【英语趣味课堂】可以举办世界杯的城市-World Cup City

 Paul: So Todd, we're talking about football and recently there was the World Cup bidding process that occurred and the English campaign lost to the Russians and the American campaign lost to Qatar. How do you feel about that?

Todd: Yeah, it was a bit tough. I thought actually that the US was deserving. I think the vote was relatively¹ close. The US actually was a really good candidate because it has the stadiums, it has the infrastructure², it has the transportation networks, it has a really large multi-cultural population so there's people from every country in the world. It has the media set-up. It really had everything so I was actually surprised it didn't get it. But then after reading about the bid that won, Qatar, I was understanding. They seemed to have a really good pitch. These were not going to be for another twelve years and the stadiums that they were proposing are going to be really high tech and just marvels³ of architecture and the stadiums that we have now are going to be twelve years old by the time the World Cup would come around so that makes a lot of sense. Plus I've always wondered what a World Cup would be like if you had it in one central location and Qatar is relatively small so people won't have to travel that much, so I think that's kind of a benefit I think. A lot of my friends have been to the World Cup and they say that actually having the games so spread out is kind of a hassle.

 

Paul: Right.

 

Todd: So that might be good. But actually to be honest what really surprised me was that Australia didn't get it. I thought Australia was the best choice. I thought Australia was a better choice than the US and Qatar. They've never had it in that region before, they have all the stadiums recently built for the Olympics in two thousand. They love football or soccer, they are always competitive⁴ in the World Cup, a very festive⁵ atmosphere, very multi-cultural like the US, so I thought they were the perfect candidate but they came in third. I think they were voted out first, I don't even remember.

 

Paul: Yeah, I was surprised by that as well. I thought Australia would be a really good choice.

 

Todd: So of the three, so if it was the US, Qatar and Australia, who would have you chosen?

 

Paul: I would have chosen Australia because it's never been there before. I think they would make a real kind of, you saw the Olympics there and it was a real success and I think having been to Australia, they don't really have a very good transportation network because it's so big and the cities are so far away from each other. I think it would have really helped to develop that side of Australia. Like you said, the festive kind of spirit of Australian culture I think would have made for a really memorable⁶ World Cup.

 

Todd: Yeah, I agree. Although, on the other hand, I think most of the world doesn't know very much about Qatar and we can look at what China recently did in the Olympics, there was a lot of skepticism about how they would handle the Olympics and they did a phenomenal job. So I guess everybody just has to keep an open mind and hope for yet another great World Cup.

 

学习内容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

deserving

 

I thought actually that the US was deserving.

 

Someone or something that is deserving should receive our help and support. Notice the following:

 

I thought he was deserving of assistance.

No one thought it was deserving of an Academy Award.

pitch

 

They seemed to have a really good sales pitch.

 

A pitch is similar in meaning to a presentation. Notice the following:

 

That was a great sales pitch.

The workshop was really just a sales pitch for the company's products.

hassle

 

Having the games so spread out is kind of a hassle.

 

Something that is a hassle is annoying or inconvenient⁷ to do. Notice the following:

 

It's a hassle to get here during rush hour.

I don't like the hassle of carrying my books around after class.

festive

 

They have a very festive atmosphere.

 

Something festive is fun and lively. Notice the following:

 

It was a less than festive event.

Wow, that was a festive party last night, wasn't it?

skepticism

 

There was a lot of skepticism about how they would handle the Olympics.

 

Skepticism is similar in meaning to doubt. It's most often negative. Notice the following:

 

His explanation was met with skepticism.

His explanation was met with doubt.

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

4 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

5 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

6 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

7 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？