China out after losing to France

    TURIN, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's campaign of the World Championship（世界锦标赛） was brought to a premature（早产的） end after they lost to France in straight sets on Monday.
    China, who have aimed a second-phase slot of the tournament, were overpowered by the French spikers on their way to a disheartening loss of 25-17, 25-20, 25-19.
    "My players were fighting with their back to the wall, they brought out their best," said Zhou Jianan, China's head coach.
    "After losing the first two group matches, we knew that our chance to reach the next stage was very slim（机会渺茫）. So I asked my players to do their best in the match, and I think they did it.
    "I hope what they have experienced here could be a blessing¹ in disguise. We suffer three losses in a row, this is humiliating, but it could be an asset which will urge them to work hard," Zhou added.
    China lost their first two group matches to Bulgaria and Czech respectively.
    Shen Qiong, China's captain, blamed their dismal² performance on inexperience.
    "It is the first time for some of our players to play in a major tournament like this. Sometimes they were nervous and made some mistakes. Maybe this is the price we should pay to grow up," he said.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

2 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。