2006年VOA标准英语-Winter Olympics, World Cup Dominate Year in Spo

By David Byrd
Washington
21 December 2006

Italy captured football's (soccer's) World Cup, Roger Federer dominated men's tennis, Tiger Woods overcame sadness to rule the golf course, and drugs and scandal tainted¹ the sports world. As VOA's David Byrd reports, 2006 will be remembered as a year of contrasts, between the sublime², the sickening and the sad.

 
Gold ball used for the final game of the World Cup next to the World Cup logo
The World Cup and the Winter Olympics highlighted sports in 2006, with Italy beating France in the World Cup final to take the coveted³ trophy⁴ for the third time. The most lasting⁵ memory of the tournament will probably be French star Zinedine Zidane's head-butt of Italian player Marco Materazzi in the final. Zidane was ejected, and after regulation and extra time ended at 1-1, Italy won the game in a penalty shoot-out (5-3).

Spanish football club Barcelona won the European Champions League with a 2-1 victory over England's Arsenal⁶, but Barcelona was upset by South American champion International of Brazil, 1-0, in the Club World Cup played in Yokohama, Japan.

In February's Turin Olympics, Italy hosted the world in a successful Winter Games. Figure skating recovered from the 2002 corruption⁷ scandal by using a new points system. Russian Yevgeni Plushenko won the men's title, but the big surprise was Japan's Shizuka Arakawa, who won the ladies' gold medal by passing American Sasha Cohen and world champion Irina Slutskaya of Russia.

 
Shani Davis
American Shani Davis became the first black athlete in Winter Olympics history to win an individual gold medal, taking the men's 1,000-meter speedskating race. He said he was proud to be a trail blazer.

"Things were not easy for me. And I just kept on fighting because I knew deep down inside that I was a good skater," said Davis. "I just wanted to be one of the best skaters and now I am happy that I can have that title on my name - you know - Olympic champion. That is a great thing."

Another American speedskating medalist, Joey Cheek, made headlines when he donated all of his $40,000 in bonus money to the humanitarian⁸ organization Right to Play, earmarked to help thousands of Sudanese children who are refugees in Chad.

Upsets highlighted the Turin men's ice hockey tournament, and Sweden beat Finland to take the gold. Austrians dominated the ski slopes, taking 14 medals. Austrians also captured one-half of the alpine⁹ skiing World Cup titles in the 2005-2006 season.

 
Roger Federer 
On the tennis courts, Roger Federer took his first of three Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open with a four-set win over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. The Swiss world number-one also won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but lost to Spain's Rafael Nadal at the French Open.

Federer became the first player to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in three consecutive¹⁰ years. He won 12 tournaments in 2006 with a remarkable¹¹ match record of 92 wins and only five losses.

In women's tennis, Amelie Mauresmo of France captured two majors - the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium took the French Open while Russian Maria Sharapova won the U.S. Open.

 
Andre Agassi kisses the crowd good bye at Wimbledon (file)
Andre Agassi's farewell to the game overshadowed Federer's title run in New York. After a 21-year career, Agassi decided¹² he would leave the game and told a cheering U.S. Open crowd he would never forget them.

"Over the last 21 years I have found loyalty¹³, I have found inspiration, and I have found generosity," said Agassi. "Over the last 21 years, I have found you, and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life. Thank you!"

Agassi was not the only athlete to bid goodbye to competition this year; seven-time world driving champion Michael Schumacher of Germany also retired¹⁴ after making a late-season run at the Formula One title with Ferrari. The German finished the season 13 points behind Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who won the season's championship for the second year in a row.

 
Tiger Woods 
The golf courses belonged mostly to American Tiger Woods in 2006, even though the world number-one lost the Masters to compatriot Phil Mickelson and missed the cut at the U.S. Open. Tiger weathered the death of his father Earl and emerged stronger late in the year, with a six tournament winning streak¹⁵. He won nine tournaments in all, including the British Open and the PGA, and took two of the four World Championship events.

Tiger says he felt his Dad's absence, especially when he won.

"Most people when they lose someone, they can go to the job and get away. For me it brought back every single memory with my dad," he said. "He taught me so many different life lessons in the game of golf. And I miss him. And so that was a process I had to go through."

But not even Tiger could help the U.S. team end its Ryder Cup slump¹⁶ - Europe kept the cup by easily beating the Americans (18 1/2 points to 9 1/2 ) at the K-Club in Ireland.

