World Cup Stories: France-1

It’s June 1998 and France is hosting the biggest sporting event in its history. With the largest number of participating countries ever in the World Cup, France is ready for the biggest party in football. But behind the footballing glamour¹ France was hiding a dark reality. As the most racially troubled country in Europe, France was divided by the question of immigration. Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front openly attacked the multiracial makeup² of the French national team.

I just think it was cheap talk, you know, France always has been great to welcome people in always as well as we’re wearing the French shirt. You know, no matter where you are coming from, everyone was proud to be French.

But what Le Pen was choosing to ignore was that the French football had always reflected the country’s racial diversity. Many of France’s greatest ever players had come from immigrant³ backgrounds. Players like Raymond Kopa and Michael Platini. But even their exuberant⁴ talents had not brought footballing glory to France.

The French team was a delight to watch, was a team played beautifully and entertained the crowds. But there’s always been a conflict in French football culture. You know, should we win, or should we go up and play brilliantly?

In the 68-year history of the World Cup, the French had never reached the final, an embarrassment⁵ for the country that had invented the competition in the first place. But over the course of 33 days in the summer of 1998, the French team were determined⁶ to shake off their image as perennial⁷ losers, and at the same time changed the nation's understanding of itself and its relationship with its people.

What surprised me was the people in the street, black, white, brown. I was in the bus, right in the back. I turned around and looked behind. There must be more than 500 motorbikes following us. It was incredible⁸, really incredible.

Zinedine Zidane and his team were about to turn France’s footballing fortunes around and racially unite the divided country.

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multiracial: adj. 多民族的
exuberant: adj. 丰富的， 非凡的
shake off: v. 摆脱
perennial: adj. 永久的，长期的

1 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

2 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

3 immigrant   

adj.(从国外)移来的，移民的；n.移民，侨民

参考例句：

• Life in the USA was very hard for almost every new immigrant.美国的生活几乎对每一个新移民都很艰难。
• I'd like to obtain some information about applying for an immigrant visa.我想取一些申请移民签证的资料。

4 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

5 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

8 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。