美国国家公共电台 NPR In India And Pakistan, Cricket Fans Are Gearing Up For Their Favorite World Cup Match

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

India and Pakistan are neighbors who have fought four wars. They meet again Sunday in what might be the most-watched game of the Cricket World Cup. Maybe they'll ask B.J. Lederman, who does our theme music, to play the opening anthem¹. NPR's Lauren Frayer in Mumbai.

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE²: Pakistani TV shows an Indian fighter pilot in captivity³, sipping⁴ tea while being interrogated⁵. He refuses to divulge⁶ anything.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: And what was your mission?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: I'm sorry; I'm not supposed to tell you this.

FRAYER: This actually happened back in February, when Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet, interrogated the pilot and aired footage, amid airstrikes that brought these nuclear-armed neighbors very close to all-out war. The pilot was released home to India, and now a spoof⁷ of his interrogation is airing in Pakistan. This time it's not India's military secrets the Pakistanis are after; it's India's game plan for the Cricket World Cup.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) I'm sorry; I'm not supposed to tell you this.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) OK. How's the tea?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Tea is fantastic.

FRAYER: Actors then tussle⁸ over the teacup, as if it symbolizes⁹ the Cricket World Cup. This ad has sent Twitter into a tizzy with memes of teacups and trophies¹⁰ ahead of Sunday's cricket match.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Pakistan versus¹¹ Indian, 16 June - live on Jazz TV.

FRAYER: This is one of the world's biggest sports rivalries¹² - archenemies India and Pakistan on the cricket field. Sunday's match is in Manchester, England, and up to a billion people are expected to watch on TV. There are cricket watching parties across South Asia.

MRINALINI DEV: So we all friends just want to get together and scream and shout and cheer for India.

FRAYER: Mrinalini Dev plans to be at this Mumbai sports bar with a big bucket of beers. She's got to pace herself, though; these matches last eight to 10 hours. One table over is Parag Grewal, a ship's captain in port for the weekend. He says he hopes cricket can boost diplomacy¹³. After all, the Pakistani prime minister is a former captain of his country's cricket team. Imran Khan led Pakistan to its only World Cup victory in 1992. He was a star even in India.

PARAG GREWAL: As a sportsman, he used to be very nice and pally with all the Indian players. Now, also, he can be that arbitrator who can diffuse¹⁴ a situation and get a little more brotherly love.

FRAYER: That's a sentiment expressed by fans on both sides of the border. Indians and Pakistanis are watching this match not only for the sport of it, but also for a glimpse at rivals who used to be their own countrymen, before colonial India was split up a lifetime ago. Ayub Malik is a cricket fan in Pakistan's capital Islamabad. This match, he says...

AYUB MALIK: It should create love, affection. We are the same people. We should compete but compete for the betterment of the society, and cricket is the one instrument of that.

FRAYER: It's a nice thought, but India-Pakistan relations are at a low point. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was just reelected, in part by talking tough on Pakistan. He's refused peace talks with Prime Minister Khan. Neither leader has plans to attend Sunday's match. They'll probably tune¹⁵ in, though, along with hundreds of millions of their citizens. Lauren Frayer, NPR News, Mumbai.

(SOUNDBITE OF CORNERSHOP & BUBBLEY KAUR'S "UNITED PROVINCES OF INDIA")

1 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

2 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。

3 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

4 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

5 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。

7 spoof   

n.诳骗，愚弄，戏弄

参考例句：

• The show was a spoof of college life.那戏是对大学生活的讽刺。
• That is Tim Robbins's spoof documentary about a presidential campaign.那是蒂姆·罗宾斯关于总统选举的讽刺纪录片。

8 tussle   

n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩

参考例句：

• They began to tussle with each other for the handgun.他们互相扭打起来，抢夺那支手枪。
• 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。

9 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 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。

12 rivalries   

n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
• Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨，或者引起争斗。 来自互联网

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

14 diffuse   

v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的

参考例句：

• Direct light is better for reading than diffuse light.直射光比漫射光更有利于阅读。
• His talk was so diffuse that I missed his point.他的谈话漫无边际，我抓不住他的要点。

15 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。