2006年VOA标准英语-US Soccer Team Ready for World Cup Opener

By Parke Brewer¹
Hamburg
11 June 2006

The U.S. soccer team is set to begin its 2006 World Cup campaign on Monday against the Czech Republic. VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer reports from Hamburg that the Americans face a difficult task if they are to advance to the second round in Germany.

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The United States is in Group E for World Cup play, and that's the only one of the eight four-team groups that has three nations ranked in the worlds top 20.

The Americans' first opponent², the Czech Republic, is ranked second, the USA is tied for fifth, with Spain and Italy is ranked 13th. The fourth group member, Ghana, is ranked 48th.

Bruce Arena³ (l)  
  
U.S. coach Bruce Arena says he believes that perhaps realistically his team is rated higher than it should be, but he also told reporters he never pays any attention to rankings, that games are decided⁴ on the field. He knows his players will not be intimidated⁵ by the Czechs.

"On a given day we can step on the field and play with anybody in the world," said Bruce Arena. "We really believe that. So regardless of the fact that we're playing an opponent who has a pretty good pedigree with players at AC Milan and other big clubs, that doesn't concern us at all. We're pretty confident when we step on the field Monday that we can play with the Czech Republic."

Teams that lose their opening World Cup matches have a very difficult time advancing to the second round. U.S. star midfielder Landon Donovan says it's crucial⁶ to get off to a good start.

Landon Donovan   
  
"This isn't a [full] season that you're playing," said Landon Donovan. "This is a three-game season that you have. You've got three chances to make an impression. It's very difficult to lose the first game and expect to get through, especially in a tough group like this. That has to be our objective⁷. It's the only thing on my mind. I haven't thought a second about Italy or Ghana and that's where my head is at."

Coach Bruce Arena said he knows his players will be ready.

Bruce Arena   
  
"We're in good shape," he said. "We've had a plan all along since the [group] draw in December [held in Leipzig]. We kind of know where we needed to be every bit of the way. I think the team is healthy, confident and getting a little bit sharper every day. So I think were moving along well."

The Americans' first game against the Czech Republic will be in Gelsenkirchen. They will also travel south from their training base in Hamburg for their other two group matches. The U.S. soccer team will play Italy in Kaiserslautern June 17 and Ghana in Nuremburg June 22

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 opponent   

n.对手，敌手，反对者；adj.敌对的，反对的

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• After a fierce struggle,he got a beat on his opponent.经过殊死的较量，他占了对手的上风。

3 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 crucial   

adj.极重要的，决定性的，关键性的

参考例句：

• It's a crucial decision.这是一个极其重要的决定。
• The foreign market was increasingly crucial.国外市场越来越重要了。

7 objective   

adj.客观的；n.目标，目的

参考例句：

• He tried to take an objective view of the situation.他试图对形势有个客观的看法。
• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。