英语高级视听说-下册-unit-2.doc

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1、Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more.-author-date英语高级视听说-下册-unit-2Not Your Average TeenNot Your Average TeenLots of teenage girls dream of becoming rich and famous. But its not a fantasy for Michelle Wie. Just before her 16th birthday

2、 last fall, she became the highest-paid woman golfer in history simply by turning professional and lending her name to commercial endorsements that will pay her between $10 million and $12 million a year, most of which will go into a trust fund until she becomes an adult.Wie has been a celebrity sin

3、ce she was 13, when people began predicting she would become the Tiger Woods of womens golf. But, as correspondent Steve Kroft reports, that has never been enough for Wie. She wants to become the first woman ever to successfully compete with men in a professional sport. She has tried a couple of tim

4、es on the PGA Tour without embarrassing herself. As you will see, she has changed a lot since we first talked to her way back in 2004, when she was 14.At the time, Wie told Kroft her ultimate goal was to play in the Masters. I think itd be pretty neat walking down the Masters fairways, she said. It

5、was a neat dream for a 14-year-old kid. Nothing has happened in the last two years to change Wies mind or shake her confidence.She is stronger now, more mature and glamorous. She has already demonstrated that she can play herself into the middle of the pack against the best men on the PGA Tour and h

6、as come within a shot of winning her first two starts on the LPGA Tour this year as a part-time professional.The day before 60 Minutes interviewed her at the Fields Open in Honolulu, she shot a final round of 66, coming from six strokes off the lead to just miss a playoff.You won your first check ye

7、sterday, Kroft says.Uh-huh, Wie says. It was, it was really cool. I mean, I was like looking at how much I won. I was like Oh my God. Wie says she won around $72,000. Asked whether she gets to keep that money, Wie said she didnt know. Im trying to negotiate with my dad how much I can spend of that,

8、and stuff like that. Were still working it out. But, you know, Im definitely gonna go shopping today, she says, laughing.Half of her life is spent in the adult world, competing with men and women twice her age for paychecks they may need to make expenses and dealing with the media, sponsors and mark

9、eting executives. The rest of the time she is a junior at Punahou High School in Honolulu, where she is an A student and claims to lead the life of a typical 16-year-old.Well, I have a math test tomorrow that I havent studied for at all. Which Im kind of worried for, she says, laughing. What about b

10、oys?Not yet, she says.And the boys, Im sure, at your high school are probably a little intimidated, Kroft says. Well, I dont know, I mean, thats what everyone else says, she replies, laughing. But I dont really care. Im way too busy as it is.She has already been on the David Letterman Show, graced c

11、ountless magazines and played golf with former President Clinton, who, she claims, can be rather vague when recording his score.ContinuedTo help manage all of this, her parents have surrounded her with the best people all that money can buy. Besides her caddy, Greg Johnston, and renowned golf coach

12、David Leadbetter, her retinue includes agents, a sports psychologist, physical trainer and image consultant.Two years ago, it was just Wie and her parents. Now she has an entourage. Entourage. Thats funny, says Wie. But, you know, Im very glad for all the new members of the team. It feels nice to ha

13、ve, you know, people that you can trust around you.And making decisions for you, Kroft says.Yeah. I mean its awesome, Wie says. Most of the shots are still being called by her parents, B.J. and Bo, with recommendations from the William Morris Agency, which was hired by the Wie family to manage the b

14、usiness aspects of her career and line up endorsements from sponsors who were already standing in line.They include a ubiquitous sporting goods and apparel company, a Japanese electronics giant and a Swiss watch manufacturer? -who collectively contribute an eight-figure sum to the Michelle Wie trust

15、 fund.William Morris president David Wirtschafter says Michelle is, and will remain, their only golf client in a talent stable mostly filled with Hollywood actors, directors and writers. He sees her as someone who can easily make the jump from sports to entertainment.Asked if he thinks there is a di

16、fference anymore between sports and entertainment, Wirtschafter says: We dont think so. We think that sports is a subset of entertainment. And we feel that so many people are interested in her because almost every demographic is anxious to watch her play and anxious to see what she does next, that s

17、he will be one of the few athletes who essentially transcends sports and becomes somebody that people pay attention to in popular culture.Why are so many people interested in her?I think that men are fascinated by the way that she plays golf, says Wirtschafter. She plays golf in a style that is much

18、 more like men. Its a power golf style. She hits the ball a long, long way. I think women find her attractive, particularly young women, because she, again, is playing against boys. And, yet, when shes off the course, shes very much like them.Wirtschafter acknowledges that Wie has also become very a

19、ttractive and that it makes a huge difference. Because she exudes femininity, she exudes youth and, on the other hand, just has a skill level thats off the charts. And I think thats a very, very rare combination.So if she was 5-2 and weighed 160 pounds, there wouldnt be this interest? Kroft asks. I

20、dont think thered be this level of interest. But if she was 5-2 and weighed 160 pounds and could play golf as she plays golf, shed still be a great golfer, says Wirtschafter.Much of the interest in Michelle is in Asia. She is of Korean descent, already speaks Japanese and is now taking a stab at Man

