Take Away English-World Cup Fears 世界杯的忧虑

The World Cup is the greatest prize in football

English hopes for World Cup success have suffered a serious setback¹ with the news that striker Wayne Rooney has broken a bone in his foot.

20-year-old Rooney collapsed² in agony after a harmless-looking tackle during Saturday’s Premiership game between Chelsea and Manchester United. He was strapped³ on to a stretcher and carried off the pitch to the applause of concerned fans of both sides.

Tests revealed that he has fractured the fourth metatarsal on his right foot; an injury that will prevent him from playing for at least six weeks. The timing⁴ of this injury could not be worse given that England must play their first World Cup game against Paraguay on June 10th.

It seems highly unlikely that the Manchester United player will be fit in time for that match. And some experts think it will be impossible for him to play at all.

One person who does believe that Rooney can make an impact in the World Cup is the England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. On Saturday he told reporters, “Wayne is a world-class player and we will give him every chance to play in the World Cup; with such a huge talent you have to do that.”

However, Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, takes a less sanguine⁵ view. Ferguson responded to Eriksson’s comments by saying, “We will do our best to get the boy to Germany but if he is not fit, he is not going to go.”

Ferguson explained the treatment his young star-player will receive, “Wayne will be in plaster for the next few weeks and he’ll be having regular scans to see how it is healing.” But he also admitted that the injury is a “crippling blow” for the English team.

However, not all is doom⁶ and gloom in the English camp. Michael Owen, another important English striker who broke his foot in January, has returned to play for his domestic team, Newcastle United.

On Sunday Newcastle’s manager described Owen as “very close to being 100%” – a comment that makes it seem likely he will be match-fit by June.

GLOSSARY 词汇表
setback 挫折 in agony 疼痛 a stretcher 担架 fractured 挫伤，折断 fit 健康，康复 world-class 世界级的 sanguine 满怀希望的 in plaster 上石膏 healing 疗养 doom and gloom 凄惨，前景不妙	striker 前锋 tackle 拦截, 对付 the pitch 下了球场 metatarsal 中[跖]骨 make an impact 起到作用, 产生影响 huge talent 极具天赋 treatment 治疗 scans 照扫描光片 crippling blow 重大打击 match-fit 身体康复，能够参赛

 

1 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

5 sanguine   

adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的

参考例句：

• He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
• He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。

6 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。