2008年10月24日星期五

Heerenveen 1 - 3 AC Milan



AC Milan got their UEFA Cup [联盟杯] Group E adventure off to the best possible start with a comfortable 3-1 win over Dutch side Heerenveen.
An own goal from Heerenveen midfielder Calvin Jong-a-Pin after 19 minutes set them on their way, before goals from Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi completed the tally [记分牌].
Danijel Pranjic added a late consolation goal [安慰球] for the hosts from the penalty spot four minutes from time [终场前4分钟].
Heerenveen started the game brightly, sending a number of crosses into the Milan area. But still they failed to test goalkeeper Dida until Mika Vayrynen tried his luck from all of [十足,不少于] 25 yards with quarter of an hour played.
But just as the hosts appeared to be growing in confidence [逐渐自信] they were rocked by an own goal at the other end. Kaka sent a cross [给出传球] towards the six-yard box [小禁区] and with Inzaghi lurking Jong-a-Pin inadvertently [不注意的] headed the ball into his own net.
Heerenveen failed to pick themselves up [使自己打起精神起来] and four minutes later they were punished again.
Kaka was once more the one to supply the cross into the middle of the penalty area which this time found Gattuso, who scored with a low shot to the right of goalkeeper Brian Vandenbussche.
Slowly the Dutch side came back into the game, as Tarik Elyounossi and Goran Popov had chances before the break [中场休息前] but neither really threatened.
They improved in the second half, however. Pranjic and Gerald Sibon both brought saves out of Dida in the opening 10 minutes.
But as in the first period Milan soaked up the pressure [顶住压力] before finding the net themselves again with 21 minutes to play [全场结束前21分钟].
This time Gattuso played a ball through the Heerenveen defence for Inzaghi to latch onto [得到], and the Italy forward blasted his shot past Vandenbussche.
Alexandre Pato nearly made it four when he forced Vandenbussche to tip a shot [指尖碰出] around the post as the game entered the final 10 minutes, before Heerenveen were finally rewarded with a goal of their own.
Giuseppe Favalli fouled Paulo Henrique in the box, leaving Pranjic to slot home a consolation effort from the penalty spot.

2008年10月23日星期四

MLS insist Beckham move will only be short term



AC Milan confirmed on Wednesday their desire to sign Beckham in January with initial speculation being that Beckham would head to Italy for six months.
However, in a statement issued late on Wednesday night, MLS said the deal would be restricted to around two to three months to allow Beckham to return to Los Angeles in time for the start of the 2009 MLS season in late March.
"Discussions have taken place between AC Milan and the Los Angeles Galaxy regarding the possibility of a short-term loan agreement that would allow David Beckham to play for AC Milan during the MLS offseason,'' MLS commissioner Don Garber said.
"Those discussions are ongoing. David remains an LA Galaxy player and will be here for the start of the 2009 MLS season.''
The Los Angeles Galaxy have so far declined to comment on any possible deal.
Beckham, 33, wants to remain match fit through the MLS off-season in order to keep alive his chances of playing for England.
Beckham was told by England boss Fabio Capello that he would not be considered for the planned friendly in Spain if he was not playing club football at the time of the match.
A move for two to three months would have obvious benefits for Beckham, who with 107 caps is 18 appearances short of equalling the England record held by Peter Shilton.
Only last week, Capello stressed Beckham has a key role to play for the foreseeable future with England, but that hinges on him playing games, the more competitive the better.
Beckham will be submitting to intense scrutiny if he moves to Milan, given he has spent more than a year in the relatively weak American league, and Capello - who had two spells as boss of the Rossoneri - would pay keen attention to his performances.
Beckham is under contract with the LA Galaxy until 2012 but their season finishes on Sunday.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said: "We are speaking with his agent but we believe he will arrive for some months on a free loan.
"We shall register him for some months and then he will leave. Beckham has chosen Milan. Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.''
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "For me it will be a pleasure, Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional.
"If he is available for four months with us, we will be very happy.''
Former Milan and England striker Luther Blissett believes the move to Italy would pay off for Beckham.
"If he's really going to be part of this England revolution he's got to be playing regular, top-class football with top-class players,'' Blissett told Setanta Sports News.
"I think he'd make a great addition to what they have. And for Beckham to be playing alongside the likes of Kaka and (Clarence) Seedorf in midfield would be great for him as much as it would be for Milan.''
There can be no guarantee of Beckham playing every week, given Milan have Kaka, Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo to select from in midfield.
But a move taking him to Milan possibly until March, allowing him to return to the United States for the start of the MLS campaign, would at least allow him to see some first-team action and remain match fit.
England have a busy start to 2009. They have a probable friendly against Spain lined up for February, plus a home friendly against Slovakia in March, and World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in April, and Kazakhstan and Andorra in June.
Milan expect Beckham's proposed move to bring more supporters through the San Siro turnstiles.
Galliani told acmilan.com: "Beckham will most likely bring more fans rather than fewer ones to the stadium.''
And sports business expert Professor Simon Chadwick, commenting on behalf of Weber Shandwick Sport, said: "Brand Beckham is still a global phenomenon and even in these difficult economic times, his star appeal in parts of the world such as the Middle East and Asia will see AC Milan netting up to £10million, just for a short stay.
"Many of the world's finest footballers have represented the Rossoneri, but Beckham is in his own league when it comes to global impact.''
Beckham's prospective loan move has been welcomed by Serie A players as a signing that would benefit the league.
"We all know he is a great champion,'' said Udinese's Italy striker Antonio di Natale. "He will have no problem playing in our league, the league will be even better with him playing in it. We look forward to seeing him.''

2008年10月22日星期三

Beckham set for winter-long AC Milan loan

The former England captain is determined to keep his place in the national team and a spell on loan in Europe during the Major League Soccer close season could be beneficial.
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani today stated his confidence that Beckham will arrive at the San Siro, however it is understood the 33-year-old has not yet committed to the deal.
Beckham is under contract with the LA Galaxy but their regular season finishes on Sunday.
Galliani had indicated at the weekend that Beckham would be invited to train with Milan during the coming months, however it now seems he could sign a short-term deal in January.
Galliani said this morning, at Milan's Malpensa airport: ''We are speaking with his agent but we believe he will arrive for some months on a free loan.''
He added: ''Beckham has chosen Milan. Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.''
Beckham had been linked with the Rossoneri before leaving Real Madrid for the United States in 2007.
Milan head coach Carlo Ancelotti has given the blessing for the former Manchester United midfielder to join up with his squad, and provide more competition for places.
Ancelotti is looking forward to working with Beckham, who won his 107th England cap in the World Cup qualifying victory over Belarus last week.
Ancelotti told acmilan.com: ''For me it will be a pleasure, Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional.
''If he is available for four months with us, we will be very happy.''
England boss Fabio Capello has been pleased with Beckham's contribution this year, although he has recently been a fringe member of the squad.
If Beckham moves to Milan - Capello's former club - then he will have the chance to demonstrate in Serie A that he remains a world-class player. Regular club football would almost certainly help his England prospects.
England have a busy start to 2009. They have a probable friendly against Spain lined up for February, plus a home friendly against Slovakia in March, and World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in April, and Kazakhstan and Andorra in June.

2008年10月18日星期六

Blues batter Boro



Luiz Felipe Scolari gained an insight into just how good his injury-hit squad are after seeing them rip Middlesbrough apart.
Despite missing the likes of Petr Cech, Didier Drogba and Ashley and Joe Cole, the Blues were in rampant form at the Riverside Stadium to condemn Boro to the heaviest defeat of Gareth Southgate's reign.
Salomon Kalou fired the visitors ahead with 14 minutes gone, and although Chelsea took the game by the scruff of the neck, they had to wait until six minutes after the break for Juliano Belletti to increase their lead with a stunning 35-yard strike.
Kalou made sure of the points with a deflected 53rd-minute third, and Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda completed the rout on a day when Nicolas Anelka had a goal disallowed, hit the post and was denied by keeper Ross Turnbull.
The visitors arrived on Teesside having not lost a league game in 10 months, but with concerns their injury problems might make an extension of that record difficult.
But they need not have worried as Boro proved compliant hosts in front of a crowd that numbered 29,221 at kick-off, but significantly fewer by the time the final whistle brought a welcome end to their misery.
Scolari could have been forgiven for bemoaning his luck as he was forced to name a side shorn of players worth in excess of £100million, with Cech, the Coles, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien and Drogba all unavailable to him.
Opposite number Southgate, however, might have reminded him, had he asked, he was still able to call upon a formidable squad, and the former England defender would have taken little pleasure in being proved absolutely correct in his assessment by half-time.
Despite their lack of big names, the visitors were utterly dominant before the break and not only that, they played a brand of expansive, penetrative football that left Boro gasping for air.
The only concern for Scolari will have been that as they went in at the break, they were only a goal to the good, Kalou pouncing on a loose ball to fire past Turnbull after Andrew Taylor had blocked the impressive Belletti's 14th-minute shot.
But for the slightest of touches from right-back Jonathan Grounds, Lampard would have doubled the lead from Malouda's cross 10 minutes later.
The Frenchman should have done better when he found himself in on goal with 31 minutes gone, only to fire wide of Turnbull's far post with Boro hanging on for dear life.
Southgate's side did not muster a single credible attempt on goal in the opening 45 minutes with Cech's deputy Carlo Cudicini a virtual spectator.
Their fortunes were summed up seconds before Malouda's miss when Adam Johnson picked out Stewart Downing with a set-play from a corner, only to see the England international thrash at fresh air.
Indeed, the most pressure returning England skipper John Terry found himself under was in injury-time when central defensive partner Alex tried to be a little too clever and left him stretching to clear his lines.
That earned the apologetic Brazilian a stern rebuke from his captain, who otherwise had few problems handling Egypt striker Mido.
Southgate may have been happy to get his players back into the dressing room with the scoreline at only 1-0, but the game was over within eight minutes of the restart.
Turnbull at least stood up to the challenge when, within four minutes of the restart, Malouda waltzed past Grounds and, having opted not to hand Anelka a tap-in, was denied by the keeper.
But the youngster could do nothing two minutes later to keep Belletti's stinging 35-yard piledriver out of his top corner as Chelsea flexed their muscles once again.
The third goal arrived with 37 minutes still to play when Kalou claimed his second with the help of a wicked deflection off David Wheater, although Boro's misery was far from complete.
Kalou and Anelka combined down the right with 63 minutes gone for the midfielder to send in an inviting cross for Lampard, whose diving header gave Turnbull no chance.
The Boro keeper's afternoon took a further turn for the worse with 66 minutes gone when he allowed Anelka's shot to squirm from his grasp, with the post serving a fifth up on a plate for the vigilant Malouda.
Anelka saw a sixth goal rightly ruled out for offside with the Teessiders in tatters, and was then denied by a fine save from Turnbull with 14 minutes remaining, although the job had been completed long before.

