|
(Tennis ball sounds) Y: Hi, this is Yang Chen. P: And I'm Patrick. And today we are playing a game of tennis. Y: (calling out) Okay, Patrick It's your serve! P: To serve S-E-R-V-E is to put the tennis ball in play by throwing it up into the air and hitting it with a racquet. Y: Oh, come on, Patrick. Would you quit talking and serve the ball? P: OK. Here I go! (thwok, thwok) Good return, Yang Chen! (Thwok─funny out sound). Y: Hey, Patrick, that ball was over the line. The ball was out, 你出界了。我应该得一分。So it is my point. P: That means the score is "Love Fifteen". Love for me and fifteen for you. Y: Love? L-O-V-E? 爱?这和爱有什么关系?What's love got to do with it, Patrick? (Music─Tina Turner) P: Love in tennis scoring means “Zero”。 And right now I have zero points. Y: You have love - 不是你有爱情,而是说你是零分, zero points, 可是我怎么会有15分呢? P: Tennis scoring is very complicated, isn't it? To win a game a player must win four points and two more points than his opponent. The first point is called "fifteen". Y: 那么 the second point is called "thirty"? P: That's right. The second point is called "thirty," and the third point is called ... Y: Forty-five? P: No, it is called "forty." Y: Why not forty-five? P: 传统上是这样 - it's just the tradition now, as there were several historical reasons for it decided by the French. Y: Okay, serve again, Patrick! (Thwok, Thwok). P: Oh no, I missed the ball! Y: I guess that makes the score "love thirty"! But you have love!!! |