时间:2018-12-01 作者:英语课 分类:Words & Their Stories


英语课
WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - Baseball

By Shelley Gollust


Broadcast: Sunday, June 05, 2005


Now the VOA Special English program: Words and Their Stories.


Baseball is America's national sport, so it is not unusual that many popular expressions come from baseball. But first, let me explain a little about the game.


Each baseball team has nine players. The pitcher 1 of one team throws the ball to a batter 2 from the other team. The batter attempts to hit the ball. If he misses, it is called a strike. If a batter gets three strikes he loses his turn at bat and is called out. The batter also is out if he hits the ball in the air and an opposing 3 player catches it. But if the batter hits the ball and it is not caught, the batter tries to run to one or more of the four bases on the field. The batter can run to all four bases if he hits the ball over the fence 4 or out of the ballpark. Such a hit is called a home run.


Now, here are some common expressions from baseball. Someone who is on the ball is intelligent and able to do a good job. But a person who threw a curveball did something unexpected 5. Someone who steps up to the plate is ready to do his or her job. A pinch 6 hitter takes the place of someone else at a job or activity.


A person who strikes out or goes down swinging attempted something but failed. We also might tell the person that three strikes and you are out. But someone who hit a home run or hit it out of the park did something extremely 7 well.


Sometimes I have to give information quickly without time to think it over. Then I would say something right off the bat. If someone is doing an extremely good job and is very successful, you might say he or she is batting 1000. If I say I want to touch base with you, I will talk to you from time to time about something we planned to do. I might say I touched all the bases if I did what is necessary to complete a job or activity. And if I covered my bases, I was well prepared. However, someone who is way off base did something wrong or maybe even dishonest or immoral 8.


A person with strange ideas might be described as out in left field. Let us say I want to sell my car but I do not know exactly how much it is worth. If someone asks me the price,I might give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate 9. If someone offers me an amount that is close to my selling price, I might say the amount is in the ballpark. However, if I say we are not in the same ballpark I mean we cannot agree because my ideas are too different from yours.


Finally, when a situation changes completely 10 we say that is a whole new ball game.


This VOA Special English program words and their stories was written by Shirley Gaullist. I'm Faith Lapidus.



1 pitcher
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
2 batter
v.接连重击;磨损;n.牛奶面糊;击球员
  • The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
  • Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。
3 opposing
adj.反作用的;反向的;相反的;对立的v.反对
  • The two opposing armies faced each other across the battlefield. 敌对两军在战场上严阵对峙。
  • She earned a black mark for opposing company policy. 她因反对公司政策而得到考绩不良评语。
4 fence
n.围墙,剑术;v.用篱笆围住,练习剑术,防护;[计算机]栅栏
  • They put a fence around the garden.他们在园子的周围建起了篱笆。
  • The thief jumped himself over a fence and escaped.贼纵身跃过篱笆逃走了。
5 unexpected
adj.想不到的,意外的
  • I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒,用来招待不速之客。
  • His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。
6 pinch
n.捏,撮,困苦,偷窃;vt.掐,使...困苦,偷窃
  • She would pinch on food in order to spend on clothing.她过去常把伙食费省下来买衣服。
  • He put a pinch of salt on his food.他在自己的食物上撒了一撮盐。
7 extremely
adv.极其,非常,极度
  • The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了,我非看不可。
  • The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。
8 immoral
adj.不道德的,淫荡的,荒淫的,有伤风化的
  • She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
  • It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。
9 estimate
n.估计,估量;评价,看法;vt.估计,估量
  • We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
  • The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at $200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。
10 completely
adv.完全地,十分地,全然
  • She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
  • I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。
标签: word story baseball
学英语单词
Adjusted electricity
angle type axial piston motor
austrian movement
barley sugars
beam engines
birational mapping
book-houses
bull spool
Carleigh
chain-data flag
chemical mechanisms
child of shame
coated yarn
CODASYL code
cvo
dark business
death qualified jury
dege filtration
designer gene
drilling tender
duskies
echo deep sounding
espadrilled
ESTL
fargus
fibreboard case
first-class stateroom
fourier analyses
Framnes Mountains
FRCGP
fuel supply rate
gas tip
gaseous fission product
gubernatorial
Guggenhausen
Haut-Zaïre, Reg.du
hoot down
hunting-and-fishing
hyoepiglottidean
hypochondriacal
i-lited
inherent nonlinearity
injection heater
interest-bearing bank debenture
lacunosa
laughen
leafnose bat
length of weld
leptoclados-type club
liberalization of trade
Madre Oriental, Sa.
master slaver manipulator
mechthild
microbial biomass
misplanned
Nafas, Ra's an
navel-gall
nondigestible carbohydrates
on line debug
onthophagus (onthophagiellus) taiyaruensis
orbital-gnathion law
pencillers
perishable article
Piedecuesta
pipe vice
Pohanghang
points of regard
poured cold water on
pre-processings
prearranging
putida
Qudaydīm
rank invariant
reincarnating
rim base
round-nose spinning tool
Rubus fruticosus
sa'dabad
sallies
San Gabriel Res.
shaykhs
shieldships
shuts
signy
Silene scopulorum
stress concentration factor K
szekler legenyes (hangary)
teamed up
telemetry parameter
teoclate
the ancient city of wiang Ta kan
trade credit and advances
tumor-marker
unformatted record
unswallowed
upper critical solution temperature
vant-
vectorial property
visuriency
wave-modulated oscilloscope tube
y turnout
Zippelia begoniifolia