英语听力精选进阶版 13918

Rumours¹ about Rooney’s future at Man Utd

Summary

Is Wayne Rooney, one of the world's best paid footballers, about to leave Manchester United? Reports in the British press suggest the England striker has requested a move after arguing with his manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Reporter:

Alex Capstick

Report

Wayne Rooney is a supremely² gifted footballer. He was voted the Premier³ League's player of the year. His goal-scoring flair⁴ for Manchester United was universally admired, but his form dramatically dipped when playing for England at the World Cup. There has been no marked improvement this season. For the first time in his career, people have started to question his proficiency⁵.

Then, last month, allegations surfaced about his private life. And more recently he dared to contradict in public his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson, when he told reporters he had not been struggling with an ankle injury.

Reports of a rift⁶ between the pair were fuelled further when Wayne Rooney was demoted to the substitutes' bench for Saturday's game against West Brom. As David Beckham once discovered, when a player falls out with Sir Alex Ferguson, there is usually only one winner. Manchester United have described the rumours of Wayne Rooney's imminent⁷ departure as nonsense.

But negotiations⁸ on a new contract have stalled. Potential suitors will have been alerted. Real Madrid, the big Italian clubs and, heaven forbid if you're a Manchester United fan, Manchester City, have all been mentioned. Over the past week Sir Alex Ferguson has kept his counsel on the issue. Perhaps he is still trying to work out what to do with Wayne Rooney.

Alex Capstick, BBC News, London

1 rumours   

n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传

参考例句：

• The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

2 supremely   

adv.无上地，崇高地

参考例句：

• They managed it all supremely well. 这件事他们干得极其出色。
• I consider a supremely beautiful gesture. 我觉得这是非常优雅的姿态。

3 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。

4 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

5 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

6 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

7 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。