VOA标准英语2014--Fans in Rio Favela Celebrate Brazil World Cup Qualification

 

Fans in Rio Favela Celebrate Brazil World Cup Qualification

RIO DE JANEIRO — Every time Brazil’s national team plays in the football World Cup, normal life in the country comes to a halt.  In rich neighborhoods or in poor ones, people gather together to watch the action. 

Tavares Bastos is a poor community built on a hill overlooking Rio de Janeiro’s famous Flamengo beach.  Football is part of life for residents of this once informal settlement, or favela, perched above some of the most expensive real estate in the hemisphere.

Life's daily routine freezes for two heart-stopping hours while the Brazilian team plays a World Cup match.  Everyone, including local fan Andre Luiz Rodriguez, is an expert on the team.

“In fact, they are good," he said. "But they are not playing ball ... as well as they need to.  They can play much better.  The other teams all have the potential to compete in the final.”

Football can also be the ticket out of the grinding poverty of neighborhoods like this, where most people work for minimum wage or in the informal economy.  A local son, Paulo Cesar, has made it and now plays for Flamengo, one of the top professional teams.

Some of these neighborhoods, known as favelas, are dens¹ of drug trafficking and violence.  But others, with the help of police and neighborhood watch groups, are turning themselves into peaceful, family-oriented communities.

Almost 40 million poor Brazilians in the past decade have moved into the middle class.  But Brazilians say consumerism and corruption² have driven up prices and survival is still a struggle.

“I know that Brazil is [a] country of corruption with a population of fools that allow it to happen," said fan Rodriguez. "But I think Brazil has much more than this.  This is a minority.  It is not just about corruption.”

A missed goal and the crowd groans³. The team needs to work on its offense⁴, says Paulo Vitor Araujo Guimaraes.

“The attack [offense] of the team is ok but lacks creativity and follow-through," he said.  "But the spirit is good.  The only thing lacking is the scoring.”

As for who is going to win the World Cup, Gabriella Souza and Jozi Santos know for sure.

“Brazil,” said Souza.

“Brazil," Santos said. "Today, it is going to win 3-0… Yeah, 3-0…”

The game ends and Brazil has qualified⁵ for the second round, winning 4-1 over Cameroon.  Not its best performance.  But the fans are happy.  The party begins.

1 dens   

n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋

参考例句：

• Female bears tend to line their dens with leaves or grass. 母熊往往会在洞穴里垫些树叶或草。 来自辞典例句
• In winter bears usually hibernate in their dens. 冬天熊通常在穴里冬眠。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 groans   

n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• There were loud groans when he started to sing. 他刚开始歌唱时有人发出了很大的嘘声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was a weird old house, full of creaks and groans. 这是所神秘而可怕的旧宅，到处嘎吱嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

5 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。