Dragon Boating Conquers the World

Dragon Boating Conquers the World 全球掀起划龍舟熱
People all over the world enjoy the sport of dragon boating

Twenty teammates reach forward with paddles, dig them into the water and then pull back in a quick, powerful motion. A drummer keeps time for them from the front of the boat while another person steers from  the back. Together, these 22 people race a boat fitted with the head and tail of a dragon. It's a scene that's been part of the Dragon Boat Festival in China for thousands of years. But over the last 30-plus years, this scene has become common on lakes and rivers around the globe.

The world outside Asia was formally introduced to dragon boating in 1976. That year the Hong Kong Tourism Association had a plan to increase tourism. Their first step was inviting a Japanese team to compete in the first Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races. The media sent pictures around the world, increasing international interest in the sport. Their next step was sending teak dragon boats to cities in North America and Europe. Whether their plan helped tourism or not, it did give rise to dragon boat clubs in many countries. By the time the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was founded in 1991, dragon boating had truly become an international sport. 

Grammar Gym

"It's a scene that's been part of the Dragon Boat Festival in China for thousands of years."
"(something) is a scene that's been part of (something else).
- Putting up a tree and letting the kids decorate it is a scene that's been part of the Johnson Family Christmas celebration for many generations.
- Employees working together to clean out their work spaces is a scene that's been part of the company's annual cleaning contest for many years.

Info Cloud

We're all familiar with the five basic senses, right? Sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. But there are in fact, a lot of other senses we humans possess to some degree or another.

Like the sense of rhythm, if you want to play the drums, you'll need to have this sense because keeping time is a drummer's main responsibility.

Right, and if you are someone who enjoys listening to and telling a good joke, you'll have a healthy sense of humor.

Ok, what about the sense that can keep us from getting lost? You mean the sense of direction. This sense comes in handy when you're driving around in an unfamiliar city or hiking in the woods.

One more, because I know many of you love wearing fashionable clothes. Well, if that's you, then you probably have a sense of style.

If you lack any one of these four senses, you can try to cultivate it through learning and practice, but there's no guarantee how far you'll get. For most people, you either have the sense or you don't.

Right, have you ever tried to teach someone how to be funny? Not easy.


Language Lab
conquer v.
/ˈkɑ:ŋkɚ/
1 to get control of a country by fighting
2 to defeat an enemy
3 to gain control over something that is difficult, using a lot of effort
4 to succeed in climbing to the top of a mountain when no one has ever climbed it before
5 to become very successful in a place

keep time  鐘錶走的準
1 of a watch or clock : to show the correct time
- My wristwatch keeps excellent time.
2 music : to perform music at the correct speed
keep time  使合拍或節奏
- Susan sometimes has problems keeping time when she's playing the piano.

steer v.掌(船)舵, 駕駛, 操縱
to control the direction a vehicle is going, for example by turning a wheel
- Dad steered while mom gave the directions.
- The sailor steered the boat into the harbor.
steer 引導，操控
to be in charge of an organization, team etc and make decisions that help it to be successful, especially during a difficult time
- Samantha steered the conversation away from the sensitive topic.

give rise to 引起, 導致, 造成
- The low pay give rise to many employees to complain.
- Poor nutrition gave rise to the disease.
- Excellent casting and stunning special effects gave rise to the success of the film.

federation n.聯邦政府; 聯邦制度
- the Russian Federation 俄羅斯聯邦
- the International Tennis Federation.(ITF) 國際網球聯合會
- The USA is a federation of 50 states.美國由50州组成的聯邦
- Spain is one of the members of the European Federation.西班牙是歐盟的成員之一


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