Lampard hails superb performance

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea's 5-0 victory at Middlesbrough is their best performance since Luiz Felipe Scolari became manager at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard told Sky Sports 1: "Our football, our movement, our passing - that's the best we've played (under Scolari).
"At the moment we are full of confidence.
"We came here after an international break and some people might have expected us to be a bit dodgy with an early kick-off but we played fantastic.
"If we keep up the way we played today over the season we've got a great chance.''


Scolari calm amid injury crisis


Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is facing an injury crisis ahead of tomorrow's clash with Middlesbrough.

The Brazilian coach has captain John Terry fit again to face Gareth Southgate's side at the Riverside but has drafted in a host of youngsters for the trip north.
Among them is England under-21 defender Michael Mancienne and winger Scott Sinclair.
But Scolari is without regulars Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho with doubts over Jose Bosingwa and Alex.
Scolari declared: ''Nineteen players I have to train. Nineteen are with me today. And all of those are in good condition. John Terry has recovered to play tomorrow.
''Joe Cole will not go with us. Some other players won't go with us because they are injured.
''But I have a team, I have players who will play against Middlesbrough and it's not a problem for me if we have one, two, three or four injuries.''
The latest addition to Scolari's mounting injury toll is German captain Michael Ballack.
Scolari confirmed Ballack is expected to be out for up to three weeks even though he played against Wales in Germany's 1-0 victory in midweek.
Ballack was already carrying a calf injury when he reported for international duty and that was further aggravated against Wales.
However, Scolari insists he is not angry over the loss of the midfielder.
''Ballack is out for maybe two or three weeks,'' admitted Scolari. ''I'm not angry. I'm happy because it's a test for me that I'm a good coach.
''I need to change it, to improve, I need to put other players in, I need to motivate other players.
''It's good for my job, it's good for my work. It's not difficult for me.
''For me it's normal, I need to build every week, one different team.
''Many clubs have injuries from the national games because they are strong games. In football it's normal.
''I worked yesterday, Thursday, with only 11 players. Today I worked with 17. It's better! Maybe Saturday I have 19.
''Against Roma in the Champions League next week, maybe I will have 20 or 21. This is the life for the coach, you need to understand we have different games and I need to understand that national teams want and need the players.
''I'm a coach, I need to build my team with the players that I have.
''The coaches for national teams don't want injuries for his players, he wants what we want - to win.
''It's not only one club that loses when national teams play. All the clubs. One time my club loses players, one time Liverpool, one time Man United. We need to accept this. If you don't accept this it's impossible.
''If you are injured at Chelsea you don't play, if you are injured in the national team you don't play. I don't see any time in my life when one coach put a player on the pitch if he is injured.''

2008年10月11日星期六

胡敏读故事记单词 - 六级 (1)

abbreviation n.缩写, 缩写词
abide vt. 容忍
abide by遵守,履行
abnormala.反常的,异常的
abolishvt. 废止, 废除(法律、制度、习俗等)
abortionn. 流产, 堕胎
abound vi. 1. 大量存在2.(in,with) 充满 ,富于
abreastad. 并列,并排
keep abreast of与……齐头并进,了解……的最新情况
abrupta. 1. 突然的,意外的2.(举止、言谈等)唐突的,鲁莽的
abstain vi. 1.弃权2.(from)戒除
absurd a. 荒谬的,荒唐的
abundancen. 大量,丰富,充足
in abundance 充足,丰富
accessory n. 1.附件,零件,配件2.[常pl.](妇女手提包之类的)装饰品3.同谋,帮凶,包庇犯acclaimvt. 向……欢呼,为……喝彩n. 称赞,欢迎
accommodatevt. 1.容纳2.向……提供住处(或膳宿)3.使适应,顺应
accomplicen. 共犯,从犯
accountablea. 负有责任的
acen. 1.(纸牌等中的)幺点,“A”牌2.(网球等比赛中)发球得分3.(在某方面的)佼佼者a. 第一流的,杰出的
acoustica. 1.听觉的,声音的2.(乐器)原声的
acquaintvt. (with)使认识,使了解,使熟悉
acquitvt. 1.宣判……无罪2.(oneself)使(自己)作出某种表现
activatevt.使活动起来,使开始起作用

Accommodating a Pregnancy
Xiaomin never thought abortion was a big deal. As he became acquainted with American politics , however , he realized you have to work hard to keep abreast of changing values to truly understand how absurdly controversial this issue has become. He found out from his American friends that opinions are in abundance of how to teach people to be accountable for their actions, how to make people abide by Family Planning laws, and even how to teach people just to abstain from sex. The significance of this issue became abruptly clear when Xiaomin's best friend, Jeff, got his girlfriend pregnant.
Jeff was an acclaimed graduate student who was living an abnormal life from other Americans just by attending a Chinese university to get his Ph.D.(Ph.D. is an abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, the highest degree available in a university). Jeff was also an ace soccer player and acoustic guitar player. There was also alway an abundance of women around him. This is how he met Sarah.
When Sarah became pregnant with Jeff, his friends suddenly treated him as if he was an accessory to murder. Jeff also felt as if he needed to be acquitted of some crime. But he decided in the end that he and his accomplice, Sarah, would keep the baby. According to Jeff and Sarah, the life of their child was more important than their career. Xiaomin was amazed. Keeping the child would abolish any chance of a successful career for Jeff. And in Xiaomin's eyes, one could activate the process for an abortion with a simple visit to the doctor even though there might be lines, three people abreast.
But Jeff and Sarah were firm in their decision and Xiaomin had to abide his friends' decision. Life abounded in surprises. Now Jeff and Sarah were leaving school and returning to the United States. They would do everying they could to accommodate themselves to their new situation.

2008年10月9日星期四

Ferdinand: Deduct points to punish racists



England vice-captain Rio Ferdinand has called on FIFA to end its practice of handing out paltry fines for teams whose supporters chant racial or homophobic abuse at players and suggested that the world governing body start deducting points from them instead.

Empics
Rio Ferdinand celebrates with goal-getter Theo Walcott in Zagreb last month.
Ferdinand was furious that the Croatian FA was only fined £15,000 for the behaviour of their fans during last month's 4-1 World Cup qualifier defeat to England in Zagreb when Emile Heskey was subjected to racist chanting.
Ferdinand feels that fines, particularly such meagre fines do not match the zero tolerance hyperbole of football's administrators and has called for tough new measures to be brought in.
''The football authorities need to look at themselves,'' the England vice-captain told BBC Radio Five Live. ''Sepp Blatter [FIFA president] likes to speak up about things that are good for FIFA's image. I would love to see them stand up and dish out the right punishments for these incidents.
''They make a lot of comments about what they are going to do but they never back up the words with actions. Croatia were fined a few thousand quid. What good is that going to do?
''That is not going to stop people shouting racist or homophobic abuse. If things like this keep happening you have to take points off them. Then the punters will realise the team is going to be punished.''
Illustrating Ferdinand's point that fines are not acting as effective deterrents earlier this year the Croatian FA were fined a similarly meagre amount for the racist behaviour of its fans during Croatia's Euro 2008 quarter-final against Turkey.
England players were similarly outraged in 2004 the Spanish FA were handed a £47,000 fine after a month-long investigation for the racist chanting by fans directed at Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips which marred England's friendly in Madrid.
Ferdinand and his team-mates should not be side-tracked by such matters on Saturday when they anticipate the support of a sell-out 90,000 crowd at Wembley for the World Cup encounter with Group Six underdogs Kazakhstan.
The Manchester United man does not share Fabio Capello's belief that the Three Lions find life easier away from their own ground as the high expectation levels sometimes stifle the England players.
However, the 30-year-old suggests the noise levels and sheer passion for their team is something English fans can learn from their Croatian counterparts, if not the unsavoury aspects of their support.
''I love playing at Wembley,'' said Ferdinand. ''But maybe the fans do get a bit agitated if we don't score inside the first 20 minutes. I would just ask them to get behind us and sing their hearts out. If it is a real cauldron, like it is in Zagreb, that helps. No-one enjoys facing 90,000.''
Ferdinand is keen to stress that the improvement England have made since Capello succeeded Steve McClaren is gradual rather than spectacular.
Although some members of the Italian's squad are relishing their opportunities, Theo Walcott being an obvious example, Ferdinand prefers to take a lot of small steps as opposed to one gigantic leap which could end in disaster.
''It is too much if people think of us as a completely different team to the one we were six months ago,'' said Ferdinand. ''Hopefully we can maintain the steady rise we are on at the moment. We have to qualify first and hopefully, by the time we are in the tournament, we will be ready to go.''
Given the shambolic attempt to reach Euro 2008, it could be argued merely getting to South Africa in two years' time would be an achievement.
Ferdinand accepts the misery of missing out has helped provide the spark which Capello has managed to ignite.
''The lads were hurt not getting to the Euros,'' he said. ''But it is a bit of both because the management is different as well. Fabio has a winning mentality. He has proved that. And for us to do what he wants, we have to concentrate at every moment of the game.
''We are very focussed and hopefully that can be the difference in this qualifying campaign.''

2008年10月8日星期三

Juve hand backing to under pressure Ranieri



Juventus [尤文图斯] president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has given coach Claudio Ranieri [克劳迪奥•拉涅利] a vote of confidence despite his team failing to win in their last four games.
Sunday's 2-1 defeat against Palermo [巴勒莫] brought to an end [bring to an end-结束] Juve's unbeaten run [不败] this campaign and saw them drop to 11th in the standings, four points behind the Serie A lead.
"It's a difficult time for us," admitted Cobolli Gigli. "But I am confident that soon we will come out of this situation.
"As for Ranieri, we have no doubts in our minds regarding his job."
The Turin [都灵] giants have failed to impress this campaign, with a lack of goalscoring having hindered the Bianconeri, whose biggest margin of victory so far has been 1-0.
After domestic draws against Catania, Sampdoria and Bate Borisov in the Champions League, Ranieri had hoped for a better outcome at Turin's Stadio Olimpico but it was not to be.
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero had cancelled out [抵偿] Fabrizio Miccoli's opener.
The Bianconeri then suffered a setback [挫折] after Mohamed Sissoko was given his marching orders [逐客令] before the interval leaving Juve to play a man light [少一人应战] for the entire second half.
Palermo took advantage with Levan Mchedlidze scoring the winner nine minutes from time.
"This defeat at home is a blow [打击]," admitted Ranieri. "We really wanted the victory after three consecutive draws [三连平] but it became an uphill battle.
"I don't want to give any excuses but to play with 10 men is not easy and I think my players did the best they could."
Ranieri will be under pressure to win at Napoli [那不勒斯]on October 19 when Serie A resumes after the international break.


2008年10月4日星期六

Gunners come up short



Anyone who predicted Hull City's victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday can congratulate themselves on their foresight, safe in the knowledge few others thought such an upset was possible. Yet there is a way of defeating Arsenal, and from that perspective Daniel Cousin's winner, headed in from a corner, was predictable. Sometimes the result can surprise, but the manner of it is all too obvious.

