VOA常速英语2007年-No Green, All Rough!

By Rahim Gul Sarwan
Kabul, Afghanistan
04 December 2007
 

Brown and full of weeds, Afghanistan's only golf course is a symbol of survival. Once an oasis¹, today it shows the scars from decades of war. Now, six years after the fall of the Taliban, the pockmarked course is welcoming players again. Rahim Gul Sarwan recently visited the course where challenges await players on every hole. VOA's Jim Bertel narrates².

The Kabul Golf Club is a work in progress. But amid the desert brush and weeds, golfers are able to imagine lush fairways of green that they hope will one-day crisscross Afghanistan's only golf course.

But you will not find any grass here today. Just sand -- lots of it. Still, that does not stop the fun.

Many diplomats⁴ and international aid workers make the drive to this park west of Kabul. With bags slung⁵ over their shoulders, golfers dodge⁶ weeds and rocks and play the game in the rough.

Dan Rath, an aid worker from Canada, is a regular visitor to Kabul's golf course. "Golf in Afghanistan is clearly in an early developmental phase. The course is in a little bit of rough shape, a bit dryer⁷ than I am accustomed to. The greens are hard, but they are also slow, so this takes a little bit of getting used to," Rath said.

The Kabul course welcomes beginners as well. The instructor⁸, who is also the course manager, regularly holds classes.

Vanessa Valentino works at a research institute in Kabul. This is her first visit to the course. She says, "This is my first time golfing, so, it has been very fun to play here. They definitely need some more upkeep, but, besides that, I'm having a lot of fun."

Although most of the players are foreigners, the course has some local fans as well. Ali Ahmad says he learned the game by watching Tiger Woods and other pro³ golfers on TV. "I watch the game on television and I like it very much"

 

Mohammed Zahir Shah, the King of Afghanistan, established the original course. It was moved to its present site in the 1970s. After the Soviet⁹ Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, it was turned into a military base. The course reopened to golfers in 2004.

Still, there is much work to be done. Mohammad Afzal Abdul, the course manager, says, "Our most urgent needs are water and greenery. We have personnel but without adequate salaries. If we have visitors like today, we will be able to fund our needs."

Abdul hopes golf pros¹⁰ like Tiger Woods or associations, like the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA), will provide some financial assistance to turn the browns into greens. Until then, he says golf will remain an extreme sport in Afghanistan.

1 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

4 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

6 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

7 dryer   

n.干衣机，干燥剂

参考例句：

• He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。
• There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

8 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

9 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

10 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》