北京時間7月12日晚9點30分,英國溫布爾登網(wǎng)球場和眾多網(wǎng)球迷一起見證了一場精彩絕倫的比賽。這場溫網(wǎng)的男單決賽,男子網(wǎng)球世界第一與世界第二的比賽,眾人矚目。大家都在好奇,到底是衛(wèi)冕冠軍德約科維奇在溫布爾登這片草地上再次稱王,還是溫網(wǎng)一路狀態(tài)極佳的網(wǎng)球天王費德勒能夠拔得頭籌。這一場被雨打斷仍舊精彩的比賽,最終的冠軍屬于在第四盤抓住機會敲定勝局的小德。
測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識:
upstart 新貴,暴發(fā)戶
usurper 篡位者
tiebreak 打破平局
hurrah 象聲詞,意為歡呼
combat 戰(zhàn)斗,比賽
nibble 輕咬
serene 晴朗的,順利的
By Matthew Engel
Roger Federer returned to his old palace,Wimbledon Centre Court,on Sunday to reclaim the throne from the upstart Novak Djokovic. But usurpers can have a nasty habit of keeping a firm grip on the levers of power. And this one never really looked like letting go.
Djokovic became the first man since Federer himself nine years ago to retain the men's title,winning his third Wimbledon and his ninth grand slam — his victim's totals of seven and 17 may yet be in sight.
This was a final that promised to be an epic. When Federer took control of the second set tiebreak and levelled the match,there were a couple of roars perhaps louder than anything ever heard on the Centre Court(patriotic occasions excepted). Djokovic had reached set point seven times in the second yet failed to seal the deal. But for Federer and his army of supporting Wimbledonians this was the last hurrah.
Federer got to break point himself at the start of the third set,but the moment passed and he blew the next game. From then on the life went out of the contest. It had started out as one of overwhelming intensity: for a time even a missed first serve seemed to tilt the combat in the other direction. But it began to matter less; and a 20-minute rain delay failed to change the momentum.
Djokovic won 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-3 in just under three hours. As has become his victory custom he nibbled a little Centre Court grass in celebration. “It tasted great this year,” he said. I dread to think what Federer might have eaten.
His progress to the final had been uncommonly serene — just one service game lost in six matches; Djokovic,in contrast,had often been edgy and was forced to stare into the abyss when two sets down to the South African Kevin Anderson. And in the opening manoeuvres of the final the champ was slow to get into his rhythm while his opponent was strutting like a turkey cock. And in a sense Federer made the weather throughout: 58 outright winners against 46. But he also made more mistakes: 33 unforced errors v 16.
Some of his strokes — oh,those wondrous whipped forehands! — were absolutely beautiful,as ever. But promising looking rallies would end with a groan and a tepid tap into the net. Djokovic's crucial break in the third set was decided when Federer,the least likely human in history to blow such a moment,missed the easiest of kills.
You might say the errors were forced psychologically if not technically. Djokovic kept working the ball on to Federer's(slightly)weaker backhand,kept him at the back at the court,and kept the rallies going long enough for what seemed like mental tiredness to set in. This is what Andy Murray completely failed to do in the semi-final.
The joy of men's tennis over the past few years has been the combat between the big four — these two,Murray and Rafael Nadal. Now,with Federer 34 next month,Nadal's body rebelling and Murray's mental strengths not quite compensating for his technical weaknesses,we may be looking at The Big One,the 28 year-old SuperSerb. Only Paris remains unconquered.
There is something about the unflashiness of the tennis that makes him easy to underestimate. But he has become the undisputed master not just of the backhand and the service return,but also of the mysterious art of winning the crucial point. He collected this trophy with a cross-court backhand and a few primal screams.
Ever since Nadal first overcame him here in 2008,we have been talking about the twilight of the great tennis god Federer. The sun has gone down infinitely slowly in a blaze of gold,even though this time he had to settle for a silver salver.
1.Why was this epic final match between Federer and Djokovic paused and delayed for about 20 minutes?
A.Bad weather
B.Broken tennis racket
C.Threat of a potential bomb
D.Sudden health problem
[1] 答案
2.Which country did this match take place?
A.Australia
B.UK
C.France
D.USA
[2] 答案
3.What's author'sattitude towards Federer?
A.Concerned
B.Negative
C.Positive
D.Loser
[3] 答案
4.Who is not in the list of “the big four” in men's tennis?
A.Murray(穆雷)
B.Wawrinka(瓦林卡)
C.Nadal(納達爾)
D.Federer(費德勒)
[4] 答案
[1]答案:A.Bad weather
解釋:文章第四段最后講到了比賽由于大雨而暫停延遲,但也沒能幫助費德勒挽回局面。
[2]答案:B.UK
解釋:文章開頭作者就講到了是在溫布爾登球場發(fā)生的比賽,后文也提及了英國是所在國。同時,有對網(wǎng)球基本知識的都應該知道,網(wǎng)球界四大滿貫賽事分別承辦于:英國溫布爾登、美國紐約、澳大利亞墨爾本和法國巴黎。
[3]答案:C.Positive
解釋:文章中作者的態(tài)度最明顯的呈現(xiàn)是在最后一段他對費德勒的筆墨。雖然費德勒在2008年開始就被認為是最后曙光,但作者認為費德勒的“金色光環(huán)(勝利的能力)是在以無窮緩慢的速度消失”。所以作者對于費德勒的態(tài)度是十分正面的。
[4]答案:B.Wawrinka(瓦林卡)
解釋:文中倒數(shù)第三段作者提名了現(xiàn)在男子網(wǎng)球界的“四大天王”:Murray(穆雷)、Nadal(納達爾)、Federer(費德勒)、Djokovic(德約科維奇)。Wawrinka(瓦林卡)雖然不久前打敗德約科維奇拿到法網(wǎng)冠軍,但還沒有成為作者口中“the big four”的一員。