美国国家公共电台 NPR--The World Cup Quarterfinals begin today

The World Cup Quarterfinals begin today

Transcript¹

The World Cup resumes today with two quarterfinal matches as the thrilling tournament resumes. Both will showcase soccer royalty²: Brazil v. Croatia and Argentina v. Netherlands.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

OK, the 32 teams at the World Cup in Qatar are now down to eight.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Yeah, the quarterfinals begin today, and all eight teams playing can make a case that they are the ones who have a shot to win.

INSKEEP: Quarter for your thoughts? NPR's sports correspondent Tom Goldman is following an evenly balanced tournament. Hey there, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE³: Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: Who are the contenders?

GOLDMAN: Well, let's run them down, Steve. Croatia finished second at the 2018 World Cup - still very good - playing Brazil, winner of five World Cups, ranked No. 1 in the world. And they are Brazil. Then the Netherlands, three-time World Cup runner-up, against Argentina, also a three-time runner-up and two-time champion. But they've never won with Lionel Messi. You might have heard of him, Steve - little guy, scores a lot of goals, one of the all-time greats. This is his last dance at the World Cup - last chance to win it as well. Then tomorrow, Portugal with its all-time great, Cristiano Ronaldo, yanked from the starting lineup and his team looked better for it in a free-flowing 6-1 beatdown of Switzerland. Portugal plays Morocco.

Now, that's the surprise of the bunch, but kind of not - very good team on a roll. They haven't been beaten here. They're very strong defensively. The only score against them has been an own goal, and they have a huge fan base. The Arab world has gone gaga for the Atlas⁴ Lions. And then finally, France, the defending champion, possessor of the fantastic player Kylian Mbappe, against England, which is loaded with talent and has the co-lead for most goals scored in the tournament. So there it is, your great eight.

INSKEEP: Wow. A whole lot...

GOLDMAN: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: ...Of possibilities there. Let me ask about one of the possibilities. A couple of the great players that you mentioned, Messi and Ronaldo - is it possible that they could have a head-to-head matchup at some point?

GOLDMAN: There's been hope that that will happen. Technically⁵, it is possible. They're on opposite sides of the draw. So they could play for a title. They could play for third place. Either way, any head-to-head matchup would be diminished since Ronaldo may be banished⁶ from the starting lineup for good after Portugal was so dominant⁷ without him. Messi, on the other hand, has been very important to Argentina. He's scored three goals. His first one really saved the team in a must-win group stage match against Mexico. Even if they don't meet head-to-head, this is the end, at the World Cup, at least, of an amazing time. You know, most of the last two decades, Messi and Ronaldo set the standard and were the two most famous players of a generation.

INSKEEP: Is a new generation rising?

GOLDMAN: Well, it is. So, you know, interestingly, you're going to see some of that in the France versus⁸ England quarterfinal on Saturday. Kylian Mbappe, as I mentioned, was a teenage breakout star in France's World Cup title run in 2018. He's picked up here in Qatar as a 23-year-old. Currently, he has the scoring lead with five goals. He's blazing fast, deadly accurate as a scorer - throw in a magnetic personality, he is quickly climbing to the top. And then, meantime, England's Jude Bellingham - he's 19. He's a teenage breakout star in this tournament. He's a dazzling midfielder with the ball at his feet. He really does it all. And people are marveling at his skill at such a young age.

INSKEEP: With all of this possibility, isn't Brazil still the favorite?

GOLDMAN: Brazil is, you know. They are the favorites. They're playing so well. They're dancing after goals. That's a worrisome and somewhat annoying sight for opponents.

INSKEEP: (Laughter).

GOLDMAN: Whoever Brazil plays going forward, starting with Croatia today, it's going to be tough. But yeah, they're expected to emerge, dancing or not, with a sixth title.

INSKEEP: Don't you normally dance at the end of your interviews on NPR, Tom? You do a little...

GOLDMAN: I'm dancing right now.

INSKEEP: Oh, that's great. That's great.

GOLDMAN: Yeah.

INSKEEP: Well, I'm glad you're able to keep the microphone in the proper range. NPR's Tom Goldman at the World Cup in Qatar. Thanks.

GOLDMAN: You're welcome.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

5 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

6 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

8 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。