Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read
the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. ace (n.) [eys] – in tennis, the first
shot of a player which his/her opponent misses
Example: The top tennis
player won the game with an ace.
2. rally (n.) [ral-ee] – in tennis, it is
an exchange of several shots before a player wins the point
Example: It is boring to
watch a tennis game with very few rallies.
3. physique (n.) [fi-zeek] – the structure
or form of the body
Example: An athlete’s strong
physique is advantageous.
4. dull (v.) [duhl] – to make something boring
or unexciting
Example: Long speeches
usually dull a party.
Article
Read
the text below.
As tennis players become more and more competitive, it is
possible that more aces will cut the games shorter.
Only a month ago, 6foot-10inch Croatian player Ivo Karlovic
served the ball at 156 mph, breaking the 155-mph record held by American player
Andy Roddick.
Better racket designs plus the skills and physique of players like Karlovic
might cause players to win tournaments by multiples aces and fewer rallies.
Because of this, the ITF proposes the use of larger tennis balls
which move slower and bounces higher making it easy to keep them inside the
court.
In 2002, ITF introduced balls 6% larger than regular tennis
balls to be used for leisure games. But the ITF also saw this as a solution to
having more rallies in professional tournaments.
Though aces in games have not yet increased since 2002, ITF
claims the average service speed is increasing which may prompt them to use
larger balls.
Senior tennis players who played using the larger balls disliked
the idea because larger balls may dull their
game. ITF also admits that using larger balls may tire players easily as they
exert greater effort to hit the balls.
Viewpoint
Discussion
Enjoy
a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
Why
do you think some consider speed in games exciting?
·
What
other factors makes games challenging aside from speed?
Discussion B
·
Do you think technology changes the way
sports are played? Please explain your answer.
·
What
are the advantages and disadvantages of using advanced technology in sports?
