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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - TO TOUCH ALL BASES
By
Broadcast: Sunday, February 22, 2004
Now the VOA Special English Program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES
American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases. It comes from the sport of baseball. There are four bases in baseball. First, second and third. The fourth is home plate. Together, the bases form a diamond shape. When a baseball player hits the ball, he must run to each base in order and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to score a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point would not be counted.
The importance of touching1 all the bases was shown at the start of the 1974 baseball season. Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was seeking the record for hitting the most homeruns. A homerun is a ball that is hit over the wall. Aaron needed just one homerun to equal the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that homerun the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. He sent the ball over the wall that surrounded the playing field. That gave him 714 homeruns, the same as Babe Ruth.
After that day, baseball fans held their breath2 every time it was Hank Aaron's turn to hit. When would he hit home run number 715? The wait was not long. In the second week of the season, Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth's record. But first, he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one. If he did not, the homerun would not have counted. There would have been no new record.
So, "to touch all bases" means3 to do what it is necessary to complete an activity. The expression is used in business and politics4. No business deal or political5 campaign6 is really complete until you discuss all the issues7 involved, or as it is said until you touch all bases. Even professional8 diplomats10 use this expression as well as others that come from baseball. A diplomat9 in reporting on negotiations11 with diplomats from different countries may say they touched all bases during many hours of talks.
This means they explored all issues involved in the situation. Perhaps they did this after expressing hope that they could play ball with each other, meaning that they could learn to cooperate12. Sports reporters write about fast moving lively events. They must develop a way of writing that goes straight to the point. Their duty is to give the reader a complete picture of the event in as few words as possible. They must touch all bases as quickly as they can.
This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Mike Pitts. This is Bob Doughty13.
1 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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2 breath | |
n.呼吸,气息,微风,迹象,精神,一种说话的声音 | |
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3 means | |
n.方法,手段,折中点,物质财富 | |
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4 politics | |
n.政治,政治学;政纲,政见,策略 | |
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5 political | |
adj.政治上的,政党的,政略性的,政治的 | |
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6 campaign | |
n.运动;竞选活动;战役;vi.参加运动;进行竞选;作战 | |
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7 issues | |
(水等的)流出( issue的名词复数 ); 出口; 放出; (特别重要或大众关注的)问题 | |
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8 professional | |
adj.专业的;职业的;n.专业人员;职业运动员 | |
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9 diplomat | |
n.外交官,外交家;能交际的人,圆滑的人 | |
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10 diplomats | |
n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 );有手腕的人,善于交际的人 | |
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11 negotiations | |
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过 | |
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12 cooperate | |
vi.合作,协作,相配合 | |
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13 doughty | |
adj.勇猛的,坚强的 | |
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