2007年VOA标准英语-US Women Prepare to Play Chinese Soccer Team

By Jim Stevenson
Cleveland, Ohio
15 June 2007

Chinese team

The U.S. Women's national soccer team is kicking off a two week series of games before heading to China for the Women's World Cup. VOA's Jim Stevenson reports the United States begins the so-called Send-Off series in Cleveland, Ohio against China.

While the U.S. Women's national soccer team is ranked No. 1 in the world, it is a very different team from the one that defeated China in the final of the 1999 Women's World Cup. Gone are well-known players like Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, who have since retired¹.

Kristine Lilly, one of the world's elite² players, remains³. In her 21st season, Lilly is the second all-time scorer in the world with 122, goals. Hamm has the record with 158. Lilly credits her longevity⁴ to physical fitness. "I think after a certain amount of time you learn what it takes to be professional. And you learn how you take care of your body and you know what you need to do on and off the field to be ready. And through the years I have learned that. I have taken a lot of pride in my fitness to make sure I am always in shape. And I think that is something that has helped me have a long career," she said.

U.S. head coach Greg Ryan is entering his first World Cup. He will be naming 18 players for each of the six exhibition games as he assesses which players will be among the 21 who will play in China. Just nine of the 24 players on the preliminary roster⁵ have previous experience in Women's World Cup tournaments. So Ryan has set a simple philosophy for his team.

"We know expectations are high. We know everyone is shooting at us. So let us just embrace that and go out there and give everything we got. We have not worried about the pressure. We do not worry about losing. We just go out and play to win. And so far it has worked pretty well," he said.

China is currently ranked 11th in the world, having tumbled down the FIFA rankings following a string of poor results.

Marika Domanski-Lyfors

China is now coached by Marika Domanski-Lyfors, who previously⁶ coached her native Sweden for over a decade. Sweden was the runner-up to Germany in the 2003 Women's World Cup. Domanski-Lyfors says this Chinese team has the ability to move back up in the rankings. "They are very young. They are inexperienced. But there are potentials. So I think it is a good team to work with. You can see the improvement all the time. I like that," she said.

Five of the six teams (China, Brazil, Norway, Japan and New Zealand) the United States plays in the "Send Off" series will also play in China. The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup will run from September 10 through the 30 in China.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

5 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。