The Gunners' previous defeat this season occurred when Fulham's Brede Hangeland headed in a corner. They trailed, albeit briefly, at Bolton Wanderers when Kevin Davies headed in a corner. And as each of the three scorers was marked, not overly well, by William Gallas, the similarities continue.
Arsene Wenger promised changes and, obstinate as ever, duly removed some forcefulness from his side against Porto as Samir Nasri replaced Emmanuel Eboue. Others would remove Gallas, if not from the team then certainly from the captaincy.
Leadership does not require a physical presence, though it did Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira no harm, but Gallas appears better suited to the lieutenant's role, rather than that of the general. Responsibility sits particularly uneasily on his shoulders when the ball is directed towards Arsenal's six-yard box.
Whether the reserve centre-backs, Mikael Silvestre and Johan Djourou, would prove more diligent markers at set-pieces is a moot point, but both have the advantage of added inches. Arsenal, a team known for their athleticism, are short of height. Amidst a blur of sprinters, slow players, as Dennis Bergkamp was, have been very much a rarity, accepted for great technical gifts. Since Sol Campbell and Martin Keown left, however, such exemptions have not been made for taller but more limited footballers. And while Wenger's men have brought an element of track and field to the football pitch, they seem to have neglected the high jump, at least in their own penalty box.
It was said of Sir Alex Ferguson's first great Manchester United side that they could out-fight teams as well as out-play them. Arsenal, it appears, can out-pace them but not out-jump them. When strikers Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor are the two tallest players, that hardly aids the defence.
The problem can be psychological as well as physical. Kolo Toure, half of probably the Premier League's smallest central-defensive duo, admitted he was afraid of Hull.
Not for the first time, the unflashy attributes of the departed Gilberto Silva are missed. So, too, is Abou Diaby, whose resemblance to Vieira extends beyond his appearance. Denilson, Cesc Fabregas' Mini-Me, is excellent in possession, but ineffectual in his own box; a microcosm of Arsenal. They appear unwilling to sacrifice fluency for size, and that seems unlikely to change.
The next generation - Nasri, Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere - all conform to the short, skilful type. While there is not a direct correlation between height and aerial ability, even some of the taller players in Arsenal's recent past - such as Thierry Henry - hardly relished defending corners.
Others compromise. Jose Mourinho, always the organiser, wanted at least four tall players on the pitch. Now, arguably, five defensive headers are required in the Premier League. Hull, for example, could send Cousin, Marlon King, Ian Ashbee, Kamil Zayette and Michael Turner forward at set-pieces and they are the rule, rather than the exception.

GettyImages
Little and large: Arsenal's Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner
With apologies to those who favour metric measurements, it is no coincidence that in England, given the imperial system, the six-footers exert a hold on the imagination. The modern-day Wimbledon, Stoke, fielded 10 six-footers at times last season; Liam Lawrence, the comparative dwarf, was half an inch short and, in any case, took the free kicks and corners. A newcomer could be forgiven for thinking that the Potteries was a land of giants Gulliver discovered on his travels. There has long been a theory a promoted team would overcome Arsenal, but that side was expected to be Stoke.
And it is Arsenal's misfortune that possessing a contingent of players who experience high altitude every time they jump matters more in the Premier League than elsewhere. Barcelona's technical wizardry is evident whenever they have the ball, but they have been able to field footballers of the stature of Deco, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta - plus such reluctant headers as Ronaldinho - in recent seasons.
England, in contrast, has a set-piece fixation. Arsenal, through Gallas and Adebayor, have even scored from several themselves, but that doesn't necessarily equip them to defend them. Wenger has said that he believes his current generation of technicians and speedsters have the potential to better the Invincibles of 2003/04. In terms of inventive, attacking football, marked by passing of both incision and imagination, he may be correct.
But the criteria are broader. The Invincibles contained giants such as Campbell and Vieira, men who could repel opponents whichever way they chose. The beatables could do with a fully-fit Diaby, as a midfield destroyer and a giant figure in his own box, and they could benefit from detailing someone other than Gallas with halting their opponents' finest header.
Arsenal swept Porto aside imperiously, but we can only say they have turned the corner when they are not panicked by corners. Because while it may be irrelevant for the purists, the moral of recent games is one pragmatists would endorse: size matters.

2008年10月3日星期五

Futbal Club Barcelona's new poster

Is is funny? The one on top is me.


2008年10月1日星期三

FEED YOUR MIND



Since the pre-historic times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs. Be it hunger, shelter or search for a mate, he has always manipulated the circumstances to the best of his advantages. Probably this might be the reason why we human are the most developed of all living species on the earth, and probably also in the universe. As we climbed the steps of evolution with giant leaps, we somehow left behind common sense and logical thinking — we forgot that we have stopped thinking ahead of time.
If you are hungry, what do you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things. So it silently began to heed [留意] to your needs and never let itself grow. When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?", "Why am I always given the difficult problems?" Well this is the aftermath [结果,后果] of our own karma [因果报应] of using our brain for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satiated through extensive reading. Now why reading and not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educative [教育的] tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to take help of reading. You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all your “How to?” questions. Once you read a book, you jumst don't run your eyes through the lines, but even your mind decodes it and explains it to you. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly [不知不觉地] used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity. More the number of books you read, your mind will open up like never before. Also this improves your oratory [演讲术] skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary. Within no time you start speaking English or any language fluently with your friends or other people and you never seem to run out of [用完] the right words at the right time.
Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly. I am still on the path of improvement to quench [舒缓] my thirst for satisfaction. So guys do join me and give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading. Now what are you waiting for? Go, grab a book, and let me know!

2008年9月29日星期一

Ronaldinho spoils Jose's derby debut



Ronaldinho spoils Jose's derby debut
MILAN, September 28 (Serie A [甲级联赛] ) - Jose Mourinho tasted his first Milan derby and his first defeat as coach of Internazionale on Sunday night, going down to Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan.
Ronaldinho scored his first goal for the Rossoneri in the 36th minute and his goal proved to be enough to down the defending champions [卫冕冠军].
Inter lost Nicolas Burdisso to a red card in the 77th minute while Marco Materazzi was also sent to the stands [被罚上看台] from the Inter bench after protesting vociferously [吵闹的,大喊的] in a fiery end to the match in front of 80,000 fans at the San Siro [圣西罗体育场].
It was a very tight beginning to the 269th Milan derby with the fear of falling behind prevailing over [胜过] the ambition to go ahead.
It was not until the 14th minute that the first shot on goal arrived with Gianluca Zambrotta drilling [用力的击] a left-footed strike over the bar from 25 yards.
Inter's best chance fell to Zlatan Ibrahimovic three minutes later, but his control from Maicon's pass took the ball just too close to Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
Milan's Brazilian connection then moved up the gears [提档加速] as Ronaldinho and Kaka were both involved to set up Pato for a shot which Maicon blocked.
Ronaldinho then exchanged passes with Kaka twice with the latter pulling the ball back from the goal line for the former to volley [截击] at Brazil number one Julio Cesar, who pushed the ball behind for a corner.
Pato was adjudged to be offside [被判越位] when Zambrotta lifted the ball over the Inter defence in the 35th minute and Inter were claiming another offside which did not arrive in the build-up to the opening goal seconds later.
Ronaldinho sent a long ball into the path of Kaka, who seemed to be level with the last Inter defender when he started his run which culminated in a cross into the middle where Ronaldinho headed powerfully into the top right-hand corner.
Just before half-time Kaka appealed [请求] for a penalty when he was blocked by Javier Zanetti after yet another slick [熟练的] combination with Ronaldinho.
Mourinho waited just 10 minutes into the second half before making a tactical change with midweek match-winner Julio Cruz replacing defender Materazzi and Adriano taking the place of Mancini in an adventurous four-man attack [四进攻球员] for the Nerazzurri.
It worked against Lecce on Wednesday when Inter even had five strikers on the field, but Milan proved to be of a different calibre and to make matters worse, the visitors lost Nicola Burdisso to a second yellow card for a foul on Kaka in the 77th minute.
They risked ending the game with even fewer players as they lost their patience with referee Emidio Morganti after he failed to see Mathieu Flamini elbow Adriano inside the penalty area.
Mourinho was warned by Morganti, who showed a red card to Materazzi on the bench as he continued his protests.
All that could have made Mourino's evening worse would have been a goal from Andriy Shevchenko and he almost obliged two minutes from time, firing a shot just over the bar from 10 yards.
Adriano could have snatched a point at the death but he headed wide with only Abbiati to beat in stoppage time.

2008年9月27日星期六

I miss you because I do



i miss you because i do.
i mean what i say, it's true.
i am not playing with words, 'cause
i don't wanna play myself.
i am a fish in a swimming pool,
looking at you, water through.
looking forward to, beholding my little snow,
or behooked, and to you the string throw.

Lefty Ring



It was many and many a day ago,
In a university by the sea,
That a girl there walked whom you may know
By the name of Lefty Ring.
And this maiden she walked on the campus
With no other wish than to be one of the postgraduates.
Occasionally this beautiful girl went past me,
And my heart thus became hollow with she.
Familiar seems she whom I thought know of,
The right type of girl that I love.
The road was believable to be a magic way,
Though not a single word to me did she say.
I watched directly into her eyes and she,
She responded with watery spring in May.
I hold a feeling that is more than a common feeling,
Toward she but she may not feel the same way.
Days fly and nights turn quicker,
Snow falls and becomes winter.
Standing in a corner in front of your little room,
I saw an angel out with a pair of gloves.
The angel wore a purple hat with pretty bells,
Which makes her a fairy little princess.
Jumped and jumped I almost got hurt,
But so merry was I that had her words heard.
The voice was like wind bells in a string,
That around my ears joyfully jingling.
With God bless that I had the exam past,
So to her was quite a feat.
I congratulated her with instant message,
Than got hers which I kept as precious salvage.
Often went I to her dorm to chat her,
In order to have a look at my beautiful girl.
But today, today she was sleeping,
Not sounding, but baby nap liking,
Rushing, rejoicing, and hoping,
I felt my heart violently jumping.

Walking in the Rain



Walking in the Rain

A rainy day again
Not so heavy afternoon,
The raining caught
My hair, face, wetting,
But happy remembering,
How wishing for a rainy day.

Days of raining morose making,
Except for today.
Wanting to write a poem about
Walking in the rain.
Failing- after hours of trying,
Realizing, already a poem.
A writing not on paper, but
On the road,
A moving poem.

2008年9月26日星期五

Kinnear named as surprise Newcastle manager



[Joe Kinnear: Leftfield appointment by crisis club Newcastle.]


