VOA常速英语2014--足球世界杯带动消费

 

World Cup Boosting Profits for US Businesses 足球世界杯带动消费

WASHINGTON —

The World Cup enters its third week of competition with the United States advancing to the next round. Spirited play by the Americans has already generated a lot of new fans in the U.S. But it’s not just football (soccer) fans now raving¹ about the sport.  Some of the biggest fans include bars and restaurants in Washington, D.C.

巴西世界杯足球赛打得如火如荼，美国对正在积极准备下一轮赛事。美国队在这次比赛中“精神头”很不错，也由此吸引了众多粉丝。与此同时，一些商家、尤其是餐馆、酒家，也被赛事“带动”起来。

With 32 countries competing in the month-long tournament, it’s one of the world’s largest sporting events.  And when one country scores a goal, or just comes close to scoring one -- the roar is heard around the world.

总共有32个国家参加的巴西世界杯赛，堪称是世界体坛规模最大的盛会之一。哪个国家要是进球了，哪怕是快进球了，呼声都能响彻全球。

Now those fans are nearly 7,000 kilometers away in Recife, Brazil.  But if you listen closely you might also hear the cheering fans right in the heart of Washington, D.C.

很多球迷远赴巴西球场观战。但是近在美国首都华盛顿，也不难感受到球迷的热情。

At Public Bar in Dupont Circle, it’s standing² room only for the lunchtime crowd gathered for the U.S.-Germany game. Manager John Gliatis said it’s the biggest crowd he’s seen in two months. And with so many customers he’s doing double-duty in the kitchen, making sure everyone gets their orders.

在华盛顿市区杜邦圆环的一家酒吧，午饭期间，几乎人满为患，很多人都来观看美国队和德国队的赛事。经理格利亚提斯说，这是两个月来顾客最多的，以至于他在厨房里忙个不停。

“Tons. Beer, chicken wings -- you gotta come check them out -- they’re awesome³ so... the American team, doing very well right now so it just keeps business going,” he said.

格利亚提斯说：“啤酒，鸡翅，卖出去很多。美国队这次打得真好，连带着我们的生意也非常好！”

At one Buffalo⁴ Wild Wings location in New York, traffic has more than tripled on game days. Manager Jackie Alberici said the restaurant sold more than 5,000 chicken wings the night the U.S. beat Ghana.

另外，在水牛城狂野鸡翅连锁烧烤店纽约城的一家分店里，在球赛这段时间里，到这家餐厅来的顾客要比平常多出两倍。这儿的经理说，美国队战胜加纳那天晚上，他们卖出了5000多个鸡翅。

"Overall we are expecting a higher check average per table that comes in," she said. "As far as chicken wings sales go, we are looking at anywhere between a 20 and 30 percent increase."

经理阿尔伯里奇说：“基本上每桌点的菜都比平常多。至于鸡翅嘛，得比平常多卖百分之二、三十。”

With most of the key matches falling between 12 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET on the U.S. East Coast, these businesses have lunchtime office crowds to thank. But, don’t tell the boss!

很多关键的比赛都是在美国东部时间中午12点到晚上6点举行，这就意味着，午饭那段时间，餐馆都特别忙。那上班呢 …一位顾客说：“可别让老板知道我在这儿看球！”

The competition for these working fans, though, is intense. Many restaurants are relying on social networks to tell patrons about their World Cup specials.  Some estimates report ad spending during the World Cup will generate more than $1.5 billion -- with the bulk of the spending benefitting North America and Western Europe.

要赢得球迷的生意，也不是那么容易。很多餐馆都依赖社交媒体，告诉大家，有世界杯“大餐”在等待他们。有人说，世界杯期间，消费总额可能会超过15亿美元，以欧美国家领先。

For local pubs and restaurants, it's money well spent.

对于餐馆和酒家来说，这无疑是好消息。

1 raving   

adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地

参考例句：

• The man's a raving lunatic. 那个男子是个语无伦次的疯子。
• When I told her I'd crashed her car, she went stark raving bonkers. 我告诉她我把她的车撞坏了时，她暴跳如雷。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。