VOA慢速英语2010年-EXPLORATIONS - South Africa Bets on 20

BARBARA KLEIN: I’m Barbara Klein.

BOB DOUGHTY¹: And I’m Bob Doughty with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. A maker² of luxury travel goods recently launched an advertisement campaign. Video and magazine ads show three men playing table football and laughing in a coffee shop in Madrid, Spain. They are Pele, Maradona and Zidane. Only one name identifies each of them to the world. They talk about football and life.

The ad has gained much attention on the Web, possibly because it captures something about one sporting event. It says: “Three exceptional³ journeys. One historic⁴ game.” The game may be historic. But for football glory, the World Cup must be a part of the journey.

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BARBARA KLEIN: The 2010 FIFA World Cup opens Friday in South Africa. It is the first time that the world’s biggest sports event will be held in Africa. FIFA’s head, Sepp Blatter, announced the decision six years ago to cheers and celebration.

SEPP BLATTER: “The 2010 World Cup will be organized in South Africa (cheers).”

The World Cup is organized by FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. The organization was established in nineteen-oh-four. FIFA is based in Zurich, Switzerland. Two hundred and eight national associations are members. That is more members than the United Nations.

A South African child plays soccer in the poor Soweto area where the 2010 World Cup final will be played

FIFA’s goal is to maintain the rules of football. It holds major competitions around the world for men, women and children. FIFA makes money mainly from television and product marketing⁵. Last year, the group received income of more than one billion dollars.

BOB DOUGHTY: Football, called soccer in the United States, is probably the world’s most popular sport. FIFA counts about two hundred seventy million male and female players and officials worldwide. Four percent of the world’s population plays some form of football.

Millions of players are registered with leagues and clubs. Germany has more registered players than any other country. China is now estimated to have the most total players. The United States has the most football officials. England, where the sport was born, has the most football clubs — over forty-two thousand.

BARBARA KLEIN: Football is easy to play. All you need is a ball and open space. But at its highest level, football combines skill and physical conditioning. It has been called “the beautiful game.” And the World Cup is where the beautiful game appears at its best -- and sometimes its worst.

The Two Thousand Ten World Cup has promised drama from the moment groups were announced last December. The competition is organized so the thirty-two teams play in eight groups, each with four teams. Teams play their group opponents once. The top two teams in each group move on to the second stage.

Didier Drogba

BOB DOUGHTY: Every World Cup has its “group of death.” This is a four-team grouping that contains three or four strong teams — all with hopes of winning it all. In two thousand ten, Brazil, Portugal, Ivory⁶ Coast and North Korea share the “group of death.” Brazil has won the World Cup five times and is ranked number one by FIFA. Portugal is ranked third in the world. And Ivory Coast has one of the world’s best players, Didier Drogba.

But Ivorian fans have been watching the news carefully recently. Drogba suffered a broken arm in a game against Japan last week. He is expected to play, but it is unclear how soon. If Drogba hopes to gain fame at the World Cup, he will have to fight injury before he faces a single defender⁷.

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BARBARA KLEIN: One match capturing world attention will be the United States against England on Saturday, June twelfth. Sixty years ago, the Americans gained their biggest World Cup victory against England in Brazil.

England is a traditional football power and won the nineteen sixty-six World Cup. The team is ranked eighth in the world. It has one of the world’s best players, Wayne Rooney. But the United States is ranked fourteenth. Coach Bob Bradley believes he has a strong team.

BOB BRADLEY: “[We have] Guys that have been to the World Cup before and have become real good leaders, some younger players that have played key roles throughout qualifying⁸, some new players that came in late but still bring enthusiasm. And I think as a group there’s great character and we think that’s one of our strengths.”

Landon Donovan is the all-time scoring leader for the United States

This year’s United States team has a lot of international experience. Seven members on the team play in England. In all, nineteen play in foreign professional leagues.

Jozy Altidore has been called the United States’ biggest goal-scoring threat. But he may be slowed by an ankle injury. He is joined by three players appearing in their third World Cup. Among them is Landon Donovan. He holds the scoring and assist record for the national team.

Besides England, the United States faces Slovenia and Algeria in group play.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: Six African teams will be playing in the World cup. They are South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Cameroon is the highest ranked team and has been the most successful. In nineteen ninety the Indomitable Lions, as they are called, defeated defending champion Argentina and reached the quarterfinals.

