2006年VOA标准英语-France Laments World Cup Loss

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
10 July 2006

France woke up to the grim reality of its defeat against Italy in the World Cup championship in Germany. For VOA, Lisa Bryant takes a look at the mood in Paris, where a disappointed French soccer team arrived from Berlin.

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Sunday night at a Paris bar, fans watched Italian Fabio Grosso score the winning penalty shot. The Italians had just captured the 2006 World Cup, and there were a few cheers from Italian supporters. Still, for most at the bar, diehard fans of the losing French team, there was nothing to celebrate.

One burly man who gave only his first name, Louis, criticized the playing of the Italian team. "I feel like somebody stole me the world cup," he said.

Zinedine Zidane head-butts Italy's Marco Materazzi in the chest    
  
Another fan still rooted on France's star player, Zinedine Zidane, who was dismissed from the game in overtime¹ for intentionally² head-butting an Italian player. "Long live Zidane," the young man said. "Thanks to Zidane, France went as far as it did. It is not the end of the world."

Zidane was voted the best player of the 2006 World Cup. That does not erase³ French bitterness that he was unable to play the entire match.

Team member William Gallas said it was hard to accept the French defeat. 

 
French soccer team supporter sits on a city light in Nice, southern France, July 9, 2006 
  
 "We were better than they were," Gallas told French radio. "It is too bad. We were very solid on the field, but the ball did not cooperate and we had one player sent out."

The French team's sparkling performance at the World Cup galvanized a disheartened nation these past few weeks. Even though Paris was drenched⁴ in sun Monday, the mood is grim.

The returning French soccer team had lunch with French President Jacques Chirac, but they canceled a march down the Champs Elysees. There is not much to celebrate.

1 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

2 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

3 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

4 drenched   

adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
• The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》