Chapter 15 : Sport

It is not secret that many girls use sports as a way to cozy up to the cute athletic jocks. However, it will be embarrassing if you end up not knowing what you are talking about at all. For those sporty girls out there, skip this chapter. For those of you who can’t tell one end of a baseball bat from there other, here are some helpful hints.

Different Types of Sports:

TEAM SPORTS:

Baseball: Popularized in the United States this sport doesn’t get much international attention. However, those that are fans are usually very committed fans! Played in a diamond shaped field Baseball involves on a team playing defense, out in the field, and the other playing offense, by attempting to hit the ball and run all the way around the diamond to score points.

Lingo to Know: Ball, Strike, Out, Inning, Run

(American) Football: Pretty much only played in the US. The rules are much too complicated to explain in a brief paragraph but involve lots of big muscled men in tight pants tackling each other.

Lingo to Know: Just cheer when the other fans cheer

Basketball: A sport very popular internationally and growing in popularity in China. Played indoors in a highly kept up court, basketball has two teams who try to get one ball away from each other to score in a basket on the other side of the court from them.

Lingo to Know: Points, Assists, Rebounds, Foul, Travel, Pass

Hockey: Another internationally popular sport, though usually found in North America. This game is played with two teams and is very similar to Soccer (also called football) but played on skates on an ice rink with a puck instead of a ball.

Lingo to Know: Offsides, face off, goal, penalty, minor, major

Football (Soccer): Probably the biggest international sport, soccer is known and played and loved worldwide. If you were to study up on one sport I would highly recommend it be this one. Played on a large field in a similar formation to hockey (but without the ice), football involves two teams facing off against each other to try to get past the defending plays and kick the ball into the opponents goal. No hands are allowed by anyone except the goalie.

Lingo to Know: Goal! corner kick, off the sides, penalty

Rugby: Rugby is one of the most physical of sports. Internationally the pinnacle of the sport lies in the Rugby World Cup. It is especially popular in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The team with the ball must move the ball up the field in ‘phases of play’. The ball can never be passed forwards but players can run forwards with the ball or kick the ball forward to chase it down. The opposing team needs to stop the attacking team by tackling and trying to retain the ball.

Lingo to Know: Lineout, Maul, Ruck, Scrum

对于女生而言，运动不失为一个有益于身心的项目。但是，如果你对于运动什么都不了解，那么将会显得尴尬。对于那些熟悉运动的女生，你大可不必接着看这篇文章。但是对于那些对球类运动一窍不通的女生，这里可能有一些用得上的提示：

不同的运动类型：

团队竞技：

棒球：这是一项风靡美国的运动，但是并没有得到太高的国际关注。然而，这项运动却拥有着十分忠实的追捧者。整个团队在一个零星的棒球场防守，而菱形场地以外则是对方团队进攻的地方，他们虎视眈眈地试图抓住机会抢夺对方手里的棒球，以为自己的团队加分。

行话关键词： 球，攻守，出界，带球跑

（美式）足球： 这项运动也基本上只在美国流行。这项运动的规则过于复杂，不能够在这里做简短的解释。但是参与这项运动的大多都是肌肉发达的帅哥们穿着紧身裤，互相竞争。

行话关键词：作为球迷，尽情欢呼就对了！

篮球：风靡全球的一项球类运动，同时近些年在中国也越来越受欢迎。这一项室内球类运动，两支球队拼尽全力得到篮球，并投入属于自己队的篮筐，即为得分。

行话关键词： 得分，助攻，篮板，犯规，通过

曲棍球：又一项流行于全球的球类运动，大多数在北美洲。这项运动也是两队互相竞争，类似于足球，但是双方在溜冰场穿着溜冰鞋争夺一颗冰球，而不是一颗普通的球。

行话关键词： 越位，进球，点球，主攻，助攻

足球： 这也许是最大的国际性体育项目了，受到全世界人的关注及喜爱。如果你只想钻研在一项运动上，那我极力推荐足球。这项运动类似于曲棍球（只是不在冰面上），两支队伍互相竞争，得到球之后送入门框。除了守门员之外，全程都不能够用手接触足球。

行话关键词： 得分，角球，罚球

橄榄球： 橄榄球是最需要体能的体育运动之一。橄榄球世界杯是橄榄球界世界级的比赛。这项运动在欧洲、澳洲和新西兰特受追捧。拥有橄榄球的队伍必须死守防线，队员可以带球跑动或是抛弃球之后拼命接到它，所有队员都要试图保持球在自己的队伍，阻挡对手的进攻。

行话关键词： 线外、抢假球、背罚