言要公开揭发他们。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 Scotland   

n.苏格兰

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Scotland is to the north of England.苏格兰在英格兰之北。

8 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

9 rally   

n.集会，公路汽车赛；v.集合，恢复，振作

参考例句：

• The grand mass rally was held on the square.广场上举行了盛大的群众集会。
• The team captain vainly tried to rally his troops.队长试图振作部队的士气，但没有成功。

10 hooked   

adj.钩状的，弯曲的

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve. 12 岁时我开始迷上了带水肺潜水。
• He hooked his arm round her neck and pulled her head down. 他一只胳膊钩在她的脖子上，把她的头拉低。

11 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句