新西兰英语 506 Rugby Win

 　　Nearly every New Zealand adult, and many children too, watched the game last night. Most people watched on television, at home or in a bar. Many thousands watched outside in a fan zone. These were places like the waterfront (by the harbour) in Auckland¹ and Wellington, or Hagley Park in Christchurch. The fan zones provided² entertainment before the game and a large video screen where the crowds could watch the game. The fan zones were exciting places. But even more exciting was having a seat at Eden Park stadium³ where the game was played. The stadium was full for this final – all 61,000 seats.

　　France played New Zealand in the final of the Rugby World Cup. It was a very close and tense game; however, the All Blacks (the New Zealand team) won 8 – 7. They won the gold cup. This is the first time the All Blacks have won the cup since 1987.

　　Today there was a victory⁴ parade⁵ through downtown Auckland. The team travelled in open cars along Queen St. At the end, team members held up the cup. Thousands of Aucklanders were in the city to celebrate the win and to congratulate the winners. Tomorrow there will be a parade in Christchurch and on Wednesday a parade in Wellington.

　　Vocabulary

　　A fan is a person who really likes a famous person or sport. Many pop stars have fans. A fan zone is an area where fans can meet together.

　　A close game is a game where both teams are nearly equal.

　　tense – people were worried because they did not know who would win

　　Victory means⁶ a win. It can be used for a win in a war.

　　Grammar

　　“This is the first time the All Blacks have won the cup…” Can you make other sentences using: This is the first time I have (ever) + past participle e.g. This is the first time I have seen a rugby game. This is the first time I have been … have had … have tasted … have tried …

　　Questions

　　The Rugby World Cup tournament⁷ cost a lot of money. What are some of the benefits⁸ to New Zealand from hosting the Rugby World Cup?

1 Auckland   

n.奥克兰(新西兰港市)

参考例句：

• Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand.奥克兰是新西兰最大的城市。
• Return to auckland by bus in afternoon.下午乘车返回奥克兰。

2 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

3 stadium   

n.露天大型运动场

参考例句：

• The new football stadium can hold eighty thousand people.新的足球场可以容纳八万人。
• The stadium is being used for a match.那个露天运动场正在进行一场比赛。

4 victory   

n.胜利，成功

参考例句：

• Victory will never come if we only wait for it.如果我们光是等待，胜利永远不会到来。
• It can't be questioned that we will win the final victory.我们将最终取得胜利，这是确定无疑的。

5 parade   

n.游行，炫耀，阅兵，检阅，阅兵场；v.游行，炫耀，夸耀，（使）列队行进

参考例句：

• She is on parade in her new dress in the street.她穿着新衣服在大街上走来走去。
• The boys loved watching the soldiers on parade.男孩子们爱看士兵们列队行进。

6 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

7 tournament   

n.比赛，竞赛，锦标赛

参考例句：

• He was the best boxer in the tournament.他是本届联赛的最佳拳手。
• The Council resolved that the next tournament should be held in Shanghai.理事会决定下次比赛在上海举行。

8 benefits   

n.津贴费；利益( benefit的名词复数 )；（给职工的）奖金；救济金；益处

参考例句：

• economic benefits accruing to the country from tourism 旅游业为该国带来的经济效益
• The article enthused about the benefits that the new system would bring. 本文热情赞扬了新制度将带来的好处。