VOA标准英语2009年-South African Team Excels at Under-20 Yout

By Brent Latham
Port Said, Egypt
05 October 2009

 
Honduras forward Roger Rojas (C) tries to keep control of ball as South African defender¹ Ace² Bhengu (L) and midfielder Sameehg Doutie (back R) surround him, 4 Oct 2009
The South African national soccer team has advanced to the second round of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, and will face Ghana for a spot in the quarterfinals. The team is hoping its performance bodes³ well for the South African World Cup in 2010.

With an elimination⁴ round match with fellow contenders Ghana looming⁵, the South African Under-20 national soccer team is already making waves on the African soccer scene, several months before the senior World Cup kicks off in their home country.

The Amajita had already out-performed the expectations of most by simply qualifying for the first time in years for the Under-20 World Cup, a biennial⁶ youth tournament. In Egypt, they have impressed even more by advancing to the second round.

South African coach Serame Letsoaka said his young team's success bodes well for the senior team's preparations for next year's World Cup.

"We are definitely hopeful that when we come to 2010 the country will be ready," Letsoaka said. "For us to go through as the Under-20, this will be a good omen⁷ for our senior boys who must also make sure that they play very well in the World Cup."

On and off the field, the South Africans have been warmly received at the northern end of the continent. Just as South Africans excitedly cheered the Egyptian team at the Confederations Cup in South Africa earlier this year, Egyptians have turned out in large numbers to encourage the Bafana Bafana, to the delight of the players and coach.

"We are in Africa, and I really expected Egypt will be behind all the other African countries that are here," Letsoaka said. "We have really got a lot of support from our Egyptian counterparts. We also supported all the teams to make sure that we don't just get out of the first round - all of us, the teams in Africa - while we are hosting a tournament of this magnitude. The supporters were behind us maybe because of the type of football that we played."

The South African team started off slowly in the tournament, getting just one point from their first two matches. The team then put in a dominating performance Saturday, beating Honduras to clinch⁸ their spot in the final, knock out round. Facing a win-or-go-home scenario⁹ against Ghana, Letsoaka said now is the time for his team to perform.

Ghana, which swept through its group in first place and is considered one of the strongest sides at this year's tournament, is favored to defeat South Africa. But South African coach Letsoaka remains¹⁰ optimistic.

"We definitely have opportunities going into the next round," he said. "It is not a situation when you say, I can still play in the next round. This is where you go and play, and the next level obviously will be very high."

With the second round kicking off, the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup is reaching its final stages. Several African teams, including host Egypt, are still in the running for the championship game, which will be played on October 16 in Cairo.

1 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

2 ace   

n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的

参考例句：

• A good negotiator always has more than one ace in the hole.谈判高手总有数张王牌在手。
• He is an ace mechanic.He can repair any cars.他是一流的机械师,什么车都会修。

3 bodes   

v.预示，预告，预言( bode的第三人称单数 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待

参考例句：

• This bodes ill for the failure of the programme. 这是那项计划有凶兆。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• This bodes him no good. 这对他是不祥之兆。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

5 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

6 biennial   

adj.两年一次的

参考例句：

• The workers were strongly against the biennial election.工人们强烈反对两年一次的选举。
• His is a biennial,and one of the most useful pasture plants we have.这是两年生植物，也是我们最有用的牧草之一。

7 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

8 clinch   

v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench

参考例句：

• Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
• We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。