8-5 板球在英国（在线收听）

Cricket¹ in England

Cricket to the English is not just a game. It is a symbol--a 22-man personification² of all English beliefs and philosophies.

Cricket is alleged³ to be the national summer pastime of the English race. People who are interested in it are passionate⁴ about it, but those who are not are totally indifferent to it. Visitors to England would have to be blind not to spot at least one weekend cricket match in their travels. And even the blind cannot avoid the coverage⁵ of international matches which dribbles⁶ out of radios in every public place throughout the season. It is inescapable. On every village green or television screen, groups of men, dressed in white, stand around waiting for something to happen.

The English invented cricket 750 years ago and are fiercely proprietorial⁷ about it. Its laws are one of the great mysteries of life, passed on among the initiated⁸ in a coded language. In the past they took the game all over the world and always won. But gradually other nations’ teams have got better at it, until now the English stand a pretty safe chance of⁹ being beaten wherever they go.

注释：

1. cricket [5krikit] n. [体] 板球(普遍认为是英国夏季国球。比赛分两队进行，每队由11人组成。)

2. personification [pE(:)7sCnifi5keiFEn] n. 化身，象征

3. allege [E5ledV] vt. 断言，宣称，声称，(证据不足地)硬说

4. passionate [5pAFEnit] a. 热情的，感情强烈的

5. coverage [5kQvEridV] n. 新闻报道，(广告等的)可达范围

6. dribble [5dribl] vi. 零星地到来(或散出)

7. proprietorial [prEJ9praIE` tC:riEl] a. 所有(权)的，自以为是所有人的

8. initiate [i5niFieit] vt. (通过正式手续或秘密仪式)接纳(新成员)，让……加入

9. stand a ... chance of  有……的希望，有……可能

板球在英国

板球对于英国人来说不仅仅是一项运动，它是一种象征，它通过22个人将英国人的信仰和哲学统统体现了出来。

据说，板球是英国人的一项全国性夏季娱乐活动。有兴趣的人对它充满热情，无兴趣的人则对它完全漠不关心。到英国旅游的人，除了瞎子之外，在旅游过程中起码会碰上一场周末板球赛。即使是瞎子，也躲不过整个季节里在每个公共场所的收音机里播放的国际球赛，那是想躲都躲不掉的。在每个村镇的公共草地上，在每台电视屏幕上，都能看见一群群?穿白衣的男士站着等待活动的开始。

英国人在750年前发明了板球，对它有着强烈的主权感。板球的规则堪称人间最大奥秘之一，以密码形式在队员中相传。过去，英国人将这项运动带到世界各地，而且总是赢。但其他国家的球队也渐渐地越打越好，以致现在英国队无论走到哪里十之八九都会一败涂地。