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禮節美語 Taking up Golf I
Mark在公司門口看見同事Robert.
Mark: Hey Robert...going on vacation? Looks like you're planning on doing some golfing.
Robert: Yes, I will be playing golf, but I'm not going on vacation. I'm meeting up our New York office's senior management team. We'll be playing a few rounds and going over the merger plans.
M: Really? So when did you take up the sport?
R: Around two years ago I began to realize that if I could get on the golf course with other senior executives, it could open a lot of doors for me. At first I didn't really enjoy it, but now I'm almost a golf fanatic.
Robert要跟紐約辦公室的高層主管打高爾夫 play a few rounds，同時討論并購的事。
Mark 問他是什么時候開始打高爾夫球的，這里用的動詞是 take up, to take up sth. 意思是開始做某件事情。Robert說，他兩年前開始覺得，打高爾夫 could open a lot of doors for me. 可以幫助自己打開很多大門，得到更多機會。Robert說，他剛開始打的時候也不太喜歡，但現在已經快變成 golf fanatic 了。fanatic is spelled f-a-n-a-t-i-c, fanatic 是指對某件事瘋狂的人，比如，a jazz fanatic 爵士樂迷，a basketball fanatic 籃球迷。Mark 聽后說：
M: I see. So you meet a lot of business executives on the course, huh?
R: Yeah, definitely. It's a good way to network.
M: Isn't golf really expensive?
R: To be perfectly honest, golf is a bit of a status symbol...and yes...it can be an expensive game. There are green fees, caddy fees and charges for renting the golf cart.
M: But the business opportunities are worth it.
R: Absolutely. I read somewhere that a high percentage of senior business executives play golf.
M: It sounds like it's almost mandatory to learn golf if you want to climb the corporate ladder.
Robert說自己在高爾夫球場上能遇到很多商業界高層主管。這里說的 on the course 指的就是 golf course. It's a good way to network. 打高爾夫球是認識人，積累人脈的好辦法，network在這里是動詞，意思是建立人際關系。打高爾夫球確實需要錢，要交 green fees球場費；caddy fees球童費，cart rental fees 租車費，但是能認識更多的人，得到更多機會，還是值得的。Mark說，看來，如果想在企業里升遷 climb the corporate ladder 就必須學打高爾夫球。
R: Networking is a big plus....but I think another reason executives enjoy the golf course is that it gives them an excuse to get out in the fresh air and connect with nature.
M: I can understand that. If you turn off your cell phone or Blackberry you can hear birds chirping and enjoy a fresh breeze. It's a nice break from a hectic office.
R: It is a good way to recharge, but you're right: golf primarily is a social sport. You get a chance to talk and get to know people on a different level on the golf course than you do in the boardroom.
公司高層愿意出去打高爾夫球，除了建立人脈以外，也是為了能離開 hectic office 忙碌的辦公室，投入大自然的懷抱，It's a good way to recharge. 是個充電的好辦法。Robert 覺得，高爾夫主要還是一種 social sport 社交型運動，讓你在董事會議事廳以外，換個環境，換個層面，在高爾夫球場上去彼此了解。
B: I tried golf once, but I'm not a huge fan. I think it's just SO S-L-O-W.. and plus it's relatively expensive compared to other sports!
A: Maybe you should try again when you are older! You are too young to see the beauty of golf! 好啦，說完高爾夫，咱們再去了解一個體育用語，爆冷門!