Newcastle United have shocked the football world by announcing former Wimbledon [温布尔登[英国英格兰东南部城市](位于伦敦附近, 是著名的国际网球比赛地)] boss Joe Kinnear [乔-金尼尔] as their new interim manager.
The news comes the day after Terry Venables turned down a reported £100,000-per-match deal because of all the "uncertainty" surrounding the Magpies.
Kinnear's contract will run until the end of October as embattled Newcastle owner Mike Ashley attempts to sell the club in the wake of [紧跟] Kevin Keegan's acrimonious [刻薄的,激烈的] departure as manager in August.
Kinnear, who has not been involved in football since 2004, said: "I am very excited about the challenge in front of me at Newcastle United.
"Results have not been great of late [最近], but there is a lot of quality in the squad [【体育运动】 体育队]and I am very confident the players are capable of climbing the league table.
"Newcastle United is a great club. When I was in charge of Wimbledon, I always remember the passion of the fans up there and how great a stadium St James' Park is.
"It is a big challenge, but one I am really looking forward to."
The 61-year-old managed Wimbledon between 1992 and 1999, during which time Newcastle's executive director (football) Dennis Wise was a regular player. The Irishman suffered a heart-attack during the 1998/99 season and was replaced as Dons boss by Egil Olsen in June 1999.
Kinnear took charge of Luton Town between 2001 and 2003 and his last managerial role came at Nottingham Forest in 2004, keeping the side in the Premier League in the 2003/04 season, but resigning that December with the club bottom of the table.
A consortium of Nigerian businessmen - whose members remain a closely guarded secret - are currently involved in talks with Ashley regarding a potential £400m takeover of Newcastle and have stated that they wish to bring back Toon-hero Keegan as manager.
Chris Nathaniel, of London-based NVA Management and spokesman for the four Nigerian entrepreneurs, said: "Kevin's a legend on Tyneside [Newcastle United] and I think anybody looking to buy that football club would not be very smart if they didn't have Kevin involved in some capacity, that's if Kevin wants to come back.
"If I was advising anyone that was buying the club I would certainly suggest Kevin would be the right man for the job."
Speaking to the BBC Kinnear also confirmed that the Magpies' dream management duo of Keegan and Shearer were being lined up by the potential new owners.
"I think the club's going to be sold at the beginning of October," Kinnear said. "So if I can get in there and get a few results together until obviously the two main people are named, I assume from the new people coming in they will be Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer."
Newcastle play Blackburn Rovers [布莱克本流浪者] at St James' Park on Saturday and the club have confirmed that acting caretaker manager Chris Hughton will select the team for the fixture.
Hughton has failed to win a match in three games at the helm [掌舵] has welcomed the appointment of Kinnear, whom he will work alongside at the weekend.
Hughton said: "The most important thing is that there is a direction at the club. The club felt they needed somebody to come in and give them, certainly for the period of time he will be in, that stability until something major happens, whenever that will be.
"I know Joe well, probably more from the football circuit having in my years at Spurs played against him when he was manager at Wimbledon.
"He is an experienced manager, there's no doubt about that. He is somebody who has been about for quite some time.
"He has good experience in the Premier League and I am sure he will know most of these players and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses.''


2008年9月25日星期四

Venables mulling over approach from Toon


Venables mulling [沉思] over approach from Toon
[Terry Venables]
Former England boss Terry Venables is trying to decide whether to become interim manager [过渡教练] of troubled Newcastle.
Venables is the latest in the frame [有希望] to take over since the departure of Kevin Keegan and the decision of owner Mike Ashley to put the club up for sale after a fans' revolt over Keegan's departure.
Venables revealed talks with the St James' Park club began on Wednesday and that he hoped to give them a decision by the end of Thursday.
"I can confirm I met Newcastle representatives today," Venables told The Sun.
"Those talks will continue in the morning when, hopefully, I can give them a final decision."
For fans who have spoken out against the 'cockney mafia' [伦敦黑手党] running the club - in reference to Ashley's close relationship with London-based vice-president Tony Jimenez, managing director Derek Llambias and executive director Dennis Wise as opposed to Geordie godhead Keegan, Venables may not be a popular choice.
Venables was in London on Wednesday with Wise, Jiminez and Llambias as they tried persuade the 65-year-old to take over control of first team affairs from Chris Hughton.
Venables previously held talks with Newcastle in September 2004 when he was in discussion with then chairman Freddy Shepherd to succeed the sacked Sir Bobby Robson but the job eventually went to Graeme Souness.
Newcastle's 2-1 home defeat [主场失利] to Tottenham in the Carling Cup third round last night was a fourth successive loss [四连败] for a team also struggling in the lower reaches of the Premier League.
The Magpies' angry supporters voted with their feet as a crowd of just 20,577 - the lowest for a competitive match at St James' Park since the capacity was increased to in excess of [超过] 52,000 - turned up to see them lose to Spurs.
That came amid continued speculation about the future ownership of the club with a consortium from Nigeria believed to be the favourites to take over.

2008年9月24日星期三

Odds slashed on Venables to be next Toon boss



[Terry Venables [ 特里·维纳布尔斯]: The next Newcastle boss?]

Terry Venables has emerged as the shock favourite to become the next Newcastle United manager after bookmakers [赌注登记经纪人] slashed their odds [削减了他们的赔率] on the former England manager.
The Magpies [喜鹊军团], who have been put up for sale by owner Mike Ashley, have been without a manager since Kevin Keegan [凯文·基冈]was ousted from [驱逐] his position earlier this month.
Ashley is thought to be closing in on a deal to sell the club for between £350-400million to a consortium [财团] of Nigerian entrepreneurs [尼日利亚企业] and it has been reported that the consortium were hoping to lure [引诱] Keegan straight back to St James Park [圣詹姆士公园球场] but a flurry of activity on the betting markets hints at a return to football for Venables.
On Wednesday, UK bookmaker SkyBet cut their odds on Venables being handed the vacant Newcastle position from 33/1 to just 2/1, while VC Bet have cut their price from 28/1 to 7/2.
''The money started coming in at around 10.30am on Wednesday. We saw a flurry of three-figure bets and quickly had to take evasive action as the liabilities piled up,'' a spokesperson for SkyBet told Football365.
Newcastle, who face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night, are currently under the stewardship [乘务员(服务员)的职位, 工作] of caretaker boss Chris Hughton, who in the build-up to the game revealed that he has been given no indication how long his services will be required.
Other names in the frame to take over on Tyneside include Gerard Houllier, Alan Curbishley and talismanic [具有魔力的] former Toon striker Alan Shearer.
Venables' last role in football was his ill-fated involvement in the England set-up, where he acted as assistant to head coach Steve McClaren. Both men were sacked [解雇] after England failed to reach the 2008 European Championships.
The 65-year-old enjoyed considerable success as a manger in the 1980s and '90s with Queens Park Rangers, Barcelona, Tottenham and as manager of England at Euro '96. But over the last decade Venables' managerial track record has been tarnished [失去光泽] with less successful stints in charge of Australia, Crystal Palace and Leeds United.

Wenger Proud of Young Guns


[The Mexican celebrates one of his goals for Wenger's men]

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed a ''complete display'' by his young Gunners after they demolished Sheffield United 6-0 in the Carling Cup.
He said: ''The team showed a good mixture of talent and a mature collective spirit to play football the way we want to play.
''The way the team remained focused and they looked a complete team. I am very proud of that.
''We looked strong in every individual position, and that takes a lot of hard work.''
Wenger added: ''We knew about Bendtner, but we discovered more about Vela. He is a clinical finisher.
''I integrated Wilshere into the first team sometimes last season when he was 15 and he did not look out of place and it is natural for him.
''I was not surprised because I see them every day, but you never know on a big stage how they play.
''They did that with the belief we want them to have and the spirit we want then to have.
''Now for us the biggest challenge is to keep them together and slowly integrate them into the first team. Some have done that already.
''When you are under immense pressure to buy in every transfer window, when you know that you have these players behind it would be killing the work we have done.''
Wenger maintained there was no reason why the young Gunners could not go all the way to Wembley, having reached the final in 2007 and lost in the semis last season.
''We want to win the trophy this season, whether Tottenham or anybody else comes along in the later rounds,'' he said.
''We can go all the way and win it. Why not?
''The only pressure you have is that when you go through the rounds towards the semi-finals, everybody says 'now you have to change all these players'.
''So what do you do? Let them play like they have tonight and then say, 'sorry, you do not play anymore'? For me, that is not serious.
''No matter how far we go, we have to stick to our policy. These players do not play like kids. They play with intelligence, talent and with spirit. They can beat many teams and I would not be scared to play any individual in the Premier League.''
The Gunners boss maintained he was proud of the way his men had responded this season, and hit back following a leaked confidential document from a recent team-briefing.
''We have nothing to hide. We are very proud of the qualities which were on that sheet,'' the French coach maintained.
''This meeting was done by me and only by me. It is a shame that you cannot trust anybody any more in the hotel, but on the other hand we have nothing to hide.
''Basically what came out of this meeting, which we have done many times, was that we want to be humble to play for each other.
''What I regret is when you leave a sheet of paper with 'confidential' written on it in a five-star hotel is that you find it in the newspapers the next day.
''That means you cannot trust anybody in the hotels, and you pay a lot of money [to go there].
''You cannot accept this type of behaviour because if you leave £20 in a room, you do not find it again as well - it is the same.''
Blades boss Kevin Blackwell admitted his side had little answer to the young Gunners.
''We knew they were a good set of lads, but nobody knew how good they were,'' he said.
''They were awesome at times and would have beaten most teams. A lot of people would like to know how Arsene can do it.
''He has gone around the world to pick out the best - but there are also four or five top-class English kids in there so that can only bode well for the future of the national team.''
The day had started so full of hope for the Blades, following the news an independent arbitration had ruled in the club's favour over the Carlos Tevez affair, which could eventually lead to some £30million in compensation.
Blackwell said: ''Life has a funny way of bringing you down to earth.
''I have not really had a chance to speak to the chairman about it, so I'm not really able to speak about it tonight.''

2008年9月22日星期一

Mike Ashley has had his fill at Newcastle



[Mike Ashley has had his fill at Newcastle]

A consortium of wealthy Nigerians are planning to take over Newcastle United, according to reports in Africa.
Current owner Mike Ashley is trying to find a buyer for the ailing Premier League club, after proving unsuccessful with his initial efforts to secure a sale and Ashley has announced he wants to sell his interest in Newcastle just 16 months after staging a £134.4million takeover.
However, a Nigerian company claim they have £350million behind them - and are bidding to secure the remaining funding which would improve their chances of a successful takeover.
Chief Executive Officer of the NVA Management, Chris Nathaniel, whose company are handling the deal, wants to make Nigeria the first African country to own a Premier League club.
He told the KickOffNigeria website: ''All along I have been working hard to get wealthy and football loving Nigerian entrepreneurs to buy the club since Mike Ashley indicated his willingness to sell the club to the person, people or entrepreneurs who can meet the £400million selling price of the club.
''Right now I am happy to tell you that well meaning Nigerians have responded and the consortium of Nigerian entrepreneurs has so far contributed £350million to buy the club.
''Ashley has stood his ground that he won't sell the club until the money is raised to the asking price of £400million.
''So what that means is that we need to raise another £50million or £100million to shut the door behind the other top Arab companies who are also interested in the club.
''The Arab companies have also indicated interest and made offers - but they haven't met the asking price too.''
NVA handle Rio Ferdinand's PR and commercial interests and also arranged the pre-World Cup friendly between England and Croatia at Old Trafford in 2006. They further name Premier League wingers Wayne Routledge and Julian Gray amongst their other clients.

