2006年VOA标准英语-Asia Buzzing With World Cup Fever

By Claudia Blume
Hong Kong
09 June 2006

Soccer crazy Asia is getting ready for the World Cup, which is kicking off in Germany. Retailers¹, bar owners and gambling² outlets³ are ready for the action.

Many people in Asia will go to work bleary-eyed in the coming weeks. Due to the time difference, most matches of the soccer World Cup championships will be aired late at night for most of Asia. 

South Korea's Kim Dong-hun (21) struggles with Germany's Arne Friedrich during match  
  
Only two Asian countries - South Korea and Japan - have qualified⁴ for the World Cup but much of the rest of the region still is buzzing with football fever.

Hundreds of millions of fans in Asia are expected to watch the games in front of TV screens at home, in bars and restaurants and even on sets on the sidewalks. Workers in bars are ready for the big matches, which take place during the next month.

This bar manager in Beijing says they will have lucky draws, betting games, and girls dressed up in sexy football outfits⁵. He says the bar will also hand out whistles and give jerseys⁶ to those who consume the most alcohol.

Retailers and manufacturers across the region hope to cash in on the World Cup craze. Fans are not only buying jerseys of their favorite teams and cheap World Cup accessories, but also expensive items such as flat-screen televisions for watching the action at home.

Junko Fujii is a spokeswoman for the Japanese market research firm Dentsu. The company estimates the World Cup will boost consumer spending in Japan by about $4 billion in the coming weeks.

"People will be buying thin screen TVs and also DVD recorders, personal computers and also many people will be newly subscribing⁷ to cable and satellite services," she said. " Also - it would rather depend on how good the Japanese team will be doing but if they are doing really well, people will be partying out - eating and drinking will also go up."

Betting on football results will also be big business during the month-long event. Only a few places in Asia, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, have legal betting agencies for football gambling. Many gamblers are expected to place bets with illegal bookmakers, who are often connected to organized crime syndicates.

Legal operators have taken countermeasures. Ho Whei Chern, spokeswoman for Singapore's lottery⁸ operator Pools, says the agency is offering pre-paid cards to customers to stop them from turning to illegal operators during the World Cup.

"This is actually a betting account by the phone so when customers watch soccer during the late-night matches," she explained. "Customers can call through the phone any time to place a bet."

The Hong Kong police have set up a special task force to combat illegal betting during the World Cup. And law enforcement agencies in other countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia will be on their toes, looking for illegal wagers⁹ throughout the month.

1 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

2 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

3 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

6 jerseys   

n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句
• The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

7 subscribing   

v.捐助( subscribe的现在分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意

参考例句：

• I am subscribing for some of the books of a book club. 我预订了几本这家书刊俱乐部出版的书。 来自辞典例句
• I am glad to have such a pleasant opportunity of subscribing myself. 今后益望努力前途，为国效力。 来自互联网

8 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

9 wagers   

n.赌注，用钱打赌( wager的名词复数 )v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的第三人称单数 )；保证，担保

参考例句：

• He wagers $100 on the result of the election. 他用100美元来对选举结果打赌。 来自互联网
• He often wagers money on horses. 他时常在马身上赌钱。 来自互联网