But possibly the biggest story of this year’s World Cup is the history of the nation holding the huge event. South Africa is a nation of forty-nine million people and Africa’s biggest economy. But it also has struggled with racial division, poverty and high rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

Danny Jordaan is the head of the South African Organizing Committee. He is also a former football player. And he is an activist⁹ who fought the policy of racial separation, called apartheid. It existed in South Africa until the early nineteen nineties. He says hosting the World Cup will help unite the nation.

DANNY JORDAAN: “The World Cup is beginning to plant the seeds, serving as a glue to bind¹⁰ the nation. And nation building, social cohesion¹¹, is an important outcome¹² for us in this World Cup. And we are quite happy with what we have seen thus far.”

BARBARA KLEIN: Like the Olympics, the World Cup provides a good reason to build roads, railways and airports to manage the flow of visitors. New or updated hotels and sporting centers are also part of the preparations.

The South African government has invested an estimated twelve billion dollars during the past four years. That includes major improvements to the airport in Johannesburg and a new one billion dollar airport in Durban.

New or improved sports centers are another part of the costly¹³ preparations. South Africa has updated its stadium at Soccer City near the Soweto area of Johannesburg. The improved center can hold more than ninety-four thousand screaming fans. The World Cup final will be held there on July eleventh.

Speaking in his native Spanish, Argentina’s coach and former player Diego Maradona praised the stadium.

DIEGO MARADONA (Voiceover): “This stadium means a lot. It is a splendid stadium such as is only seen in a few places on earth.”

BOB DOUGHTY: South Africa has also spent nearly two billion dollars to build five new stadiums, including one in the tourist center of Durban. A total of sixty-four matches will take place in ten stadiums around the country.

Security is also a main concern. South Africa will deploy¹⁴ forty thousand police officers. They must protect visitors from crime, fan disorder¹⁵ and terrorist¹⁶ threats. The government is spending nearly two billion dollars on security training and equipment.

Critics say the money could have been better spent helping¹⁷ poor people in the country. But South African President Jacob Zuma says holding the World Cup has brought development that will help the country for many years.

South Africa's Steven Pienaar, in yellow, fights for the ball against Lars Jacobsen of Denmark in a friedly match Saturday

BARBARA KLEIN: Thirty-two teams will start the World Cup in South Africa with dreams of reaching football glory. Possibly the biggest hero of the event will come from one of the traditional European or South American football powers. They include Italy, Germany, Brazil and Argentina. Those nations alone have won fourteen of the eighteen World Cups held since nineteen thirty.

But there are other, less likely, heroes. Roger Milla was a star for the memorable¹⁸ team from Cameroon in nineteen ninety. At age thirty-eight he scored four goals as his team gave the best performance ever by a team from Africa.

For one month, the drama of international football will play out in South Africa. New sports heroes will make history. But the greatest results could take place off the field.

Loren Rutherford depends on the tourism business. She believes the Word Cup could change her country.

LOREN RUTHERFORD: “It is good for Africa. I mean the more publicity¹⁹ that we can have about [South] Africa the better. Because the more people understand that we have got fantastic infrastructure²⁰ and that we are safe and that we are a beautiful country, the better. Tourism creates jobs and that is the key issue at the end of the day.”

BOB DOUGHTY: This program was written and produced by Mario Ritter with reporting from Scott Bobb and Parke Brewer²¹. I’m Bob Doughty.

BARBARA KLEIN: And I’m Barbara Klein. Who do you think will win the World Cup? Post comments or support your team at voaspecialenglish.com. We are also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and iTunes at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.
 

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。

4 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

7 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

8 qualifying   

使具有资格的

参考例句：

• players who fail at the pre-qualifying stage 在预选赛中淘汰掉的选手
• A doctoral candidate is required to pass a qualifying examination. 考博士需通过一个资格考试。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

11 cohesion   

n.团结，凝结力

参考例句：

• I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
• The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量，深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。

12 outcome   

n.结果，出口，演变

参考例句：

• The outcome of the experiment is in the lap of the gods.实验结果尚难预料。
• The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。

13 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

14 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

15 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

16 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

17 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

18 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。

19 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

20 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。

21 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。