Lesson 5
Golf Is Popular in Japan

Guidance

What kind of sports do you like best? Do you know what's the most popularsport in Japan? 你最喜爱哪种运动？你知道日本最流行的运动是什么吗？

1 In Japan, many kinds of sports are loved by people of all ages, but baseball and soccer are the most popular sports. Baseball is said to be the national sport, but more Japanese children play soccer rather than baseball .

2 Nowadays, however, when we talk about the sports that most people in Japan do, we can think of golf. Many Japanese businessmen now play golf, not only as one of their hobbies , but also as a useful way to communicate with their friends and customers . ①

3 I began to practice golf more than ten years ago because I thought I would play golf when I became old. I learned the most important and necessary skills from an instructor at first and then used to practice it once or twice a week, ② but I couldn' t improve it very much.

4 One of the reasons why I can't do it well is that I have no sense of physical activities. ③ The other reason is that I have few chances to play on the golf course . It costs a lot of money to play on a private (私人的) golf course in Japan, and there are only a few public courses.

5 I used to go to the course several times a year. I used to practice golf at the driving range (练习场), but I began to take golf lessons last November. Now I try to practice at least two or three days a week and go to the course as often as possible. I hope to improve my golf this year.

(262 words)

Word bank

Notes

① Many Japanese businessmen now play golf, not only as one of their hobbies, but also as a useful way to communicate with their friends and customers. 现在许多日本商人打高尔夫，这不仅是他们的爱好之一，而且是和朋友及客户交流的有效方式。

② …used to practice it once or twice a week… ……过去常常每周练习一两次……

③ One of the reasons why I can't do it well is that I have no sense of physical activities. 我无法把它做好的原因之一就是我对体育活动没有什么感觉。

Practice

Ⅰ. Comprehension

1. What sport do more Japanese children prefer to?

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2. Why do many Japanese businessmen now play golf?

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3. When did the writer begin to practice golf?

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4. Why can't the writer play golf well?

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5. How often does the writer practice golf now?

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6. Baseball is said to be the national sport, but more Japanese children play soccer rather than baseball. (英译汉)

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Ⅱ. Writing practice

What is your favorite sport? Why do you like it best?

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