剑桥雅思19Test1Passage1阅读原文翻译 How tennis rackets have changed 网球拍的变化
剑桥雅思19第一套题目第一篇文章的主题为网球拍的变化。整篇文章大体可以分为两部分：前四段通过穆雷的例子引出网球拍的调整；后七段讲述具体的调整类型，比如球线、框架、握柄等。整体来说难度不大，虽然会有一些专业名词，但不怎么影响理解。下面是具体每一段的翻译。
第1段
In 2016, the British professional tennis player Andy Murray was ranked as the world’s number one. It was an incredible achievement by any standard -made even more remarkable by the fact that he did this during a period considered to be one of the strongest in the sport’s history, competing against the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, to name just a few. Yet five years previously, he had been regarded as a talented outsider who entered but never won the major tournaments.
2016年，英国职业网球选手安迪·穆雷登上了世界排名第一的宝座。这无论从哪个角度来看，都是一项了不起的成就——更令人称奇的是，他是在网坛被认为最为强劲的一个时代达成这一壮举的，对手包括拉斐尔·纳达尔、罗杰·费德勒和诺瓦克·德约科维奇等一众顶尖球员。然而就在五年前，穆雷还只是一个被认为有潜力却始终无缘大满贯冠军的“陪跑者”。
第2段
Of the changes that account for this transformation, one was visible and widely publicised: in 2011, Murray invited former number one player Ivan Lendl onto his coaching team – a valuable addition that had a visible impact on the player’s playing style. Another change was so subtle as to pass more or less unnoticed. Like many players, Murray has long preferred a racket that consists of two types of string: one for the mains (verticals) and another for the crosses (horizontals). While he continued to use natural string in the crosses, in 2012 he switched to a synthetic string for the mains. A small change, perhaps, but its importance should not be underestimated.
促成这一巨大转变的因素中，有一个非常显眼、也广受关注：2011年，穆雷邀请前世界第一伊万·伦德尔加入教练团队，这一重要举措对他的比赛风格产生了明显的影响。而另一个改变则非常细微，几乎未被人注意。像许多职业选手一样，穆雷一直使用由两种不同球线组成的球拍：主线（竖线）和横线分别采用不同材质。他原本在横线上使用天然球线，但在2012年将主线更换为合成球线。看似微不足道的调整，其实意义重大，绝不可小觑。
第3段
The modification that Murray made is just one of a number of options available to players looking to tweak their rackets in order to improve their games. ‘Touring professionals have their rackets customised to their specific needs,’says Colin Triplow, a UK-based professional racket stringer.‘It’s a highly important part of performance maximisation.’Consequently, the specific rackets used by the world’s elite are not actually readily available to the public; rather, each racket is individually made to suit the player who uses it. Take the US professional tennis players Mike and Bob Bryan, for example: ‘We’re very particular with our racket specifications,’ they say. ‘All our rackets are sent from our manufacturer to Tampa, Florida, where our frames go through a . . . thorough customisation process.’They explain how they have adjusted not only racket length, but even experimented with different kinds of paint. The rackets they use now weigh more than the average model and also have a denser string pattern (i.e. more crosses and mains).
穆雷所做的调整，只是众多网球选手为了提升表现而对球拍进行微调的诸多选项之一。英国职业拉线师科林·特里普洛（Colin Triplow）表示：“巡回赛职业选手的球拍都会根据他们的具体需求进行定制，这是提升比赛表现的重要一环。”因此，世界顶尖选手所使用的球拍并不是市面上随手可买的款式。每一支都为特定选手量身打造。以美国职业网球选手迈克和鲍勃·布莱恩兄弟为例：“我们对球拍的规格要求非常严格，”他们表示，“所有球拍都会从制造商送到佛罗里达州的坦帕市，在那里，我们的球拍框架会经历一整套精细的定制工艺。”他们解释说，除了调整球拍的长度外，甚至还尝试过不同类型的喷漆。他们现在使用的球拍不仅重量高于普通款式，而且球线的编织密度也更高（也就是说，主线和横线的数量更多）。
第4段
The primaiy reason for these modifications is simple: as the line between winning and losing becomes thinner and thinner, even these slight changes become more and more important. As a result, players and their teams are becoming increasingly creative with the modifications to their rackets as they look to maximise their competitive advantage.
这些调整之所以被广泛采用，原因其实很简单：当胜负之间的差距越来越微小时，哪怕是最细微的变化也变得至关重要。因此，为了最大化竞争优势，选手及其团队在球拍的改造上也变得越来越有创意。
第5段
Racket modifications mainly date back to the 1970s, when the amateur German tennis player Werner Fischer started playing with the so-called spaghetti-strung racket. It created a string bed that generated so much topspin that it was quickly banned by the International Tennis Federation. However, within a decade or two, racket modification became a regularity. Today it is, in many ways, an aspect of the game that is equal in significance to nutrition or training.
