英语听力—环球英语 483 Big Money, Better Football?

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ryan Geerstma.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby² Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Whistles³ sound around the large, green football field. A player from the Manchester City team is on the ground. One of the Chelsea team’s players pushed him over. So, the referee⁴ has given Manchester City a free kick. He places the ball where the player fell. A member of the Manchester City team then stands behind the ball. He takes a step back. Then, he kicks the ball as hard as he can. It rises up and travels at speed towards the goal. It flies past the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper. Britain’s most costly⁵ player had just scored his first goal! His name is Robson de Souza. But everyone calls him 'Robinho'.
Voice 2
Robinho is a Brazilian⁶ national football star. And he is possibly one of the best Brazilian players ever. He cost Manchester City almost sixty million dollars to buy. Many people in the world of football were surprised when Robinho signed for this particular team. Manchester City is not the best team in the United⁷ Kingdom. Some people would say that it is not even the best team in Manchester! However, what Manchester City does have is money - lots of money.
Voice 1
In September 2008, the Abu Dhabi United Group bought Manchester City football team. It cost the group nearly 360 million dollars to buy. This is a huge amount of money, but the new owners are extremely⁸ rich. The group belongs to members of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Abu Dhabi is part of the United Arab⁹ Emirates - a group of seven small independent states in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi is the richest of these states, because it has the most oil. As a result, the Abu Dhabi royal family became extremely wealthy. In fact, experts estimate¹⁰ that the Abu Dhabi royal family's wealth is a million million dollars!
Voice 2
Now the group is using a small part of that wealth to invest¹¹ in a football team with lots of history but not much success! Sulayman Al-Fahim speaks for the group. He said:
Voice 3
“Our goal is very simple. It is to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier¹² League...We will buy whatever is needed.”
Voice 2
Foreign businessmen now own over half of the top football teams in England. Most of them bought the teams from British owners. These British businessmen did not have the large financial resources¹³ to help the teams survive - and succeed. However, the new foreign owners accept that owning a football team will not bring them a financial profit. So, what does it bring them? Steve Myersco tells us about one of those owners: the Russian businessman, Roman Abramovich.
Voice 4
Roman Abramovich has a lot of money - almost 24 billion dollars! He has made much of it from oil. And now, he invests¹⁴ in many different businesses. In 2003, he bought the famous English football team, Chelsea. He paid around 250 million dollars for it. At that time, Chelsea’s owners had an increasing debt¹⁵. But the players were performing well on the football field. Abramovich wanted to help the players achieve the best result they could. He wanted them to be champions of Europe one day! His money brought a top manager to the club. And many international football stars followed him there, such as: Andrei Chevchenko, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack. Abramovich almost achieved his wish in 2007. Chelsea reached the final of the European Champion’s League. The game took place in Luzhniki Stadium¹⁶, Moscow. This was just a short train-ride away from Roman Abramovich’s old school - where he learned¹⁷ to play football as a boy! People who know Roman Abramovich say that is why he bought Chelsea - because he truly loves football. They ask - why else would such a quiet man be prepared to do such a public job? It is for the love of the game. It is not to make himself some sort of international star. People say he is not just involved because of the money. However, Abramovich’s investment¹⁸ has earned him respect in the international business world. And it has turned Chelsea into a successful business world-wide.
Voice 1
Not every football team can find a wealthy businessman to solve their financial problems. But could someone investing¹⁹ in individual players provide an answer? Traffic Sports Marketing²⁰ Agency²¹ thinks so. Traffic Sports is a company operating in Brazil. It searches for exciting young footballers playing for minor²² teams around the country. Traffic Sports then 'buys' those players from their teams. Other Brazilian teams then pay to ‘borrow’ any one of these players. The borrowed players can help these teams to achieve better results. At the same time these young men can show how gifted they are at football. This provides a way for major teams to discover new players to buy.
Voice 2
Traffic Sports aims to sell their players within three years. The company can make up to a 200 percent profit on a deal! Julio Maurice is Traffic’s president. He explains:
Voice 5
“...We buy the player. Then we start the process to put this player in a top club in Brazil. And then we have to wait for the success of the player in Brazil. Then, he can play in Europe.”
Voice 2
Traffic Sports’ goal is to sell players to a European team. If this happens, Traffic Sports receives the largest share of the money. The company says that the money it invests in football helps Brazil’s poorer clubs.
Voice 1
Not every young Brazilian player who arrives in Europe has a positive experience. The pressure to achieve success is huge. And not everyone can deal with it. But that will not stop these young men from crossing the world to follow their dream. For them, the road to success is covered with gold.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 whistles   

n.哨子( whistle的名词复数 )；汽笛；口哨声；汽笛声v.吹口哨( whistle的第三人称单数 )；鸣笛；呼啸着前进；空指望

参考例句：

• She was fed up with the builders' wolf whistles each morning. 每天早上都有建筑工人冲她挑逗地吹口哨，她烦都烦死了。
• Round one ends, to a tumult of whistles, screams and shouts. 第一局比赛结束了，口哨声、尖叫声与呼喊声一片喧哗。 来自辞典例句

4 referee   

n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人

参考例句：

• The team was left raging at the referee's decision.队员们对裁判员的裁决感到非常气愤。
• The referee blew a whistle at the end of the game.裁判在比赛结束时吹响了哨子。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 Brazilian   

n. 巴西人;a. 巴西的, 巴西人的

参考例句：

• It was a great showing by the Brazilian team.这场比赛成了巴西队的表演赛。
• Why don't we try some Brazilian food? 我们为什么不吃巴西人的食物呢？

7 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

8 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

9 Arab   

n.阿拉伯人，阿拉伯马；adj.阿拉伯人的，阿拉伯的

参考例句：

• It's a story about an Arab in the desert.这是一个生活在沙漠地区的阿拉伯人的故事。
• An Arab is travelling in the desert on his camel.一个阿拉伯人正骑着骆驼在沙漠中旅行。

10 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

11 invest   

v.投资；投入(时间等)；授予，赋予

参考例句：

• I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
• The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。

12 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

13 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

14 invests   

投资，花费( invest的第三人称单数 )； 授予； （把资金）投入； 投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• Fog invests the city. 大雾笼罩城市。
• Why is the man who invests all your a broker? 为什么帮你管理所有投资的人叫做“不名一文的人”？

15 debt   

n.债务，义务，负债状态，罪，过失

参考例句：

• The man was pressed to pay off his debt.那人被逼还债。
• The firm had to charge off the debt as hopeless.公司只得把那笔没希望要回的债务注销。

16 stadium   

n.露天大型运动场

参考例句：

• The new football stadium can hold eighty thousand people.新的足球场可以容纳八万人。
• The stadium is being used for a match.那个露天运动场正在进行一场比赛。

17 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

18 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

19 investing   

v.投资，花费( invest的现在分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• He was timid about investing money. 他不敢投资。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Europe also caught the excitement of investing in American railroads. 欧洲人对投资美国铁路也极感兴趣。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

20 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

21 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

22 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。