英语听力精选进阶版 13603

Beckham likely to miss World Cup

Summary

15 March 2010

David Beckham is likely to miss this year's World Cup following an injury in a match on Sunday. Beckham is one of the most well known sportsmen in the world and losing the chance to play will disappoint many.

Reporter:

Jack¹ Izzard

Report

It took just seconds for David Beckham's dream of playing in this year's World Cup to collapse² onto the turf. In the final minutes of a match for his club, AC Milan, he was about to kick the ball when he suddenly pulled up, clutching his left heel. In tears he hobbled off the pitch, clearly aware something was badly wrong. But just how bad only emerged later, when his club confirmed he had torn his Achilles tendon. Dr Tom Crisp, a consultant³ sports physician, said the player's recovery will be a slow process:

Dr Tom Crisp:

"It takes many weeks for the tendon itself to heal, six to eight weeks minimum. It's remotely possible that he may be running in three months, I think that's what I would say. The chances of him being fit to play for England are just non-existent, I'm afraid."

Beckham is due to fly to Finland for surgery on Monday, but his England manager, Fabio Capello, has said it's unlikely he'll be ready to play again in time for this summer's World Cup in South Africa. He concedes it will be bitterly disappointing for the man who was hoping to become the first England player to play in football's greatest tournament for a fourth time. David Beckham turns 35 this year, leading some football fans to wonder if such a serious injury could end his playing career.

In a career that's spanned two decades, David Beckham has known fantastic highs and crushing lows. His many fans will be hoping that this latest sad twist in his football fairytale is not his last.

Jack Izzard, BBC News

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。