Ramos commits himself to underachieving Spurs



[Juande Romos]

Juande Ramos [胡安德·拉莫斯] is appealing for time and patience to end Tottenham's early-season slump but knows results must change quickly before it becomes a full-blown crisis.
After a dismal 0-0 draw with Wigan at White Hart Lane [白鹿巷] the Spaniard denied a report he is homesick and yearning to return to Seville - from where he was controversially head-hunted last season by Spurs even before they sacked Martin Jol, his predecessor, last October.
Jol, who twice led Spurs to fifth in the Premier League [英超], has taken over at Hamburg and they are now challenging near the top of the Bundesliga [德甲].
But Ramos, bottom of the table and still seeking the first league win of the season, insisted: ''It is not true at all (that I want to leave).
''I'm delighted to be in London and delighted to be at Tottenham. I am having a marvellous experience.''
He added: ''It is difficult because we have had many new players coming in and they need time for adaptation.
''Some did not come in until just before the transfer window [转会窗口] closed and it is very difficult to adapt all at once.
''We have to try new situations and allow people to settle into the team. I know the supporters reacted (with boos [嘘声]) and maybe that is justified but I don't believe it is personal and we must continue to work together to get things right.
''We have a new game in a different competition on Wednesday and will do everything we can to win that.''
The fixture Ramos refers to is the Carling Cup [英格兰联赛杯] third round in which the holders face fellow strugglers Newcastle at St James's Park [圣詹姆士公园] - with former Spurs hero Chris Hughton in temporary charge at the Magpies.

Kalou pegs back United [Kalou earns point for Chelsea]



[Ashley Cole celebrates with Salomon Kalou]

Unlikely hero Salomon Kalou salvaged a point and preserved Chelsea's 85-game unbeaten home record at the end of a breathless 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

Salomon Kalou heads home the leveller
The visitors had led for much of the contest following Park Ji-sung's first-half tap-in.
But 10 minutes from time, after Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack had tried and failed to break down United's stubborn defence, Kalou exposed United's poor offside trap by nodding home John Mikel Obi's free-kick 10 minutes from time.
Not for the first time in his illustrious career, Ferguson's team selection caused an outbreak of head scratching among United's army of fans.
Yet his choice of Park and Darren Fletcher worked a dream, especially with the Scot switching to the middle of midfield, a move that saw Owen Hargreaves take up a right-wing station.
Identifying Chelsea's full-backs Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole as major attacking threats, Ferguson chose to put his two most energetic men in direct opposition, keeping the home pair occupied defensively and stifling their threat in attack.
Despite their poor recent form, the Red Devils showed their attacking intent from the start, when Fletcher turned Hargreaves' low cross wide, and Chelsea, having lost Deco just before kick-off after the Portugal star was injured in the warm-up, could not get into their stride even though they could call upon Michael Ballack as replacement.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's team was further disrupted when Ricardo Carvalho hobbled off after just 12 minutes, so there was always a nagging fear Joe Cole's failure to find the net when he robbed Patrice Evra to give himself a clear sight of goal was going to prove costly.
Chelsea, already given one let off when Petr Cech's wayward clearance gave first Dimitar Berbatov, then Wayne Rooney the chance to launch speculative efforts at the home goal, survived again when Rooney set up Ferdinand, only for the home keeper to save with his legs.
But on their next attack, United finally prospered as Patrice Evra galloped past Bosingwa to reach Rooney's inspired through ball.
Evra's pinpoint cross found Berbatov and while Cech was once again equal to the shot, Park had the easiest of tasks to bundle home the rebound.
After spending nearly half an hour on the back foot, Chelsea finally got into their stride.
Gary Neville's back header spread panic in the visitors defence and when Edwin van der Sar came off worst in a collision with Florent Malouda, who might easily have scored, the veteran Dutchman was eventually forced from the field.
Chelsea's improved performance also brought out the spikier side in Paul Scholes, who was booked, although, with Nicolas Anelka also firing over on a couple of occasions, it was not until the arrival of Didier Drogba - following a brief delay due to an offending bracelet - that the home side really upped the ante.
Joe Cole should have done more with Anelka's low cross than prod it straight at Evra, then Jonny Evans - preferred to Wes Brown in central defence - got in the way of Bosingwa's shot.
Ferguson's response was to bring on Cristiano Ronaldo, who put the Chelsea defence on red alert with his direct running but also shamed himself with a blatant dive as Frank Lampard made a tackle.
In ignoring Anelka's pleas for a pass as Michael Ballack split United's defence wide open, Joe Cole needed to do better than blast his shot straight at Kuszczak, who was quickly becoming one of the visitors key men.
There would have been nothing the Pole could do to keep out Anelka's effort 18 minutes from time though as, from four yards out and with the goal at his mercy, the Frenchman inexplicably failed to make contact with Bosingwa's cross, the ball bouncing to safety off the Frenchman's standing leg.
But just as a wobbling Chelsea had eventually tumbled in the first-half, so United did the same 10 minutes from time.
In chopping down Ashley Cole, Rooney not only picked up his side's fifth booking. He also provided John Mikel Obi with the opportunity to float over a free-kick to the edge of the United six-yard box where the visitors, getting their marking and offside trap hopelessly wrong, left Kalou on his own to nod home the equaliser.
The game ended in bad tempered fashion as United, who had seven players booked, complained bitterly at referee Mike Riley for his handling of the game as Drogba was receiving treatment after being clattered by Ferdinand.

2008年9月20日星期六

Scolari would like Ronaldo at Stamford Bridge



[Ronaldo and Scolari worked together with Portugal.]

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has cheekily suggested he would "open the door" for Cristiano Ronaldo to play at Stamford Bridge after seeing him mature in the last few years.

Scolari coached Ronaldo with Portugal and described how he likes the Manchester United winger as a father likes a son, although they will be opponents tomorrow when the two Premier League rivals meet.
Ronaldo has recovered from ankle surgery and is expected to feature at Stamford Bridge, where he will be among other players Scolari ranks as among the best in the world.
"Now he is one of the three best players in the world," Scolari said. "I said that two years ago, and I repeat it now.
"When I was at Portugal, I had to choose three players every year (for FIFA World Player of the Year). One year I chose Didier Drogba as one of my three. Another year, I wrote John Terry. Another year I wrote Frank Lampard.
"Now these three players are with me, and that's very good for me. Maybe next season, Cristiano is with me. Very good. If he wants to change, I'll open the door to that."
Scolari's comment may have been tongue-in-cheek but he is aware of the threat Ronaldo will pose when United look to close their gap on Chelsea to three points.
Ronaldo, despite looking set to move to Real Madrid this summer, made his return from injury this week against Villarreal.
United fans overlooked the summer uncertainty and gave him a warm reception, acknowledging his efforts last season when he helped his club win the double while establishing himself as one of the finest current players.
"When I arrived in Portugal, Ronaldo was a kid. A young boy, 17 years old," Scolari said. "At that time, he had a good character. He was starting as a very good professional, but at that time he was already thinking about his future.
"He's improved himself, very well, in the five or six years since. More in Manchester than with the national team. He lives in Manchester 11 months of the year. Only one month a year with the national team.
"I've seen him improve. Next season, I can see him as a captain with Portugal because people like him and he has the confidence for that. He's a very good man, helps the other players, a good attitude on and off the pitch. He has grown up and matured. "Now, at this time of life, Ronaldo is mature and is better than one or two years ago."

Ferguson Fury at Terry's Rescined Red Card



[Terry was sent off for impeding City striker Jo.]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed anger at the decision to overturn Chelsea captain John Terry's sending off last weekend.
The England skipper was given an automatic three-game suspension after Chelsea's Premier League win at Manchester City on Saturday but the Blues appealed, claiming wrongful dismissal, and provided video evidence of the incident.
Terry is now free to face United this weekend after winning an appeal against his straight red card, which referee Mark Halsey deemed was for serious foul play.
Ferguson claims a Manchester United player in the same situation would not have been so fortunate.
The Scot believes the appeal verdict was influenced by Keith Hackett, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, and not referee Mark Halsey.
Ferguson, quoted in The Times, said: ''From what I have heard, Keith Hackett has told the referee to rescind the red card and he wouldn't do it. Now I understand he is refereeing in the second division this weekend.
''If it had been a Manchester United player, Keith Hackett wouldn't have done this.
''If the referee has made a mistake, this is going to happen all the time.''
Halsey has been 'demoted' to the Chester versus Shrewsbury League Two match on Sunday, though Premier League officials are contracted to referee a certain amount of Football League games.
A spokesman for the referees' body, the PGMOL, said that Hackett had no part in the appeal process, adding: "All matters of discipline are an issue for the Football Association and them alone."

08奥运记忆-伊拉克-我们买不起福娃


(这位就是伊拉克赛艇选手海德尔)
在中国,面对媒体的采访海德尔始终有礼貌地微笑着,淡淡的,恰到好处。他们想带些纪念品回家。30多元一个的福娃,两人都嫌太贵。他们的队友、那个短跑女孩,穿着二手球鞋,“我们想买双新鞋送给她。”离开战火纷飞的故土,他们有着共同的名字——伊拉克。这是从一媒体上看到的。这一是种精神,30块钱都不舍得花,却在千里之外参加一场明知不会胜利却有代表和平的体育运动。伊拉克战争前,1000第纳尔相当于3000美元,那时候伊拉克是世界上最富裕的国家,伊拉克人在欧洲到处旅游购物。美国攻打伊拉克后,1美元可以兑换2200第纳尔,伊拉克立刻成为最穷困的国家,民不聊生、饿殍满地。 海德尔说:“我和我的同伴每天都去河上训练。但由于那里的安全形势不理想,我们训练还不是太规律。士兵有时封锁道路,于是我们要么不去训练,要么走很远的路绕过去。”   战争真恐怖,真讨厌,珍惜美好的生活吧!   希望下一届奥运会,你们都能买得起奥运吉祥物!

