时间：2022-06-24 05:18:40
The Football Feast in Africa
This is the first time the FIFA World Cup has been hosted by an African country. The local residents believe that it is a good opportunity for people to re-look at this continent.
Almost all of the world-class teams have got qualification for the tournament, such as the national teams of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy, etc. There are also three Asian teams: Japan, South Korea and North Korea. We can appreciate the brilliant performances of those famous footballers like Kaka, C. Ronaldo, Messi and so on.
Besides, the World Cup has some new faces this time in South Africa―Slovakia and Serbia will make their debut independently for the first time. Before 1993, Slovakia was part of the former Czechoslovakia which had participated in the FIFA World Cup eight times overall. Serbia joined in the tournament as part of the former Yugoslavia in 1990s, and then it formed part of Serbia and Montenegro which took part in the 2006 World Cup.
Which team will finally lift the trophy? Who will win the Golden Boot? The World Cup will be an unforgettable football festival and let’s enjoy it!
The Trophy
The FIFA World Cup Trophy is a gold trophy which was made of 18 carat gold with a malachite base, and it describes two human figures holding up the Earth. The winner of the World Cup can keep it for 4 years until the next tournament opens.
The Official Mascot
The official mascot is a little leopard with green hair, called “Zakumi”. The name is a composition of “Za”, standing for South Africa, and “kumi” which translates into “10” in various languages across Africa.
The Match Ball
Each FIFA World Cup has a special match ball. The match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is named “Jabulani”, which means “bringing joy to everyone” in the Zulu language.
The Theme Song
The official theme song is Wavin’ Flag sung by an African-Canadian. It is full of African amorous feelings and expresses the deep love for the poor but beautiful land.
Football Words
About the player―
coach 教练 referee 裁判 lineman 边裁
captain 队长 forward / striker 前锋 midfielder 前卫
center back 中后卫 left back 左后卫 right back 右后卫
goalkeeper 守门员
About the skill―
kick-off 开球 pass 传球 shoot 射门
header头球 penalty kick 点球 free kick 任意球
corner 角球 throw-in 掷界外球 goal kick 球门球
stopping 停球 chesting 胸部停球 hat-trick 帽子戏法
About the match―
handball 手球 own goal 乌龙球 offside 越位
foul犯规 yellow card 黄牌 red card 红牌
goal 进球 send a player off 判罚出场
half-time interval 中场休息injury time 伤停补时 extra time 加时赛
elimination match 淘汰赛 group round robin 小组赛
eighth-final 八分之一决赛 quarter-final 四分之一决赛
semi-final 半决赛 final match 决赛
Sidelights on the FIFA World Cup
The Biggest Winner
The Brazil national team is the only team which has participated in every FIFA World Cup. It has won the championship totally five times (in 1958,
1962,1970,1994 and 2002). Italy ranks the second as has won four times in all (in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006).
The Best Scorer
Brazilian footballer Ronaldo has scored the most goals in the tournaments so far. In the 16th, 17th and 18th FIFA World Cup, he scored 15 goals altogether.
If the German footballer Klose could score another 5 goals this time in South Africa, he will share the record with Ronaldo.
The First Co-hosted World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was the first time the event had been hosted by two countries. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia. Brazil beat Germany with the score 2-0 in the final and won the trophy for the fifth time.
The Most Popular Theme Song
“Go, go, go! Ale, ale, ale ...” Are you familiar with this song? It is the most widely spread theme song named The Cup of Life sung by Ricky Martin in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
The Saddest Team
It’s not the team which has been eliminated in the first round, or the team which missed the trophy. The saddest one should be the Serbia and Montenegro national football team in the 2006 World Cup, during which Montenegro declared independence. Thus, it became the last time that the newly independent states of Serbia and Montenegro competed under the same flag.
The Saddest Footballer
It must be Roberto Baggio. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he led the Italy national team to the final after a disappointing start. But in the final match against Brazil, which ended 0-0 after extra time, he missed a penalty kick so that the Brazilians won the title. The scene of his desperate figure and tearful blue eyes does move a lot of fans even now.
The Most Legendary Coach
Milutinovic is the only person who has coached five different teams in the World Cup: Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), the United States (1994), Nigeria (1998), and China (2002). He is also the only coach to have taken four different teams beyond the first round, except for failing to do so with China.
The Most Impressive Way
to Celebrate Goals
In the 2002 World Cup, the German footballer Klose gave us a deep impression not only by his five headers but also by his flip for celebrating the goals. But the medical expert warns that people may get hurt by flipping if they’re not gymnasts.
The Most Popular Team
for Female Fans
Without doubt, the Italy national team appeals to the global female fans, not only for the sophisticated skills, but also for the players’ handsome appearances.
P.S. In 2002, the China national football team made its first appearance in the FIFA World Cup. Although they failed to score a goal and lost all the matches, just qualifying for the tournament is a great honor. At the beginning of 2010, China won the East Asian Football Championship. Come on, the China national football team!
阅读中,你遇到“拦路虎”了吗?请参考
feast 盛宴 continent 大陆 tournament 锦标赛
brilliant 出色的 debut 初次亮相 Slovakia 斯洛伐克
Serbia 塞尔维亚 Czechoslovakia 捷克斯洛伐克
Yugoslavia 南斯拉夫 Serbia and Montenegro 塞尔维亚和黑山
trophy 奖杯 Golden Boot 金靴奖 carat 克拉
malachite 孔雀石 mascot 吉祥物 leopard 豹
Zulu language 祖鲁语 African amorous feelings 非洲风情
sidelight 花絮 Ronaldo 罗纳尔多 Klose 克洛泽
co-host 合作举办 eliminate 淘汰
Roberto Baggio 罗伯特・巴乔 legendary 传奇的
Milutinovic米卢蒂诺维奇 Costa Rica 哥斯达黎加 Nigeria 尼日利亚
flip 空翻 gymnast 体操运动员
appeal to 对……有吸引力 sophisticated 老练的