Tennis anyone
一"网"情深



继中国选手孙甜甜、李婷在第28界奥运会中首次摘取女子网球桂冠后,天津小将彭帅又在悉尼国际赛女单次轮比赛中大爆冷门,以6-1、6-3击败法网冠军米斯金娜,创造了中国选手在世界性比赛中击败世界强手排名最高的纪录. 网球、中国网球越来越多地受到人们的关注和喜爱. 本版为喜爱网球运动的朋友们介绍了网球的起源、世界著名的四大赛事、网球幽默语录以及有趣的网球知识小测试等,希望能给您带来全新的感受.

For a long time the origin of Tennis has been disputed.

Some believe the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans played a game that could be named the grandpa of tennis. Though there is very little proof to anchor this belief, some Arabic words from ancient Egyptian times are shown as evidence.

The other school of thought believes that the French invented the game. Around the 11th or 12th century, French monks used to hit a ball against their monastery walls and sometimes even over a rope strung across a courtyard.

The French connection of tennis becomes stronger when one looks at the French word tenez, which means "Take This". This was something a player would tell the other when one served the ball. Soon the game moved from the courtyards to indoor courts - though not the kind that we are used to nowadays.

Players still used their bare hands, but it was hard to play as the balls being used were either made of cork, wool or hair. To counter the pain, the players resorted to gloves, which gradually modified to paddles attached with handles - essentially, the precursor to the racquet.

Within the next two hundred years, a full-fledged racquet came into use. This was nothing but a wooden frame strung with sheep gut. In 1874, a gentleman named Major Walter C Wingfield patented the equipment and rules for a game fairly similar to modern day tennis. He can be said to be the father of modern day tennis.

Soon courts started appearing everywhere, and tennis equipment was being sold in far-off countries like Russia, Canada, China and India.

England gradually asserted its supremacy in the world of tennis. In 1877, the All England Club held the first Wimbledon tournament. Its members came up with their set of rules, and the hourglass court was no longer a feature of the sport.

The net was still five feet high at the sides and three feet high in the center. In 1982, another committee revised the regulations, and came up with the present day rules.

Not much has changed since then.

 

The most famous four tennis championships



Australian Open 澳大利亚网球公开赛(1905)
French Open 法国网球公开赛 (1891)
Wimbledon Tennis Championships 温布尔登网球锦标赛(1877)
US Open 美国网球公开赛(1881)

 

Tennis Quiz for Beginners
(answers below)



1. In ready position, your feet should be pointing at the
A. right sideline
B. left sideline
C. net
D. right net post
E. left net post

2. When you toss the ball for your serve, you should release it with your tossing hand
A. at full upward extension
B. at the height of the top of your head
C. at shoulder height as early as possible

3. A player who has won two points in a game has a score of
A. 10
B. 15
C. 20
D. 30
E. 40

4. The line that runs parallel to the net and is farthest from the net is called
A. the back line
B. service line
C. baseline
D. center line

5. Except on slice shots, your forehand and backhand ground strokes should be swung
A. from low to high
B. from high to low
C. straight across at one height

6. Which of the following players has won the most Grand Slam tournaments?
A. Andre Agassi
B. Pete Sampras
C. Jennifer Capriati
D. Venus Williams

answers
1.net
2.at the height of the top of your head
3.30
4.baseline
5.from low to high
6.Pete Sampras

 

Women in Tennis
--Quotations



●Good shot, bad luck and hell are the five basic words to be used in tennis.
●Though your game is hardly the best you can fray your opponent's nerves by methodically bouncing the ball at least ten times before your serves.
●After struggling to beat Hu Na - you figure there's eight trillion people in China, and if she's number one there, it says something.

 

 

Health Garden

Anti-obesity pill promising
抗肥胖药丸有望问世
A European study appeared to confirm earlier results of tests on an experimental pill against obesity from French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventi.



Eating problems begin in childhood
不良饮食习惯始发于婴儿阶段
Eating problems in younger children can take many forms, including irregular eating patterns, consistent overeating and consistent under-eating. Some children might start eating a mostly junk food diet, eating only one particular food or avoiding certain foods.



An apple a day may reduce breast cancer risk
每天一个苹果减少乳腺癌发病率
Eating an apple a day may help ward off breast cancer, according to a new study by Cornell University.



Exercise, calcium-rich foods build healthy bones
锻炼、加钙保证骨骼健康
Drinking more milk does not necessarily mean the best way for children to develop healthier bones. Exercise and modest consumption of calcium-rich foods may be more important in enhancing bone strength.

Men's finger length predicts aggressive behavior
男人手指长度预示进攻行为
Researchers have shown that a man's index finger length relative to ring finger length can predict how inclined that man is to be physically aggressive.