经济学人317:足球 中国球迷终于可以庆祝一次了

　　China
亚洲中国
Football
足球
Keepy uppy
逆袭
Chinese football fans at last have something to cheer about
中国球迷终于可以庆祝一次了
ALTHOUGH they excel at gymnastics and table tennis, the sport many Chinese really want to win at is football.
尽管在体操与乒乓领域都堪称王者，但好多中国人真心想拿下的还是足球。
And yet, mired¹ in match-fixing scandals and with little infrastructure² to encourage schoolchildren, football has struggled.
不过如今的足球发展得很挣扎，首先联赛深陷假球丑闻，其次学生们也没什么场地踢球。
In November, though, Guangzhou Evergrande beat FC Seoul to become the first Chinese team to win the Asian Champions League.
但在11月，广州恒大击败了首尔FC，成为了首支赢得亚冠联赛的中国球队。
Could its success have a broader impact?
恒大的成功能带来更广的影响吗？
2_副本.jpgThe team, previously³ known as Guangzhou Pharmaceutical⁴, had been relegated⁶ to the second division because of match-fixing before it was acquired in 2010 by the Evergrande Real Estate Group.
在2010年恒大地产接手这家俱乐部前，恒大的前身广州广药已经因假球而降入二级联赛。
Since then, it has won the Super League, China's equivalent of England's Premier⁷ League, three times.
自那以后，恒大已先后三次问鼎中超联赛。
On December 7th it narrowly failed to clinch⁸ the treble, beaten in the final of the Chinese FA Cup.
12月7日足协杯决赛恒大败北，与三冠王失之交臂。
A revolutionary slogan has been reworked on the internet to celebrate the team's success: only real estate can save China.
网民们改编了革命口号来热捧恒大的成功：只有恒大才能救中国。
The team's route to the top would be familiar to English fans.
英国球迷对于恒大登顶的方式很熟悉。
Evergrande, headed by Xu Jiayin, a billionaire member of the Communist Party, paid $15m for the club.
作为一名共产党员，亿万富翁许家印领导着俱乐部，收购俱乐部花了他1500万美元。
In 2012, it hired Marcello Lippi, a World Cup-winning Italian coach, for 16m a year.
2012年，恒大签下了世界杯冠军教头马塞洛·里皮，他的年薪是1600万美元。
The club also procured⁹ three South American stars and many Chinese national-team members.
同时恒大还签下了三位南美球星以及一干中国国脚。
Rowan Simons, chairman of China ClubFootball, which promotes the game, says this is just the start of such big spending.
致力于推广足球运动的北京万国群星足球俱乐部主席罗文·西蒙斯称，这只是大笔烧钱的开始。
Evergrande's model may not boost the sport at lower levels, however. Relatively¹⁰ few young people play organised football because of lack of facilities and encouragement.
但恒大模式或许不会让这项运动从基层得到发展，由于缺少基础设施与资助，所以相对来说少有年轻人组队踢球。
Parents prefer academic success to wasting time on sport.
家长们更希望孩子学业有成，而非在体育上浪费时间。
The recent visit of Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, brought some assistance.
英国首相戴维·卡梅隆最近访问了中国，带来了一些帮助。
The English Premier League agreed to support a coaching programme that aims to reach more than 1.2m Chinese students by 2016.
英超联赛愿意支持一项培训计划，目标在2016年前接受120万名中国学生参加培训。
The initiatives are a good start, says Mr Simons, but a stricter line on match-fixing and more grassroots support will be needed before Chinese football can become world class.
西蒙斯表示，有积极性是一个好的开始，但是中国的足球要到达世界级水准，那还需要严控假球，以及更多的草根支持。
1.relegate⁵ to 使归属于，委托给，移交给
Dispatch: to relegate to a specific destination or send on specific business.
派遣;发送送到特定的目的地或分派特定任务。
When the victim can not give proof and it can not involve the innocent people, the tort law's preventing and punishing function should relegate to secondary status, but the compensation to the victims becomes the primary thing.
在受害人不能举证而又不能归责于无辜的情况下，侵权行为法的预防和惩罚功能已退居次要地位，而对受害人损失的补偿则成为首要解决的问题。
2.fail to 未能
Things change and when you fail to grasp that truth you suffer.
世事变迁，而且你也未能领会承受折磨的真相。
Every year flying cars fail to take to the skies is a disappointment.
每一年，天空中都未能出现飞翔的汽车，这真是令人失望。
3.lack of 缺乏
Another problem was the lack of competition.
另一个问题是缺乏竞争。
Her lack of experience is a severe disability.
她缺少经验是一个严重的障碍。
4.agree to 同意，赞成
He could agree to cut nuclear arms with russia.
他可能同意和俄罗斯一起削减核武器。
She convinced a reluctant union to agree to a pay-for-performance system.
她说服了一个不情愿的工会接受绩效工资系统。

1 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 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。

4 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

5 relegate   

v.使降级，流放，移交，委任

参考例句：

• We shall relegate this problem to the organizing committee.我们将把这个问题委托组织委员会处理。
• She likes to relegate difficult questions to her colleagues.她总是把困难的问题推给她同事。

6 relegated   

v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类

参考例句：

• She was then relegated to the role of assistant. 随后她被降级做助手了。
• I think that should be relegated to the garbage can of history. 我认为应该把它扔进历史的垃圾箱。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

8 clinch   

v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench

参考例句：

• Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
• We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

9 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。