21、darin. When she arrived at an airport in Japan last year before playing in a tournament there, she was styled and greeted like a major movie star, although she tries to pretend otherwise.Wie says she doesnt feel the level of celebrity she has already achieved. Referring to her movie star-like recept

22、ion in Japan, Wie says, Oh, I just figure that they were there at the airport because they had a plane to catch.Wie admits juggling high school life while playing on the LPGA Tour is hectic but says thats the way she likes it. I mean, I like being busy. When I have nothing to do, Im just like, Find

23、me something to do. Im just, like, walking around my house trying to find something, actually cleaning up my room, she says, laughing. Which I never do.Asked if her parents still rule her life, Wie says: Well, basically, in the household. I mean theyre the head of the household. So I guess I have to

24、 listen. But Im still stubborn. I wont give in easily, thats the thing.That stubbornness has helped propel her to stardom. She passed up junior events and amateur tournaments that she could win for the chance to lose and learn from the best professionals. She also ignored people like John Hawkins, a

25、 senior writer at Golf World and Golf Digest, who advised her to stay away from the mens tour and go play with the girls.Michelles an iconoclast. She is somebody who dares to separate herself from her so-called peers, says Hawkins. Hawkins says its a huge part of Wies appeal. She is unlike anybody e

26、lse, he says. Who has the guts? Cant refer to any other part of the anatomy here? Who has the guts to play against men when theyre 16? I have a tremendous amount of respect for the satchel it takes to go out there and tee it up with the big boys. You gotta turn your TV on and watch that, dont you? I

27、 mean, you got to.And people watched. People came out. It was all over the newspapers the next day. Its news. Its news when she tries, says Hawkins.ContinuedNo one is happier with the prospect than the TV networks and tournament sponsors. When Michelle plays against men or women, television ratings

28、and ticket sales go up an average of 50 percent. But Hawkins points out that Michelle hasnt won anything since she was 13, and if she is going to justify her eight-figure endorsement deals over any length of time, she needs to win some tournaments.I think a lot of that money is predicated on her not

29、 only competing against men, Steve, but beating the women. She is a special talent. She is a transcendent figure, says Hawkins. Shes got it all. But you still gotta have Ws in your pocket. I mean, thats the deal.Does Michelle feel the pressure to start winning tournaments?Well, I mean, Ive heard a l

30、ot of people say that, but you know, I, hopefully, a lot of my fans will recognize that Im still a full-time student, she says. I still have a lot of other things that I have to do. And, hopefully, theyll be patient with me because I believe that I can do it.Last weekend at the Kraft Nabisco Tournam

31、ent, she just missed another opportunity to win a major championship on the womens tour. After making a birdie on the 16th hole, all she had to do to make the playoff was get it down in two from the edge of the 18th green. But her chip shot went 10 feet past the hole and she just missed the putt com

32、ing back.I think, when youre 16, you still come across situations that youve never encountered before, says Hawkins. You still feel emotions that youve never felt. Your heart beats a little harder. Youre not used to feeling the crunch of pressure. I think shes still learning.But if you ask Michelle

33、what has been her most stressful experience this year, shell likely give you the 16-year-old answer? Which was taking and barely passing her drivers test?I got 15 points wrong. So I made it on the number, she explains. While she just made the cut, she says she was really nervous and didnt know what

34、to expect. More than a PGA event? Kroft asks.Yeah, I think so. It was different, though, she replies.Michelle says she would rate her driving skills as OK. But I kind of panic sometimes. Its not very good. I have to get better on that.When her parents finally allow her to have her own car, shell not

35、 only get exactly what she wants, some company will gladly pay her to drive it. But to her friends at Punahou High, she is just another junior.She lives her life just like us. We all go to the movies. We all go shopping, says Michelles friend Raquel. And Meghan, another friend, says even when Michel

36、le is halfway around the world, they text message each other a lot. I just upped my minutes by the way, she says, laughing.Wie is not one of those prodigies who has been robbed of her childhood; in some ways she is still holding on to it? -the final stages, anyway, and enjoying every minute of it. A

37、t 16, the days and weeks still last a long time for her. An endless summer competing against some of the best golfers in the world still feels a long way off. Anything beyond that is hard for her to grasp.I always fantasize with me being on my own, traveling by myself, you know, being independent, s

38、he says. But then the reality sinks in that I never booked a hotel room by myself. Ive never bought a plane ticket. I barely know how to do laundry. I cant cook. I cant even, I almost cannot microwave stuff. I mean its pathetic. So basically the reality sets in and I cant do that.Thats why you have

39、William Morris, Kroft remarks.Yeah, she replies. Isnt it? Kroft asks. No, thats a good point, thats a really good point. I havent thought about that before. I mean, I guess I just have to learn how to do laundry, she says. Asked whether she wants to get married and have kids, Michelle Wie said, laughing: Yeah, most definitely. Thats way down the road. I mean, Im 16 right now. Might be illegal right now.-