To Touch All Bases: Baseball Rules!
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| To Touch All Bases: Baseball Rules!
It is important to touch all four bases in the game of baseball. 03 December 2006 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 will not be counted. The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the nineteen seventy-four baseball season. Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was seeking the record for hitting the most home runs. A home run is a ball that is hit over the wall. Aaron needed just one home run to equal the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run 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 seven hundred and fourteen home runs -- the same as Babe Ruth. After that day, baseball fans held their breath every time it was Hank Aaron's turn to hit. When would he hit home run number seven hundred and fifteen? 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 home run would not have counted. There would have been no new record. So, to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity. The expression is used in business and politics. No business deal or political campaign is really complete until you discuss all the issues involved. Or, as it is said, until you touch all bases. Even professional diplomats use this expression, as well as others that come from baseball. A diplomat in reporting on negotiations 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 cooperate. 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 Doughty.
Optional Essay Assignment (15-minute essay) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The conventional class-room based lecture is better than other options such as teleconferencing, correspondence courses, and video-on-demand over the Internet. (You should proof-read your essay at least once after 15 minutes of non-stop writing. Correct obvious mistakes and rewrite the parts you are not comfortable with.) Essay Many students attend college to land a good job. But, there are other reasons for doing so as well. Discuss one or more of these reasons that apply to you. Use specific examples and details to support your answer. One of the reasons why I go to university is of course to land a good job. Another reason is to cultivate my mind by studying and talking with my friends. This cultivation is also advantage to get a good job. Almost all jobs need communication skill. Some jobs that can be done only with sensibility, computer, paper and pencil need understanding about some trend, trend is relative to human beings. All jobs are relative to human beings, because money is passed from persons to persons. However money is not everything. The biggest goal is to discover something more wonderful than money. The more cultivated I am, the more cultivated people I can communicate. As another small reason why I go to university, if I do not go, my relatives worry about me. As another reason, to know something new for me by studying is pretty fun for me. Directory: Listening Listening -> Listening to the Land through Rudy Wiebe’s Fiction Listening -> Listening Guide for musc 2133 Listening -> Recordings kept in the Listening Room. Please note, these recordings do Download 12.81 Kb. Share with your friends:
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