Man Utd midfieler Scholes hangs up boots

     LONDON, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes retired¹ from his 17-year soccer career for Manchester United on Tuesday after the 36-year-old made 676 appearances for the club, who made his debut² in 1994.

    Spain midfielder(中场队员) Xavi dubbed³ Scholes as "the best central midfielder that I have seen" while France great Zinedine Zidane once branded him "almost untouchable.""I am not a man of many words but I can honestly say that playing football is all I have ever wanted to do and to have had such a long and successful career at Manchester United has been a real honor," said Scholes, who eschewed⁴ the celebrity⁵ lifestyle of many modern-day footballers and rarely gave interviews.

    "This was not a decision that I have taken lightly but I feel now is the right time for me to stop playing."Scholes won 10 Premier⁶ League titles and 24 trophies⁷ in total with Manchester United, scoring 150 goals, but was no longer a regular choice in the first team by the end of the recently completed season.

    His last appearance for the northwest power was as a late substitute in Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley.

    A fortnight earlier, he had helped United claim a record 19th English title, overhauling⁸ Liverpool as the country's most successful league team.

    He made 66 appearances for England before retiring from international football in 2004 to concentrate on his club career.

    A one-club man, Scholes said he will stay at United by taking up a coaching role starting next season.

    "What more can I say about Paul Scholes that I haven't said before," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "We are going to miss a truly unbelievable player.

    "Paul has always been fully⁹ committed to this club and I am delighted he will be joining the coaching staff from next season. Paul has always been inspirational to players of all ages and we know that will continue in his new role."After Gary Neville, Scholes is the second member of the batch¹⁰ of young talent to burst into United's first team during the early 1990s, which also included David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, to retire this season.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 eschewed   

v.（尤指为道德或实际理由而）习惯性避开，回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I eschewed upbraiding, I curtailed remonstrance. 我避免责备，少作规劝。 来自辞典例句
• Moreover, she has a business plan, an accessory eschewed by cavalier counterparts. 此外，她还有商业计划，这是彬彬有礼的男设计师们回避的一点。 来自互联网

5 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

6 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

7 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。