VOA标准英语2008年-Men's Olympic Football Tournament to Begin in C

The women's Olympic football (soccer) tournament is in full swing in China, and now it is the men's turn to take the field ahead of the opening ceremonies on Friday. At the Beijing Games, VOA's Jim Stevenson has this preview.

A total of 16 men's football teams will begin their quest¹ for the Olympic gold medal on Thursday. Among the nations are host China and reigning² World Cup champion Italy. Five-time World Cup champion Brazil has never won at the Olympics. An improving United States team will also try to reach the top of the podium.
　

Kate Markgraf (file photo)

U.S. women's soccer veteran³ Kate Markgraf says it is exciting to have the U.S. men back in the Olympics.

"They have not played since 2000 at the Olympic Games," she said. "I was lucky enough to be in the 2000 Olympic Games and be able to cheer at some of their games. So we are really happy about that. And really happy about where soccer is coming in this country (USA) and going to."

The opening games are being played in Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, Shanghai and Tianjin.

Also in the field are Australia, Serbia, Ivory⁴ Coast, Argentina, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Belgium, New Zealand, Honduras, South Korea and Cameroon.

The men's bronze medal game will be on Friday, August 22 in Shanghai. The tournament concludes the next day in Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" because of its iconic twisted steel exterior⁵. The women's tournament began on Wednesday.

1 quest   

n.寻求，搜索，追求

参考例句：

• Man will suffer many disappointments in his quest for truth.人类在探索真理过程中必然会遭受挫折。
• His quest for perfection is relentless.他不断追求完美。

2 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

3 veteran   

n.老兵；经验丰富的人，老手

参考例句：

• My grandfather is a veteran of the Second World War.我祖父是二战时的老兵。
• We often asked the veteran workers for advice.我们常常向老工人求教。

4 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

5 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。