球拍改造最早可以追溯到20世纪70年代，当时德国业余网球选手维尔纳·费舍尔（Werner Fischer）开始使用一种所谓的“意大利面球线”球拍。文章来自老烤鸭雅思这种球拍的线床可以产生极强的上旋球，效果之强大以至于很快就被国际网联禁止使用。然而，仅过了一二十年，球拍改装就逐渐成为一种常态。如今，从某种意义上说，球拍的改造已经与营养管理或日常训练一样，成为比赛中不可或缺的一部分。
第6段
Modifications can be divided into two categories: those to the string bed and those to the racket frame. The former is far more common than the latter: the choice of the strings and the tension with which they are installed is something that nearly all professional players experiment with. They will continually change it depending on various factors including the court surface, climatic conditions, and game styles. Some will even change it depending on how they feel at the time.
球拍的改造大致可以分为两类：一类是针对线床的调整，另一类是针对拍框的调整。其中，线床的改造远比拍框更为常见 – 几乎所有职业选手都会尝试不同的球线种类和拉线张力。他们会根据球场表面、气候条件以及比赛风格等多种因素不断调整配置，有些球员甚至会根据当时的个人状态进行更换。
第7段
At one time, all tennis rackets were strung with natural gut made from the outer layer of sheep or cow intestines. This all changed in the early 1990s with the development of synthetic strings that were cheaper and more durable. They are made from three materials: nylon (relatively durable and affordable), Kevlar (too stiff to be used alone) or co-polyester (polyester combined with additives that enhance its performance). Even so, many professional players continue to use a ‘hybrid set-up’, where a combination of both synthetic and natural strings are used.
曾几何时，所有网球拍的球线都由天然肠线制成，这种肠线取自羊或牛的肠道外层。然而，随着上世纪90年代初合成球线的问世，这一情况发生了变化。合成球线不仅价格低廉，而且更加耐用，主要由三种材料制成：尼龙（较为耐用且价格适中）、凯夫拉（过于坚硬，通常不会单独使用）以及共聚聚酯（在聚酯中添加性能增强剂）。尽管如此，许多职业球员仍然倾向于使用“混合配置”，也就是将合成球线与天然肠线搭配使用。
第8段
Of the synthetics, co-polyester is by far the most widely used. It’s a perfect fit for the style of tennis now played, where players tend to battle it out from the back of the court rather than coming to the net. This article is from Laokaoya website. Studies indicate that the average spin from a co-polyester string is 25% greater than that from natural string or other synthetics. In a sense, the development of co-polyester strings has revolutionised the game.
在所有合成球线中，共聚聚酯无疑是使用最广泛的一种。它非常适合当今网球的比赛风格 – 选手更倾向于在底线进行对抗，而不是频繁上网。研究表明，与天然肠线或其他合成球线相比，共聚聚酯球线所产生的旋转平均高出约25%。可以说，共聚聚酯球线的出现在某种程度上彻底改变了网球比赛的格局。
第9段
However, many players go beyond these basic adjustments to the strings and make changes to the racket frame itself. For example, much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights onto his rackets, and today many professionals have the weight adjusted during the manufacturing process.
不过，许多球员并不满足于仅仅调整球线，他们还会对球拍框架本身进行改动。比如，美国职业选手皮特·桑普拉斯的发球威力很大程度上就归功于他在球拍上添加了四到五个铅块。如今，许多职业选手甚至会在球拍制造过程中就调整重量，以达到理想的手感和性能。
第10段
Other changes to the frame involve the handle. Players have individual preferences for the shape of the handle and some will have the handle of one racket moulded onto the frame of a different racket. Other players make different changes. The professional Portuguese player Gonçalo Oliveira replaced the original grips of his rackets with something thinner because they had previously felt uncomfortable to hold.
对拍框的另一类改造涉及手柄。每位球员对手柄的形状都有不同偏好，有些人甚至会将一个球拍的手柄模具安装在另一种球拍的框架上。也有球员做出不同的调整。比如，葡萄牙职业选手贡萨洛·奥利维拉就把球拍原配的握把换成了更薄的款式，因为原来的握把让他握持时感到不适。
第11段
Racket customisation and modification have pushed the standards of the game to greater levels that few could have anticipated in the days of natural strings and heavy, wooden frames, and it’s exciting to see what further developments there will be in the future.
球拍的定制与改造将网球运动的竞技水平推向了前所未有的高度，这在天然肠线和笨重木拍盛行的年代是难以想象的。未来在这一领域会有怎样的新发展，令人充满期待。
