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世界杯足球赛将至 里约工薪阶层反映冷淡

Football fever is building as Brazil prepares to launch the 2014 World Cup on Thursday, but celebrations in some areas are subdued¹ compared to previous years.

随着2014世界杯足球赛的临近，足球热正在巴西逐步升温。但是在一些地区的庆祝活动，相对于往年，却逊色了不少。

The weekly “feira,” or street market, in Vila Isabel, a working class neighborhood near Maracana Stadium. Shoppers look for bargains, but they say prices keep going up.

维拉·伊莎贝拉（Vila Isabel）是在马拉卡纳球场旁的一个以蓝领阶层为主的社区。这里每周都会举办街市，也被称作“费拉”（feira）。人们来这里购买廉价的商品。但是近来，他们说物价正在不断增长。

This neighborhood was always known for its fierce football [soccer] fans, according to vegetable vendor² Luiz Henrique.

路易斯·恩里克是这里的一名蔬菜摊摊主。他说，这个社区最有名的就是这里疯狂的足球迷。

“In the old days, there used to be a competition for the most decorated street, and this street [Jorge Rudge] won many times. There used to be so many people out on the street that you couldn’t even get through,” said Henrique. He said people cannot afford the decorations anymore.

“在以前，这里的街道之间会举办比赛，看哪一条街的装饰最为绚丽。这一条街就多次赢得了冠军。这里以前曾是人山人海，你在街上几乎都寸步难行。”

Neglecting essentials

Retired³ schoolteacher Vera Lucia Gatti said many are angry with the government for spending billions of dollars on stadiums while hospitals and schools have been left to deteriorate⁴.

他说，现在人们已经很难再承担得起装饰街道的费用。维拉·露西亚·加蒂是一名退休教师，她说，政府把数十亿美金的钱都花在了修建球场上，却对医院和学校不管不问。

“So I think the money should have been spread around, some for the Cup, a little for the schools, a little for the hospitals," she said. "This was the way to go, but it wasn’t done that way.”

“所以我觉得，钱的分配应该更均匀一点，在世界杯上投入一些 ，在学校和医院上也应该或多或少地投入一些。这才是一个合理的方法，可惜政府没有这么做。”

Some Brazilians have demonstrated against the World Cup and say they will boycott⁵ the games. Strikes by transit⁶ workers also threaten to disrupt the tournament that is expected to draw some 800,000 foreign visitors.

一些巴西人反对举办世界杯足球赛，并说要抵制这次比赛。公交工人的罢工也对比赛的正常举办造成了威胁。本次世界杯预计将吸引大约80万外国游客。

Corruption⁸ charges

Some hope the international attention will lead to change in Brazil. Henrique doubts this.

一些人希望，国际社会的关注将有助于巴西的改变。但是恩里克却不以为然。

“You know, a country like this with so many corrupt⁷ people that you can’t trust anyone, where even the most honest person in politics is on the take, there is no law. So for me, there is no solution,” he said.

“要知道，这个国家有着太多的腐败官员，甚至被人们最为信任的那些人也被查出受贿。这里已经没有法律了，你也无法信任任何人。所以在我看来，政府已经无药可就了。”

Gatti said Brazil’s leaders need to change.

加蒂说，巴西的领导人需要改变。

“As far as the Cup goes, if Brazil wins, great. There’ll be happiness. I will be, too, of course," she said. "But if those who govern do not change and begin to spread the wealth around, nothing will be solved.”

“至于世界杯足球赛，如果巴西夺冠，那很好，人们会很开心，我当然也会。但是，如果那些执政者不能够有所改变、使财富分配更加公平，那么一切都还是老样子。 ”

Almost everyone here believes Brazil will win the championship. There is little hope, however, that this World Cup will bring anything more than temporary joy.

在这里，几乎人人都坚信巴西队会将大力神杯留在巴西。但是，人们也深知，世界杯足球赛带来的欢乐可能只是暂时的。