Take Away English-The English Premier League 英超联赛

Pre-season Transfers 賽季前的轉隊球員

Although the 2005/2006 football season doesn't start until mid-August, Premiership clubs are in a state of frantic1 negotiation2 as they try to sign new players for the forthcoming season. The transfer market has started to heat up and whet3 the fans' appetite for the games to come. Champions Chelsea , look to strengthen their attack with the signing of England International Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City for £21 million. The 23 year-old step-son of the legendary4 Arsenal5 striker Ian Wright will be competing for a place with the injury prone6 Duff.

Footballers form a defensive7 wall

Whilst fans have welcomed the move at Chelsea , it has been greeted with dismay at Manchester City who saw Wright-Phillips as their key to a successful season. Many supporters fear that by cashing in on their talent they run the risk of future relegation⁸ .

FA Cup winners and runners up in the league last season, Arsenal will be looking to challenge to Chelsea this year. The big talking point was the sale of French international Patrick Viera.

Viera had an unsuccessful campaign last season, and is felt by many to be past his best . Meanwhile Arsenal manager, Wenger is confident that he will capture Brazilian striker Julio Baptista from Seville for £17.5 million, whilst a new one year deal for veteran striker Bergkamp keeps his attacking options open.

As for Manchester United, despite a squad⁹ featuring big name stars like Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney, last season was disappointingly lacking in silverware . However, comfortable wins over Hong Kong and Beijing Hyundai during their 2005 Far East tour indicate that they still have potential to succeed at the highest level.

One Manchester United player who has been of particular interest is Dong Fangzhuo. The 20-year-old midfielder , who previously¹⁰ played for Dalian Shide, scored against Hong Kong in his first game for United.

However, not all Premiership teams can afford to spend millions on new players. New-comers , Wigan have failed to make any big money, high profile signings. 『There's no panic on my behalf』 said manager Paul Jewell. 『I won't buy for the sake of it.』 Nevertheless, if his team suffers a few heavy defeats, he may be eating his words sooner rather than later!

GLOSSARY 　词汇表
transfer market – 转队员市场	heat up – 升温；加热
whet the fans' appetite – 让球迷们的兴趣 / 渴望大增	injury prone – 易受伤的
greeted with dismay – 以忧郁来迎接	cashing in – （以金钱）兑现
relegation – 降级	runners up – 第二名
talking point – 谈论的热点	past his best – 过了他的鼎盛时期
striker – 前锋	squad – 球队
silverware – 奖杯	midfielder – 中锋
new comers – 新手	eating his words – 食言

 

1 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

2 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

3 whet   

v.磨快，刺激

参考例句：

• I've read only the fIrst few pages of her book,but It was enough to whet my appetIte.她的书我只看了开头几页，但已经引起我极大的兴趣。
• A really good catalogue can also whet customers' appetites for merchandise.一份真正好的商品目录也可以激起顾客购买的欲望。

4 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

5 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

6 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

7 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

8 relegation   

n.驱逐，贬黜；降级

参考例句：

• Liaoning team lost this game, is still deeply avoid relegation zone. 辽宁队本场失利后，仍然深陷保级区。 来自互联网
• In society, relegation is based on your income. 社会上的规类是以你的收入为基准。 来自互联网

9 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。