2008年9月19日星期五

Stage Reading-Stage II-Lesson 25-Lesson 48

Stage II

Test 1
I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. 'I am a foreigner,' I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. 'You'll soon learn English!' he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speak English?
New words and expressions 生词和短语
railway n. 铁路porter n. 搬运工several quantifier 几个foreigner n. 外国人wonder v. 感到奇怪
参考译文
我终于到了伦敦。火车站很大,又黑又暗。我不知道去饭店的路该怎么走,于是向一个搬运工打听。我的英语讲得不但非常认真,而且咬字也非常清楚。然而搬运工却不明白我的话。我把问话重复了很多遍。他终于听懂了。他回答了,但他讲得既不慢也不清楚。“我是个外国人,”我说。于是他说得慢了,可我还是听不懂。我的老师从来不那样讲英语!我和搬运工相视一笑。接着,他说了点什么,这回我听懂了。“您会很快学会英语的!”他说。我感到奇怪。在英国,人们各自说着一种不同的语言。英国人之间相互听得懂,可我却不懂他们的话!他们说的是英语吗?
Text 2
I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is 'about'. Of course, many pictures are not 'about' anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into my room yesterday. 'What are you doing?' she asked. 'I'm hanging this picture on the wall,' I answered. 'It's a new one. Do you like it?' She looked at it critically for a moment. 'It's all right,' she said, 'but isn't it upside down?' I looked at it again. She was right! It was!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
art n. 艺术critic n. 评论家paint v. 画pretend v. 假装pattern n. 图案curtain n. 窗帘,幕布material n. 材料appreciate v. 鉴赏notice v. 注意到whether conj. 是否hang v. 悬挂,吊critically adv. 批评地upside down 上下颠倒地
参考译文
我是个学艺术的学生,画了很多画。有很多人装成很懂现代艺术的样子,总是告诉你一幅画的“意思”是什么。当然,有很多画是什么“意思”也没有的。它们就是些好看的图案,我们喜爱它们就像我们喜欢漂亮的窗帘布一样。我觉得小孩子们往往比任何人都更能欣赏现代绘画,他们观察到的东西更多。我的妹妹只有7岁,但她总能说出我的画是好还是坏。昨天她到我房里来了。
Text 3
Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry and the food smelled good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the campfire. But some time later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable, so they all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of water! They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside. It was raining heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
tent n. 帐篷field n. 田地,田野smell v. 闻起来wonderful adj. 极好的campfire n. 营火,篝火creep v. 爬行sleeping bag 睡袋comfortable adj. 舒适的,安逸的soundly adv. 香甜地leap v. 跳跃,跳起heavily adv. 大量地stream n. 小溪form v. 形成wind v. 蜿蜒right adv. 正好
参考译文 傍晚时分,孩子们在田野中央搭起了帐篷。这件事刚刚做完,他们就在篝火上烧起了饭。他们全都饿了,饭菜散发出阵阵香味。他们美美地吃了一顿饭后,就围在营火旁讲起了故事,唱起了歌。但过了一阵子。天下起雨来,于是他们扑灭了篝火,钻进了帐篷。睡袋既暖和又舒服,所以,他们都睡得很香。午夜前后,有两个孩子醒了,大声叫了起来。原来帐篷里到处都是水!他们全都跳出睡袋,跑到外面。雨下得很大,他们发现地上已经形成了一条小溪。那小溪弯弯曲曲穿过田野,然后正好从他们的帐篷底下流过去。
Text 4
Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths. He has just bought a new house in the city, but ever since he moved in, he has had trouble with cars and their owners. When he returns home at night, he always finds that someone has parked a car outside his gate. Because of this, he has not been able to get his own car into his garage even once. Jasper has put up 'No Parking' signs outside his gate, but these have not had any effect. Now he has put an ugly stone head over the gate. It is one of the ugliest faces I have ever seen. I asked him what it was and he told me that it was Medusa, the Gorgon. Jasper hopes that she will turn cars and their owners to stone. But none of them has been turned to stone yet!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
rare adj. 罕见的ancient adj. 古代的,古老的myth n. 神话故事trouble n. 麻烦effect n. 结果,效果Medusa n. 美杜莎(古希腊神话中3位蛇发女怪这一)Gorgon n. (古希腊神话中的)3位蛇发女怪这一(凡见其貌者都会变成石头)
参考译文
贾斯珀.怀特是少有的相信古代神话的人之一。他刚在城里买下一所新房子,但自从搬进去后,就和汽车及车主们发生了磨擦。当他夜里回到家时,总是发现有人把车停在他家大门外。为此,他甚至一次也没能把自己的车开进车库。贾斯珀曾把几块“禁止停车”的牌子挂在大门外边,但没有任何效果。现在他把一个丑陋的石雕头像放在了大门上边,这是我见过的最丑陋的头像之一。我问他那是什么?他告诉我那是蛇发女怪美杜莎。贾斯珀希望她把汽车和车主们都变成石头。但到目前为止还没有一个变成石头呢!
Text 5
Captain Ben Fawcett has bought an unusual taxi and has begun a new service. The 'taxi' is a small Swiss aeroplane called a 'Pilatus Porter'. This wonderful plane can carry seven passengers. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it can land anywhere: on snow, water, or even on a ploughed field. Captain Fawcett's first passenger was a doctor who flew from Birmingham to a lonely village in the Welsh mountains. Since then, Captain Fawcett has flown passengers to many unusual places. Once he landed on the roof of a block of flats and on another occasion, he landed in a deserted car park. Captain Fawcett has just refused a strange request from a businessman. The man wanted to fly to Rockall, a lonely island in the Atlantic Ocean, but Captain Fawcett did not take him because the trip was too dangerous.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
taxi n. Pilatus Porter land v. plough v. lonely adj. Welsh adj. roof n. block n. flat n. desert v.
参考译文
本.弗西特机长买了一辆不同寻常的出租汽车,并开始了一项新的业务。这辆“出租汽车”是一架小型瑞士飞机,叫“皮勒特斯.波特“号。这架奇妙的飞机可以载7名乘客。然而,最令人惊奇的是它能够在任何地方降落:雪地上,水面上,甚至刚耕过的田里。弗西特机长的第一名乘客是位医生,他从伯明翰飞往威尔士山区一个偏僻的村庄。从那时开始,弗西特机长已经载送乘客到过许多不寻常的地方。一次,他把飞机降落在了一栋公寓楼的屋顶上;还有一次,降落在了一个废弃的停车场上。弗西特机长刚刚拒绝了一位商人的奇怪要求。这个人想要飞往大西洋上的一个孤岛 -- 罗卡尔岛,弗西特机长之所以不送他去,是因为那段飞行太危险了。
Text 6
The Wayle is a small river that cuts across the park near my home. I like sitting by the Wayle on fine afternoons. It was warm last Sunday, so I went and sat on the river bank as usual. Some children were playing games on the bank and there were some people rowing on the river. Suddenly, one of the children kicked a ball very hard and it went towards a passing boat. Some people on the bank called out to the man in the boat, but he did not hear them. The ball struck him so hard that he nearly fell into the water. I turned to look at the children, but there weren't any in sight: they had all run away! The man laughed when he realized what had happened. He called out to the children and threw the ball back to the bank.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
polo n. 水球Wayle n. 威尔(河名)cut v. 穿过row v. 划(船)kick v. 踢towards prep. 朝,向nearly adv. 几乎sight n. 眼界,视域
参考译文
威尔河是横穿过我家附近公园的一条小河。我喜欢在天气晴朗的下午到河边坐坐。上星期日天气很暖和。于是我和往常一样,又去河边坐着。河岸上有些孩子正在玩耍,河面上有些人正在划船。突然,一个孩子狠狠地踢了一脚球,球便向着一只划过来的小船飞去。岸上的一些人对着小船上的人高喊,但他没有听见。球重重地打在他身上,使他差点儿落入水中。我转过头去看那些孩子,但一个也不见,全都跑了!当那个人明白了发生的事情时,笑了起来。他大声叫着那些孩子,把球扔回到岸上。
Text 7
Yesterday afternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experiences as a young man. Before he retired, Frank was the head of a very large business company, but as a boy he used to work in a small shop. It was his job to repair bicycles and at that time he used to work fourteen hours a day. He saved money for years and in 1958 he bought a small workshop of his own. In his twenties Frank used to make spare parts for aeroplanes. At that time he had two helpers. In a few years the small workshop had become a large factory which employed seven hundred and twenty-eight people. Frank smiled when he remembered his hard early years and the long road to success. He was still smiling when the door opened and his wife came in. She wanted him to repair their grandson's bicycle!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
retire v. 退休company n. 公司bicycle n. 自行车save v. 积蓄workshop n. 车间helper n. 帮手,助手employ v. 雇佣grandson n. 孙子
参考译文
昨天下午弗兰克.霍金斯向我讲述了他年轻时的经历。在退休前,弗兰克是一家非常大的商业公司的经理,但他小时候却在一家小铺里做工。他那时的工作是修理自行车,并且通常是一天工作14个小时。他靠多年积蓄,于1958年买下了自己的一个小铺子。20多岁的时候,弗兰克曾生产飞机零配件。那时他有两个帮手。几年之后,小铺子已经发展成了一个雇有728人的大工厂。弗兰克回想着他早年的艰难经历和走过的漫长的成功之路,微笑了。他正笑着的时候门开了,他的妻子走了进来。她叫他去修理孙子的自行车。
Text 8
People are not so honest as they once were. The temptation to steal is greater than ever before -- especially in large shops. A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. Then the woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. The girl 'gave' her mother a free dress once a week!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
once adv. 曾经,以前temptation n. 诱惑article n. 物品,东西wrap v. 包裹simply adv. 仅仅arrest v. 逮捕
参考译文
人们不再像以前那样诚实了。偷窃的诱惑力比以往任何时候都更强烈 -- 特别是在大的商店里。一名侦探最近注意上了一位穿着讲究的妇女,她总是在星期一上午进入一家大商场。有一个星期一,当这位妇女走进这家商场时,里面的人比往常少,因此,侦探比较容易监视她。这位妇女先是买了几样小商品。过了一会儿,她又选了商场里最昂贵的一件衣服,把它递给了售货员。那售货员以最快的速度为她包好了衣服。然后,那妇女拿过包就走出了商场,根本没有付钱。她被逮捕后。侦探发现原来那售货员是她的女儿。那姑娘每星期“送”她母亲一件免费的衣服!
Text 9
Nearly a week passed before the girl was able to explain what had happened to her. One afternoon she set out from the coast in a small boat and was caught in a storm. Towards evening, the boat struck a rock and the girl jumped into the sea. Then she swam to the shore after spending the whole night in the water. During that time she covered a distance of eight miles. Early next morning, she saw a light ahead. She knew she was near the shore because the light was high up on the cliffs. On arriving at the shore, the girl struggled up the cliff towards the light she had seen. That was all she remembered. When she woke up a day later, she found herself in hospital.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
darkness n. explain v. coast n. storm n. towards prep. rock n. shore n. light n. ahead adv. cliff n. struggle v. hospital n.
