双语有声阅读:Golf: There's nothing like it! 高尔夫 —

Golf: There's nothing like it! 高尔夫 —— 没有比它更好的运动了！

When most people think of golf, they probably think of Tiger Woods jet-setting to golf courses around the world winning prestigious¹ tournaments and making a lot of money. It seems hard to believe that what is now an international sport and multimillion-dollar industry evolved from origins as humble² as hitting a pebble³ around sand dunes⁴ with a stick.

It is generally agreed that golf was first played in Scotland in the 15th century.  Its popularity⁵ spread throughout the 16th century, and the first international golf match took place in 1682 between players from England and Scotland. Clubs began forming soon after, and concrete rules of the game were established.

The Industrial Revolution brought a period of change for golf. Suddenly, with the mass production of golf clubs and balls, the average person could afford to play. New railway lines made it possible for people to go to the country for the day, and thus play on a different course every weekend.

Golf was made an Olympic sport in 1900, by which time there were already more than 1,000 golf courses in the United States. The famous PGA was formed in 1916, and by 1944, the equally famous PGA tour consisted of 22 events and was held throughout the year.

Legendary⁶ golfers Jack⁷ Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player dominated⁸ the game from the 60s' into the 70s', wowing fans by winning almost all of the events they competed in. Nicklaus still holds an unbeaten record of five U.S. PGA championships, six U.S. Masters titles, and four U.S. Opens.

These days, it is up to current stars like Tiger Woods and David Duval to keep spectators⁹ glued to the TV set. Even if you are not a big fan, why not head off to the driving range and have a go? More than 23 million players exist in the United States alone, and they are all likely to tell you the same thing about golf: There's nothing like it!

大多数人一想到高尔夫球，可能就会想到泰格·伍兹乘喷气客机到世界各地的高尔夫球场赢得备受注目的锦标赛，并赚进大把的钞票。很难相信如今这个价值高达数百万美元的国际性工业，是从随便拿根棍子，在沙丘上挥打鹅卵石这种微不足道的运动发展起来的。

普遍认为高尔夫的第一场比赛是15世纪时在苏格兰举行的。它从16世纪开始普及起来，首场国际性高尔夫球赛就是在1682年举行的，选手均来自英格兰及苏格兰。不久，高尔夫俱乐部开始成立，同时也确立了具体的比赛规则。

工业革命为高尔夫运动带来了一段变革时期。突然间，随着高尔夫球杆及高尔夫球的大量生产，普通百姓也可以玩这项运动。到郊区的新火车路线使人们可以在比赛当天往返，因此每个周末可以在不同的球场打球。

1900年，高尔夫球正式成为奥林匹克的运动项目，那时美国已有上千个高尔夫球场。著名的职业高尔夫球员联盟于1916年成立；到1944年，同享盛名的职业高尔夫球员联盟巡回比赛，在1年内会举行22项比赛。

高尔夫球界的传奇人物──杰克·尼克芬斯，阿诺德·帕尔默，及加里·普莱耶一直称霸于60到70年代的高尔夫球坛。他们几乎囊括了所有的比赛奖项，使球迷们大为赞叹。尼克芬斯至今仍保持数项无人能破的辉煌记录：5座美国职业高尔夫锦标赛冠军、6次美国高尔夫精英赛冠军，及4个美国公开赛冠军头衔。

现在，高尔夫则靠当红球星泰格·伍兹和大卫·杜瓦的魅力吸引球迷通过电视观看比赛。即使你不是头号球迷，为什么不前往高尔夫球练习场挥一挥杆，尝试一下？仅仅在美国就有两千三百万人从事高尔夫运动，对于高尔夫，他们可能会异口同声说：“没有比它更好的运动了！”
 

1 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

2 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

3 pebble   

n.卵石，小圆石

参考例句：

• The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。
• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。

4 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

5 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

6 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 dominated   

受控的 -tive

参考例句：

• As a child he was dominated by his father. 他小时候由父亲主宰一切。
• His personality dominated over the other members of the committee. 他的人格影响委员会的其他成员。

9 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》