VOA慢速英语2013 阿富汗举办十年来首场国际足球赛

 

AS IT IS 2013-08-31 International Football Returns to Afghanistan 阿富汗举办十年来首场国际足球赛

Hi there and welcome to As It Is, a daily magazine show from VOA Learning English. I’m June Simms in Washington.

American football is the most popular sport in the United States. But soccer, which is widely known as football in most areas, is recognized as the most popular sport in the world.

Our show today is all about football! We begin with the return of international football in Afghanistan. Bob Doughty¹ reports.

International Football Returns to Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s national football team played neighboring Pakistan earlier this month. The Afghan team defeated the Pakistanis 3-0. It was the first international football match played in Kabul in 10 years. Afghan and Pakistani officials hope the increased sporting ties will help to ease political tensions between the two countries.

The two sides described the game as a “Friendship Match.” It was played in a newly-built sports center in Kabul. It was the first game between the national teams of Afghanistan and Pakistan in 36 years. It also marked the return of international football to Afghanistan since 2003. All 6,000 stadium seats were filled for the event.

After play ended, officials on both sides said the match was a strong sign of improving cultural and sporting relations.

The Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Mohammad Umer Doudzai, told VOA that the two countries need to improve these ties even more. He said this would also help strengthen anti-militancy efforts on both sides of the border.

“Our cricket team is born ((in refugee camps)) in Pakistan and trained and coached mostly by Pakistani team. Maybe soon they will defeat Pakistan. These are all civilized² interactions. And the uncivilized interaction is those ((militant)) sanctuaries³, those suicide vests, those bombs, those explosives. We have to get rid of that. We have to replace the uncivilized interaction with the civilized interaction.”

A week before the game, Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a visit to Pakistan. He urged Pakistani officials to help with peace talks between his country and the Taliban. I’m Bob Doughty.

You are listening to As It Is, from VOA Learning English. I’m June Simms.

Pakistani Immigrant Makes Mark in US National Football League

Nearly every team in the National Football League is owned by someone born in the United States. Now, a man from Pakistan is part of the league’s ownership group. In fact, he’s the only ethnic⁴ minority member ever to own an NFL team. Faith Lapidus has more.

Shahid Kahn is one of the most recognizable names in Jacksonville, Florida. The 63-year-old American businessman owns the city’s NFL team: the Jacksonville Jaguars⁵.

Like the other owners, Shahid Khan is wealthy. But his life story is very different. He grew up in Pakistan, where cricket is the national sport. He fell in love with American football after he moved to the United States.

Mr. Kahn is from Lahore, Pakistan. The Jaguars’ owner says he was seeking an “education, fame and fortune” when he came to the United States in 1967. He had $500 when he arrived, and earned $1.20 an hour for washing dishes.

“Working for $1.20 was absolutely a very, very liberating⁶ experience for me, and I think what was wonderful was that it happened literally⁷ a day after I got here. The most powerful thing was, `Hey, I’m empowered, and I control my destiny so I can be who I want to be.’ And certainly the life I knew before that in Pakistan and really the rest of the world, frankly⁸, you didn’t have that opportunity.”

Mr. Khan settled in the state of Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois while working at Flex-N-Gate, which makes automobile⁹ parts. He bought the company in 1980 and turned it into a more than $3 billion business with 50 factories worldwide.

His interest in American football began while taking classes at the University of Illinois, which has a big football program.

“I just loved it because it is simple in a way, and then it is so complex. The minute you think you’ve understood something, you haven’t. So, I don’t have the athletic¹⁰ makeup¹¹ to play the game, so I watched it, been a huge fan, and then as time went on I thought maybe there’d be a day I could own a team.”

That day would come. After failing in an effort to buy the NFL’s St. Louis Rams¹², he bought the Jaguars for a reported $760 million in late 2011.

Mr. Khan says he is living the American dream.

“I think this is the finest country on planet Earth, period, and what you’re going to be able to accomplish with your life on this planet, your best chance, best opportunity is right here in the U.S.”

He says his story is an example of that kind of success. I’m Faith Lapidus.

American Soccer Fans Increasing

Soccer is increasingly popular across the United States. And a nonprofit group called the American Outlaws¹³ is working to make it even more popular.

The group is working hard to strengthen support for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. It has become increasingly organized and claims 7,000 paying members with clubs in more than 80 American cities.

The DC chapter in Washington is the largest.

On this day, hundreds of Outlaws and their friends have gathered at RFK Stadium in Washington for a game between the United States and Germany.

“We are the U.S.!  The mighty¹⁴, mighty U.S., the mighty, mighty U.S.!”

Many Outlaws say they feel like outsiders in a country where other professional sports are more popular. National president, Korey Donahoo, says that is how the group got its name.

“You feel kind of like an outsider because soccer is not a mainstream¹⁵ sport necessarily, so we thought ‘American Outlaws’ worked well for what we were trying to do.”

“It’s the United States. We are winning the game. Ooooooh!”

In this game against Germany, the U.S. held on for a 4-3 victory.

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard was excited about the sellout crowd.

“To see a big massive stadium, a historic stadium for us, U.S. soccer-wise, to be filled and to play a team like Germany, it is special because we have not always gotten that. But it has grown and I think it is a testament¹⁶ to our supporters.”

And that is As It Is. I’m June Simms in Washington.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

3 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 jaguars   

n.（中、南美洲的）美洲虎( jaguar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jaguars are largely nocturnal creatures. 美洲虎基本上是夜行动物。 来自辞典例句
• Jaguars (Panthera onca) once ranged from southern South America to theUnited States. 美洲虎曾经分布在北美洲南部和美洲南部。 来自互联网

6 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

8 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

9 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

10 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

11 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？

12 rams   

n.公羊( ram的名词复数 )；(R-)白羊（星）座；夯；攻城槌v.夯实（土等）( ram的第三人称单数 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• A couple of rams are butting at each other. 两只羊正在用角互相抵触。 来自辞典例句
• More than anything the rams helped to break what should have been on interminable marriage. 那些牡羊比任何东西都更严重地加速了他们那本该天长地久的婚姻的破裂。 来自辞典例句

13 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

14 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

15 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

16 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。