看奥运学英语：Badminton(羽毛球)

英语自学网

　

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            Made-for-television radar guns instantly flash the speed of serves, volleys and pitches to the sporting public around the world these days, but few viewers could name the world's fastest racket sport. The title belongs to badminton.　　　
            The flight of the shuttlecock, a missile of cork and goose feather that players volley across the net, has been recorded at speeds of 260 kilometres per hour. Speed, agility and lightning-fast reflexes are essential to the game. Add stamina, too - players have been known to cover more than six kilometres in a single match.　　
            While contemporary badminton first appeared in the mid-19th century, it evolved from the game battledore and shuttlecock, which can be traced back to ancient Greece, China, Japan and India.　　　
            Especially popular in Asia and Europe today, badminton became a full competition sport at the Olympic Games in 1992.
            Help: stamina n. 毅力，持久力，耐力　　　　　battledore n. 羽毛球球板
        文化链接：
              早在两千多年前，一种类似羽毛球运动的游戏就在中国，印度等国出现。中国叫打手毽，印度叫浦那，西欧等国则叫做毽子板球。十九世纪七十年代，英国军人将在印度学到的浦那游戏带回国，作为茶余饭后的消遣娱乐活动。  早期羽毛球14-15世纪时的日本，当时的球拍为木质，球是樱桃核插上羽毛做成。据传，在14世  羽毛球图片纪末，日本出现了把樱桃插上美丽的羽毛当球，两人用木板来回对打的运动。这便是羽毛球运动的原形。现代羽毛球运动诞生在英国。1873年，在英国格拉斯哥郡的伯明顿镇有一位叫鲍弗特的公爵， 在他的领地开游园会，有几个从印度回来的退役军官就向大家介绍了一种隔网用拍子来回击打毽球的游戏，人们对此产生了很大的兴趣。因这项活动极富趣味性，很快就在上层社会社交场上风行开来。“伯明顿”（Badminton）即成为英文羽毛球的名字。自1992年起，羽毛球成为奥运会的正式比赛项目。