参考译文
几乎过了一个星期,那姑娘才能讲述自己的遭遇。一天下午,她乘小船从海岸出发,遇上了风暴。天将黑时,小船撞在了一块礁石上,姑娘跳进了海里。她在海里游了整整一夜才游到岸边。在那段时间里,她游了8英里。第二天凌晨,她看到前方有灯光,知道自己已经接近岸边了,因为那灯光是在高高的峭壁上。到达岸边后,姑娘朝着她看到的灯光方向挣扎着往峭壁上爬去。她所记得的就是这些。第二天她醒来时,发现自己躺在医院里。
Text 10
Dan Robinson has been worried all week. Last Tuesday he received a letter from the local police. In the letter he was asked to call at the station. Dan wondered why he was wanted by the police, but he went to the station yesterday and now he is not worried anymore. At the station, he was told by a smiling policeman that his bicycle had been found. Five days ago, the policeman told him, the bicycle was picked up in a small village four hundred miles away. It is now being sent to his home by train. Dan was most surprised when he heard the news. He was amused too, because he never expected the bicycle to be found. It was stolen twenty years ago when Dan was a boy of fifteen!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
station n. (警察)局most adv. 相当,非常
参考译文
丹.鲁宾逊焦虑了整整一个星期。上星期二他收到当地警察局的一封信,要他到警察局去一趟。丹奇怪警察为什么找他,但昨天还是去了,结果他一再担心了。在警察局里,一位面带笑容的警察告诉他,他的自行车找到了。那位警察对他说,那辆自行车是5天前在400英里外的一个小村里发现的,现在正用火车给他运回家来。丹听到这个消息后,惊奇万分,但又感到非常好笑,因为他从未指望那辆自行车还能找到。这是20年前丹还是一个15岁的孩子时被人偷走的!
Text 11
Roy Trenton used to drive a taxi. A short while ago, however, he became a bus driver and he has not regretted it. He is finding his new work far more exciting. When he was driving along Catford Street recently, he saw two thieves rush out of a shop and run towards a waiting car. One of them was carrying a bag full of money. Roy acted quickly and drove the bus straight at the thieves. The one with the money got such a fright that he dropped the bag. As the thieves were trying to get away in their car, Roy drove his bus into the back of it. While the battered car was moving away, Roy stopped his bus and telephoned the police. The thieves' car was badly damaged and easy to recognize. Shortly afterwards, the police stopped the car and both men were arrested.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
while n. 一段时间regret v. 后悔far adv. 非常rush v. 冲act v. 行动straight adv. 径直fright n. 害怕battered adj. 撞坏的shortly adv. 很快,不久afterwards adv. 以后
参考译文
罗伊.特雷顿原是开出租汽车的,然而就在前不久,他开上了公共汽车,也并不为此而感到后悔。他发觉自己的新工作令人兴奋得多。最近,当他正开车在凯特福德街上行驶时,看到有两个小偷从一家商店里冲出来,奔向等在那里的一辆汽车,其中一个提着一只装满钞票的提包。罗伊行动迅速,开车直冲窃贼而去。拿钱的那个小偷吓得把提包都扔了。当那两个小偷企图乘车逃跑时,罗伊驾驶他的公共汽车撞在了那辆车的后尾上。当那辆被撞坏的车开走后,罗伊停下车,给警察挂了电话。小偷的车损坏严重,很容易辨认。没过多久,警察就截住了那辆车,两个小偷都被抓住了。
Text 14
Debbie Hart is going to swim across the English Channel tomorrow. She is going to set out from the French coast at five o'clock in the morning. Debbie is only eleven years old and she hopes to set up a new world record. She is a strong swimmer and many people feel that she is sure to succeed. Debbie's father will set out with her in a small boat. Mr. Hart has trained his daughter for years. Tomorrow he will be watching her anxiously as she swims the long distance to England. Debbie intends to take short rests every two hours. She will have something to drink but she will not eat any solid food. Most of Debbie's school friends will be waiting for her on the English coast. Among them will be Debbie's mother, who swam the Channel herself when she was a girl.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
record n. 记录strong adj. 强壮的swimmer n. 游泳运动员succeed v. 成功train v. 训练anxiously adv. 焦急地intend v. 打算solid adj. 固体的,硬的
参考译文
黛比.哈特准备明天横渡英吉利海峡。她打算早上5点钟从法国海岸出发。黛比只有11岁,她希望创一项新的世界纪录。她是一个游泳能手,很多人认为她一定能成功。黛比的父亲将乘一条小船同她一道出发。哈特先生训练她的女儿已经多年了,明天他将焦急地注视着女儿游过这段漫长的距离到达英国。黛比计划每两小时休息一下。她将喝些饮料,但不吃固体食物。黛比的大部分同学将在英国海岸等候她。他们当中还会有黛比的母亲,她本人还是个姑娘时,也曾横渡过英吉利海峡!
Text 13
The Olympic Games will be held in our country in four years' time. As a great many people will be visiting the country, the government will be building new hotels, an immense stadium, and a new Olympic-standard swimming pool. They will also be building new roads and a special railway line. The Games will be held just outside the capital and the whole area will be called 'Olympic City'. Workers will have completed the new roads by the end of this year. By the end of next year, they will have finished work on the new stadium. The fantastic modern buildings have been designed by Kurt Gunter. Everybody will be watching anxiously as the new buildings go up. We are all very excited and are looking forward to the Olympic Games because they have never been held before in this country.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
Olympic adj. 奥林匹克的hold v. 召开government n. 政府immense adj. 巨大的stadium n. 露天体育场standard n. 标准capital n. 首都fantastic adj. 巨大的design v. 设计
参考译文
4年以后,奥林匹克运动会将在我们国家举行。由于将有大批的人到我们国家来,所以政府准备建造一些新的饭店、一个大型体育场和一个新的奥运会标准游泳池。他们还将修筑一些新的道路和一条铁路专线。奥运会就在首都市郊举办,整个地区将被称作“奥林匹克城”。工人们将在今年年底前把新路铺好;到明年年底,他们将把新体育场建成。这些巨大的现代化建筑是由库尔特.冈特设计的。大家都将急切地注视着新建筑的建成。我们都非常激动,盼望着奥运会的到来,因为在这个国家里还从未举办过奥运会。
Text 14
My old friend, Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned to England. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to settle down in the country. He had no sooner returned than he bought a house and went to live there. Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather, for even though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold. After so many years of sunshine, Harrison got a shock. He acted as if he had never lived in England before. In the end, it was more than he could bear. He had hardly had time to settle down when he sold the house and left the country. The dream he had had for so many years ended there. Harrison had thought of everything except the weather.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
except prep. 除了Mediterranean n. 地中海complain v. 抱怨continually adv. 不断地bitterly adv. 刺骨地sunshine n. 阳光
参考译文
我的老朋友哈里森在回到英国以前曾多年居住在地中海地区。过去他常幻想退休后到英国,并计划在乡间安顿下来。他刚一回到英国便买下了一幢房子住了进去。但紧接着他就开始抱怨那里的天气了。因为即使那时仍为夏季,但雨总是下个不停,而且常常冷得厉害。在阳光下生活了那么多年的哈里森对此感到惊奇。他的举动就好像他从未在英国生活过一样。最后,他再也忍受不住,还没等安顿下来就卖掉了房子,离开了这个国家。他多年来的幻想从此破灭。哈里森把每件事情都考虑到了,唯独没想到天气。
Text 15
While John Gilbert was in hospital, he asked his doctor to tell him whether his operation had been successful, but the doctor refused to do so. The following day, the patient asked for a bedside telephone. When he was alone, he telephoned the hospital exchange and asked for Doctor Millington. When the doctor answered the phone, Mr. Gilbert said he was inquiring about a certain patient, a Mr. John Gilbert. He asked if Mr. Gilbert's operation had been successful and the doctor told him that it had been. He then asked when Mr. Gilbert would be allowed to go home and the doctor told him that he would have to stay in hosptial for another two weeks. Then Dr. Millington asked the caller if he was a relative of the patient. 'No,' the patient answered, 'I am Mr. John Gilbert.'
New words and expressions 生词和短语
operation n. 手术successful adj. 成功的following adj. 下一个patient n. 病人alone adj. 独自的exchange n. (电话的)交换台inquire v. 询问,打听certain adj. 某个caller n. 打电话的人relative n. 亲戚
参考译文
当约翰.吉尔伯特住院的时候,他问医生他的手术是否成功,但医生拒绝告诉他。第二天,这位病人要了一部床头电话。当房里只剩他一个人时,他挂通了医院的交换台,要求与米灵顿医生讲话。当这位医生接过电话时,吉尔伯特先生说他想询问一个病人的情况,是一位名叫约翰.吉尔伯特的先生。他问吉尔伯特先生的手术中否成功,医生告诉他手术很成功。然后他又问吉尔伯特先生什么时候可以回家,医生说他在医院还必须再住上两个星期。之后,米灵顿医生问打电话的人是否是病人的亲属。“不是,”病人回答说,“我就是约翰.吉尔伯特先生。”
Text 16
Last week at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs. Rumbold. Mrs. Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress. She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her. Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she was busy eating. I tried to make conversation. 'A new play is coming to "The Globe" soon,' I said. 'Will you be seeing it?' 'No,' she answered. 'Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?' I asked. 'No,' she answered. 'Will you be staying in England?' I asked. 'No,' she answered. In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner. 'Young man,' she answered, 'if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner!"
New words and expressions 生词和短语
hostess n. 女主人unsmiling adj. 不笑的,严肃的tight adj. 紧身的fix v. 凝视globe n. 地球despair n. 绝望
参考译文
在上星期的一次宴会上,女主人安排我坐在兰伯尔德夫人的身旁。兰伯尔德夫人是一位身材高大、表情严肃的女人,穿一件紧身的黑衣服。当我在她身旁坐下来的时候,她甚至连头都没有抬一下。她的眼睛盯着自己的盘子,不一会儿就忙着吃起来了。我试图找个话题和她聊聊。 “一出新剧要来‘环球剧场’上演了,”我说,“您去看吗?” “不,”她回答。 “您今年去国外度假吗?”我又问。 “不,”她回答。 “您就呆在英国吗?”我问。 “不,”她回答。 失望之中我问她饭是否吃得满意。 “年轻人,”她回答说,“如果你多吃点,少说点,我们两个都会吃得好的!”
Text 17