In women's golf, Mexico's Lorena Ochoa emerged as the player to beat, winning six tournaments and capturing the Player of the Year award. That ended the five-year reign¹⁷ of Sweden's Annika Sorenstam. In addition to her six wins, Ochoa had five runner-up finishes and 19 top-10 finishes in her other 24 starts.

American cyclist Floyd Landis took the Tour de France title with a remarkable comeback late in the race. But his celebration was short-lived. Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone and Tour organizers say they no longer consider him the champion. His appeal is still pending¹⁸.

In the other big stage races, Italian Ivan Basso won the Tour of Italy and Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan won the Tour of Spain.

 
Justin Gatlin 
Drugs also knocked World and Olympic champion sprinter¹⁹ Justin Gatlin off the track. The men's 100 meters champion in Athens tested positive for steroids in April and was banned for eight years. His case is under appeal. His superstar American compatriot Marion Jones successfully fought off drug allegations when her second sample did not test positive for an endurance-boosting drug.

Baseball slugger Barry Bonds also continued to fight doping allegations. A book published by two San Francisco reporters charged Bonds systematically²⁰ used steroids to enhance his performance. The book included secret grand jury testimony²¹ and its authors were later cited for contempt of court for not revealing their sources. Their case is pending.

On the field, Bonds passed the legendary²² Babe Ruth in the all-time home run standings, ending the season with 734 career homers, just 21 behind all-time leader Henry Aaron.

The St. Louis Cardinals²³ had the worst record of the eight Major League Baseball teams that made the playoffs, but they won the World Series, beating the Detroit Tigers in five games. It was the Cardinals' first World Series crown since 1982. Japan won the inaugural²⁴ World Baseball Classic, beating Cuba, 10-6. The United States was eliminated by Mexico, despite boasting a roster²⁵ of Major League stars.

Dwayne Wade²⁶ and Shaquille O'Neal led the Miami Heat to its first NBA Championship in 2006. The Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks²⁷ in six games to give coach Pat Riley his fifth NBA crown.

O'Neal's former teammate Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers set a personal record when he scored 81 points in a game last January. That was the second-highest total in league history.

U.S. college basketball saw the emergence²⁸ of a true "Cinderella" team. The George Mason University Patriots²⁹ scored wins over highly-ranked Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut on their way to reaching the final four. But the dream ended when Mason lost to UCLA in the semifinals. Florida beat UCLA, 73-57, to take its first men's NCAA basketball title.

Ben Roethlisberger, 23, became the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the National Football League's Super Bowl title, as his Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10. The University of Texas captured the college football crown by beating USC, 41-38. That ended USC's 34-game winning streak.

The National Hockey League returned to the ice after a labor³⁰ lockout the year before, and under new rules, attendance figures were up. The Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup title with a seven-game victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot won two of the major marathons in 2006, taking the Chicago and Boston titles. His compatriot Felix Limo won the London marathon, while Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie won the Berlin title. Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos won the New York marathon.

Tragedy struck horse racing's Triple Crown when Kentucky Derby winner "Barbaro" broke his ankle in the Preakness Stakes two weeks later in Baltimore. Heroic efforts were made to save the horse, and he is still recovering from his injury. "Bernardini" won the Preakness, and "Jazil" took the Belmont Stakes. No horse has won all three races since "Affirmed" in 1978.

The sports world bid goodbye to several big names in 2006, including World Golf Hall of Famer Byron Nelson, LPGA co-founder Patty Berg, and legendary basketball coach Red Auerbach.

Baseball Hall of Fame member Kirby Puckett died in 2006 as did former heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson and two-time Olympic decathlon champion Bob Mathias. Negro Leagues baseball star Buck³¹ O'Neil died at age 94 in 2006. New York Yankee's relief pitcher³² Corey Lidle lost his life in a tragic³³ small plane crash in New York City four days after his team was eliminated from the playoffs.

1 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

3 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

9 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

10 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

11 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

16 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

17 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

18 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

19 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网

20 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

21 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

22 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

23 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

24 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

25 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

26 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

27 mavericks   

未烙印的牲畜( maverick的名词复数 )； 标新立异的人，不合常规的人

参考例句：

• And what about the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki? 那达拉斯小牛队和诺维斯基呢？
• And we see it with bringing Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks. 而且我们看到它同实现基德向达拉斯小牛队。

28 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

29 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

30 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

31 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

32 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

33 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。