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Some made this basking in deck chairs in the sand, a typical day at the beach. But, this is no ordinary beach. This particular one is in the middle of Berlin. Over the high temperatures this past month and the high drama of the World Cup, this business is booming.
With the addition of large television screen, this bar has become a focal point for fans looking to take in the World Cup in comfort.
Usually, the business is good, but during the World Cup, it was absolutely brilliant beyond imagination.
What about the atmosphere? I mean it must have been a leisure.
Very cool, very relaxed. People, the visitors, the football games are a kind of event and they, er, uh, clap their hands and they laugh and they giggle. For them, it's a show.
Small businesses have seen a World Cup bounce surround the German capital. You find merchandise and souvenirs flying off the shelves. Even so, early optimism that occupancy rates in the city's hotels would get a boost turned to disappointment from much of the industry, with many fans avoiding the cost of the comfort, opting instead for tents. Some happy just find a quiet park bench.
The tournament though has proved a tactical success at the top end, with many of the deluxe establishments already sold out and a flood of fans still expected for the final. The Adlon Hotel near the Brandenburg Gate has become a base for FIFA, and the tournament organizers are now taking up 80% of the hotel.
When I look at the PR value of this, eh, soccer game, I think for us, for the Adlon Hotel, I'm sure it will bring us additional businesses in the future.
The hotel caters to the more well-heeled football fans as to the various boutiques and grooming parlors throughout Berlin. I decided that I needed a little pampering, but while I took some time off, I thought my producer could do with a little first time experience of another World Cup trend: the customized football haircut.
I don't know. I haven't seen it yet. But I'm rather worried about what my fiancee would say to this, you know.
Thomas may have scored an own goal on the home front, but at nearly 100$ a snip, this is one World Cup spin-off that is proving a winning business with the barbers of Berlin.
Becky Anderson, CNN ,Berlin.
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deck chair:a light chair made of canvas on a wooden frame that you can fold up 轻便的可折叠躺椅
souvenir:something that you buy on vacation or at a special event to remind you later of being there 纪念品
deluxe:used about things that are better in quality and more expensive than other things of the same type 豪华的
FIFA:the international organization that makes rules and decisions relating to the sport of soccer.FIFA is an abbreviation of the organization's French name 国际足球联盟
well-heeled:informal rich 富有的,穿着考究的
parlor:old-fashioned a room in a house where you entertain guests 会客室
own goal:a goal you accidentally score against your own team 乌龙球 something you do that accidentally harms you,often when you intended to harm someone else 影响自身利益的错误行为
spin-off:something new based on something else that already exists 新创造的事物
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