'Do you call that a hat?' I said to my wife. 'You needn't be so rude about it,' my wife answered as she looked at herself in the mirror. I sat down on one of those modern chairs with holes in it and waited. We had been in the hat shop for half an hour and my wife was still in front of the mirror. 'We mustn't buy things we don't need,' I remarked suddenly. I regretted saying it almost at once. 'You needn't have said that,' my wife answered. 'I needn't remind you of that terrible tie you bought yesterday.' 'I find it beautiful,' I said. 'A man can never have too many ties.' 'And a woman can't have too many hats,' she answered. Ten minutes later we walked out of the shop together. My wife was wearing a hat that looked like a lighthouse!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
rude adj. 无礼的mirror n. 镜子hole n. 孔remark v. 评说remind v. 提醒lighthouse n. 灯塔
参考译文
“你把那个叫帽子吗?”我对妻子说。 “你说话没必要这样不客气,”我的妻子边回答边照着镜子。 我坐在一个新式的满是网眼儿的椅子上,等待着。我们在这家帽店已经呆了半个小时了,而我的妻子仍在镜子面前。 “我们不应该买我们不需要的东西,”我突然发表意见说,但马上又后悔说了这话。 “你没必要这么说,”我妻子回答说,“我也不必提醒你昨天买的那条糟糕透了的领带。” “我觉得它好看,”我说,“男人有多少领带也不会嫌多。” “女人有多少帽子也不嫌多。”她回答。 10分钟以后,我们一道走出了商店。我妻子戴着一顶像灯塔一样的帽子。
Text 18
As we had had a long walk through one of the markets of old Delhi, we stopped at a square to have a rest. After a time, we noticed a snake charmer with two large baskets at the other side of the square, so we went to have a look at him. As soon as he saw us, he picked up a long pipe which was covered with coins and opened one of the baskets. When he began to play a tune, we had our first glimpse of the snake. It rose out of the basket and began to follow the movements of the pipe. We were very much surprised when the snake charmer suddenly began to play jazz and modern pop songs. The snake, however, continued to 'dance' slowly. It obviously could not tell the difference between Indian music and jazz!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
musical adj. 精通音乐的market n. 市场,集市snake charmer 玩蛇者(通常借音乐控制)pipe n. (吹奏的)管乐器tune n. 曲调glimpse n. 一瞥snake n. 蛇movement n. 动作continue v. 继续dance v. 跳舞obviously adv. 显然difference n. 差别Indian adj. 印度的
参考译文
当我们穿过旧德里的市场时走了很长一段路,我们在一个广场上停下来休息。过了一会儿,我们注意到广场的那一边有一个带着两个大筐的耍蛇人,于是就走过去看看。他一见我们,就拿起了一个长长的上面镶有硬币的管乐器,并掀开了一个筐的盖子。当他开始吹奏一支曲子时,我们才第一次看到那条蛇。它从筐里探出身子,随着乐器的摆动而扭动。当耍蛇人突然又吹奏起爵士乐和现代流行乐曲时,我们感到非常惊奇。然而那蛇却还是缓慢地“舞动”着。显然,它分辨不出印度音乐和爵士乐!
Text 19
In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R.E. Byrd, successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below, they soon ran into serious trouble. At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash. It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet. Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. The plane was then able to rise and it cleared the mountains by 400 feet. Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles away, for there were no more mountains in sight. The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
pole n. (地球的)极flight n. 飞行explorer n. 探险家lie v. 处于serious adj. 严重的point n. 地点seem v. 似乎crash v. 坠毁sack n. 袋子clear v. 越过aircraft n. 飞机endless adj. 无尽的plain n. 平原
参考译文
美国探险家 R.E. 伯德在飞越北极3年之后,于1929年第一次飞越了南极。虽然开始时伯德和他的助手们拍下了飞机下面连绵群山的大量照片,但他们很快就陷入了困境。在有个地方,飞机似乎肯定要坠毁了。只有在飞至10,000英尺的高度时,它才能飞过这些山头。伯德马上命令他的助手们把两个沉重的食物袋扔掉,于是飞机可以上升了,它在离山头400英尺的高度飞越了过去。伯德这时知道他能够顺利飞抵300英里以外的南极了,因为前面再没有山了。飞机可以毫无困难地飞过这片茫茫无际的白色原野!
Text 20
Mrs. Anne Sterling did not think of the risk she was taking when she ran through a forest after two men. They had rushed up to her while she was having a picnic at the edge of a forest with her children and tried to steal her handbag. In the struggle, the strap broke and, with the bag in their possession, both men started running through the trees. Mrs. Sterling got so angry that she ran after them. She was soon out of breath, but she continued to run. When she caught up with them, she saw that they had sat down and were going through the contents of the bag, so she ran straight at them. The men got such a fright that they dropped the bag and ran away. 'The strap needs mending,' said Mrs. Sterling later, 'but they did not steal anything.'
New words and expressions 生词和短语
forest n. 森林risk n. 危险,冒险picnic n. 野餐edge n. 边缘strap n. 带,皮带possession n. 所有breath n. 呼吸contents n. (常用复数)内有的物品mend v. 修理
参考译文
安.斯特林夫人在穿过森林追赶两个男人时,她并没有考虑到所冒的风险。刚才,当她和孩子们正在森林边上野餐的时候,这两个人冲到她跟前,企图抢走她的手提包。在争抢中,手提包的带断了,包落入这两个人手里,他们拔腿跑进了树林。斯特林夫人非常气愤,向着他们追了过去。只追了一会儿便上气不接下气了,但她还是继续追赶。当她赶上他们时,发现他们已经坐了下来,正翻着包里的东西。于是她直冲过去。这两个人吓了一跳,扔下提包逃跑了。“这提包带需要修理,”斯特林夫人事后说道,“不过他们什么也没偷走。”
Text 21
The whole village soon learnt that a large sum of money had been lost. Sam Benton, the local butcher, had lost his wallet while taking his savings to the post office. Sam was sure that the wallet must have been found by one of the villagers, but it was not returned to him. Three months passed, and then one morning, Sam found his wallet outside his front door. It had been wrapped up in newspaper and it contained half the money he had lost, together with a note which said: 'A thief, yes, but only 50 per cent a thief!' Two months later, some more money was sent to Sam with another note: 'Only 25 per cent a thief now!' In time, all Sam's money was paid back in this way. The last note said: 'I am 100 per cent honest now!'
New words and expressions 生词和短语
clear adj. 无罪的,不亏心的conscience n. 良心,道德心wallet n. 皮夹,钱夹savings n. 存款villager n. 村民per cent 百分之……
参考译文
整个村子很快知道,有一大笔钱丢失了。当地的屠户萨姆.本顿在把存款送往邮局的途中把钱包丢了。萨姆确信那钱包一定是被某个村民捡到了,可是却不见有人来送还给他。3个月过去了,后来在一天早晨,萨姆在自己的大门外发现了他的钱包。钱包是用报纸包着的,里面有他丢失的钱的一半,而且还附着一张纸条,上面写着:“一个小偷,是的,但只是一个50%的小偷!”又过了两个月,又有一些钱送还给了萨姆,又附了一张字条:“这回只是25%的小偷了!”很快,萨姆全部的钱都用同样的方式还了回来。最后的那张字条上写道:“我现在是一个100%的诚实人了!”
Text 22
When a plane from London arrived at Sydney airport, workers began to unload a number of wooden boxes which contained clothing. No one could account for the fact that one of the boxes was extremely heavy. It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to open up the box. He was astonished at what he found. A man was lying in the box on top of a pile of woolen goods. He was so surprised at being discovered that he did not even try to run away. After he was arrested, the man admitted hiding in the box before the plane left London. He had had a long and uncomfortable trip, for he had been confined to the wooden box for over eighteen hours. The man was ordered to pay $3,500 for the cost of the trip. The normal price of a ticket is $2,000!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
unload v. 卸(货)wooden adj. 木制的extremely adv. 非常,极其occur v. 发生astonish v. 使惊讶pile n. 堆woollen n. 羊毛的goods n. (常用复数)货物,商品discover v. 发现admit v. 承认confine v. 关在(一个狭小的空间里)normal adj. 正常的,通常的
参考译文
当一架来自伦敦的飞机抵达悉尼机场时,工人们开始卸下装有服装的一批木箱。其中有只箱子特别重,可谁也弄不清是怎么回事。突然一个工人想到打开箱子看看。看到的情景使吃惊,箱内有一个人正躺在一堆毛织品之上。他由于被人发现而感到非常吃惊,甚至都没有企图逃跑。此人被逮捕后,承认他是在飞机离开伦敦前躲进箱里的。他经历了一次漫长而又难受的旅程,因为他在那木箱里闷了18个多小时。此人被责令交付旅费3,500英镑,而正常票价是2,000英镑!
Text 23
A public house which was recently bought by Mr.Ian Thompson is up for sale. Mr.Thompson is going to sell it because it is haunted. He told me that he could not go to sleep one night because he heard a strange noise coming from the bar. The next morning, he found that the doors had been blocked by chairs and the furniture had been moved. Though Mr.Thompson had turned the lights off before he went to bed, they were on in the morning. He also said that he had found five empty whisky bottles which the ghost must have drunk the night before. When I suggested that some villagers must have come in for a free drink, Mr.Thompson shook his head. The villagers have told him that they will not accept the pub even if he gives it away.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
thirsty adj. 贪杯的ghost n. 鬼魂haunt v. (鬼)来访,闹鬼block v. 堵furniture n. 家具whisky n. 威士忌酒suggest v. 暗示shake v. 摇动accept v. 接受
参考译文
伊恩.汤普森先生最近才买的一个小酒店现在又要卖出去。汤普森先生之所以想卖它,是因为那里常闹鬼。他告诉我有天夜里他怎么也睡不着,因为他听到酒吧里传来一阵奇怪的响声。第二天早上,他发现酒吧间的门被椅子堵上了,家具也被挪动过。虽然汤普森临睡觉时把灯关了,但早晨灯却都亮着。他还说他发现了5只空的威士忌瓶子,肯定是鬼魂昨天晚上喝的。当我暗示说一定是村里有些人来喝不花钱的酒时,汤普森先生摇了摇头。村里的人已经告诉他,即使他把小酒店白送人,他们也不要。
Text 24
Dentists always ask questions when it is impossible for you to answer. My dentist had just pulled out one of my teeth and had told me to rest for a while. I tried to say something, but my mouth was full of cotton wool. He knew I collected match boxes and asked me whether my collection was growing. He then asked me how my brother was and whether I liked my new job in London. In answer to these questions I either nodded or made strange noises. Meanwhile, my tongue was busy searching out the hole where the tooth had been. I suddenly felt very worried, but could not say anything. When the dentist at last removed the cotton wool from my mouth, I was able to tell him that he had pulled out the wrong tooth.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
pull v. 拔cotton wool 药棉collect v. 搜集collection n. 收藏品,收集品nod v. 点头meanwhile adv. 同时
参考译文
牙科医生们总是在你无法作出回答的时候向你提出问题。我的牙科医生刚刚给我拔掉了一颗牙,叫我休息一会儿。我想说点什么,但我嘴里塞满了药棉。他知道我收集火柴盒,于是问我收藏的米柴盒是否在增加。接着他又问我的兄弟近来如何,问我是否喜欢伦敦的新工作。作为对这些问题的回答,我不是点头,就是发出奇怪的声音。与此同时,我的舌头正在忙着寻找刚拔掉的那颗牙的伤口。我突然非常着急起来,但却什么也说不出来。当那位牙医最后将药棉从我嘴中取出时,我总算有可能告诉他,他拔错了牙。