2007年VOA标准英语-German Women Crush Argentina at Women's World C

By Jim Stevenson
Shanghai
10 September 2007

The fifth FIFA Women's World Cup is under way in China. VOA's Jim Stevenson was at the opening game in Shanghai Monday where defending champion Germany made a bold statement.

Fireworks burst over Hongkou Stadium as hundreds of performers danced and twirled in a lavish¹ opening ceremony. However, defending champion Germany had all of the fireworks on the field as it humiliated² Argentina, 11-0.

Argentina goalkeeper Vanina Correa gave up the first goal of the tournament in the 12th minute when she deflected³ a German corner kick into the net. For the rest of the evening, she was bombarded by the relentless⁴ Germans, who had five goals by halftime.

Germany's forward Sandra Smisek celebrates after scoring her second goal at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, 10 Sep 2007

German captain Birgit Prinz scored three times as did forward Sandra Smisek. Correa mishandled another corner kick for the final German goal. Prinz says her team was not trying to run up the score against Argentina.

"It is not our fault," said Prinz. "We tried our best. We try to play the best football can. And we prepared for this World Cup."

Although falling behind the top-rated United States in the world rankings since winning the 2003 World Cup, Germany comes into this tournament perhaps stronger than four years ago. If the opening game is any indication, the rest of the 16-nation field could be playing for second place.

But German coach Silvia Neid is trying to remain cautious⁵ despite the big win.

"The message to the other opponents is that they know we are in good shape now. That also means we have to be prepared for the next game against England," said Neid. "That will be a totally different game."

The U.S. women also have formidable⁶ lineup, and begin their campaign in Chengdu later Tuesday against North Korea.

1 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

2 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

3 deflected   

偏离的

参考例句：

• The ball deflected off Reid's body into the goal. 球打在里德身上反弹进球门。
• Most of its particles are deflected. 此物质的料子大多是偏斜的。

4 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

5 cautious   

adj.十分小心的，谨慎的

参考例句：

• We should not only be bold,but also be cautious.我们不仅要大胆，而且要谨慎。
• He was cautious about his work.他对工作非常谨慎。

6 formidable   

a.可怕的；难以克服的，难对付的

参考例句：

• He met with a woman with a formidable appearance.他遇到了一个样子可怕的女人。
• There's no formidable obstacles in the world.世上没有无法逾越的障碍。