第一篇: The Wimbledon Championships are the oldest and most prestigious of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments.
As such, Wimbledon is awash in long-lasting traditions and features, such as the habit of calling the men’s and
women’s competitions “Gentlemen’s” and “Ladies’,” 31 . But arguably the most notable aspect of the event is the
all-white dress code for all participants. Why does the tournament specify that its players dress “ 32 in white” or
“almost entirely in white?”
The short answer is “because it’s in the dress code.” But it’s in the dress code for a reason: namely, when the
code was written in the genteel 1880s, sweat stains were considered so improper and unsightly that it was decided
that white should be worn to minimize their 33 , as sweat is more apparent on colorful clothing. From that period
on, “tennis whites” were considered the standard 34 for well-heeled tennis players, which described everyone
who played in the first Wimbledon tournaments.
The all-white dress code, however, has not always been popular with players. The most extreme case of this was
when superstar Andre Agassi refused to play at Wimbledon from 1988 to 1990 in part because the dress code
prevented him from wearing the flashy clothing that he was most comfortable wearing. When the criticism of some
of the greatest players of all time is not enough to get Wimbledon to 35 its dress code, there is a good chance
that we will continue to see Wimbledon participants clad in all white for a good long time.
【題組】35.
(A) signify
(B) soften
(C) vilify
(D) claim