Mark在公司门口看见同事Robert.
Mark: Hey Robert…going on vacation? Looks like you’re planning on doing some golfing.
Robert: Yes, I will be playing golf, but I’m not going on vacation. I’m meeting up our New York office’s senior management team. We’ll be playing a few rounds and going over the merger plans.
M: Really? So when did you take up the sport?
R: Around two years ago I began to realize that if I could get on the golf course with other senior executives, it could open a lot of doors for me. At first I didn’t really enjoy it, but now I’m almost a golf fanatic.
Robert要跟纽约办公室的高层主管打高尔夫 play a few rounds，同时讨论并购的事。Mark 问他是什么时候开始打高尔夫球的，这里用的动词是 take up, to take up sth. 意思是开始做某件事情。Robert说，他两年前开始觉得，打高尔夫 could open a lot of doors for me. 可以帮助自己打开很多大门，得到更多机会。Robert说，他刚开始打的时候也不太喜欢，但现在已经快变成 golf fanatic 了。fanatic is spelled f-a-n-a-t-i-c, fanatic 是指对某件事疯狂的人，比如，a jazz fanatic 爵士乐迷，a basketball fanatic 篮球迷。Mark 听后说：
M: I see. So you meet a lot of business executives on the course, huh?
R: Yeah, definitely. It’s a good way to network.
M: Isn’t golf really expensive?
R: To be perfectly honest, golf is a bit of a status symbol…and yes…it can be an expensive game. There are green fees, caddy fees and charges for renting the golf cart.
M: But the business opportunities are worth it.
R: Absolutely. I read somewhere that a high percentage of senior business executives play golf.
M: It sounds like it’s almost mandatory to learn golf if you want to climb the corporate ladder.
Robert说自己在高尔夫球场上能遇到很多商业界高层主管。这里说的 on the course 指的就是 golf course. It’s a good way to network. 打高尔夫球是认识人，积累人脉的好办法，network在这里是动词，意思是建立人际关系。打高尔夫球确实需要钱，要交 green fees球场费；caddy fees球童费，cart rental fees 租车费，但是能认识更多的人，得到更多机会，还是值得的。Mark说，看来，如果想在企业里升迁 climb the corporate ladder 就必须学打高尔夫球。
R: Networking is a big plus….but I think another reason executives enjoy the golf course is that it gives them an excuse to get out in the fresh air and connect with nature.
M: I can understand that. If you turn off your cell phone or Blackberry you can hear birds chirping and enjoy a fresh breeze. It’s a nice break from a hectic office.
R: It is a good way to recharge, but you’re right: golf primarily is a social sport. You get a chance to talk and get to know people on a different level on the golf course than you do in the boardroom.
公司高层愿意出去打高尔夫球，除了建立人脉以外，也是为了能离开 hectic office 忙碌的办公室，投入大自然的怀抱，It’s a good way to recharge. 是个充电的好办法。Robert 觉得，高尔夫主要还是一种 social sport 社交型运动，让你在董事会议事厅以外，换个环境，换个层面，在高尔夫球场上去彼此了解。