Football crazy
By Daisy

世界杯比赛在德国正如火如荼地进行, 许多中国球迷都在中国东八区和德国东一区的时间中交叉生活着, 为自己心爱的球队欢呼. 在今天的体育版上, 我们一同关注比赛, 并奉上比赛日程表与目前的小组排名情况分布表. The World Cup has brought pure joy to millions of soccer-crazed fans all around the globe. The whole month has been taken over by the sport. Even in Xiamen, people are likely to start their conversations with last night's match results. Lots of fans stay up late into the night to watch the games.

Magic soccer

It seems that soccer truly is a sport that brings peace and changes nations. The Ivory Coast's entry into World Cup brought an end to the three-year civil war. The World Cup has united the nation in cheering for its national team. Factories and shops are empty when the matches are on. World Cup fever is also boosting already strong demand for flat-panel televisions as consumers desiring a sharper picture are looking for lower prices and finding marketing pitches aimed specifically at soccer fans. Historically, countries knocked out of the finals have suffered an average one point drop on their nation's stock markets.


Brazil on the way to a 2-0

No giant slayers

Besides keeping an eye on favorite teams, soccer fans also like to look for surprise success stories. In 1998, Croatia played this role, amazing the world with its talented left-footed striker, Davor Sucker. In 2002, Nigeria was named the African Eagle for its wonderful performances. In 2006, people hoped to see another African team standing out and upsetting the bookies' standings. However, none of the Davids who made it into the finals have shown any sign of slaying the Goliaths they're up against. Only Ghana has a slim chance of entering the knockout stages. All the traditional football powers went through with few surprises.



Wonderful games

In every World Cup, some matches become classics, to be recalled years and later by old soccer fans. 1994's final between Brazil and Italy, 1998's Argentina versus England, and 2002's England versus Brazil are three that will be long remembered. This year, which matches will be named classics? Thus far, the excitement has been limited. One of the biggest games was Argentina's 6-0 rout of Serbia-Montenegro. Entry into the second round is not usually big news for this soccer powerhouse, but soccer-mad Argentines rallied gleefully in the streets and whipped up a blizzard of confetti after their team registered the most lopsided victory in Germany.


Germany and neighbors Poland(1-0 to Germany)

Escaping the hype

Not everybody enjoys the tournament. Some find it a trial to be endured at best and escaped if possible. The eastern German state of Brandenburg has launched a web site listing destinations for vacationers who want to get away from it all. One offer is a "girlfriends package" aimed at women who want a break from their World Cup-fanatic husbands or boyfriends.

 

 

World Cup Schedule

Schedule for the rest of the tournament.

Wednesday, June 21
Gelsenkirchen, Portugal vs Mexico, 14:00 GMT
Leipzig, Iran vs Angola, 14:00 GMT
Frankfurt, Netherlands vs Argentina, 19:00 GMT
Munich, Ivory Coast vs Serbia-Montenegro, 19:00 GMT

Thursday, June 22
Hamburg, Czech Republic vs Italy, 14:00 GMT
Nuremberg, Ghana vs United States, 14:00 GMT
Dortmund, Japan vs Brazil, 19:00 GMT Stuttgart, Croatia vs Australia, 19:00 GMT

Friday, June 23
Berlin, Ukraine vs Tunisia, 14:00 GMT
Kaiserslautern, Saudi Arabia vs Spain, 14:00 GMT
Hanover, Switzerland vs South Korea, 19:00 GMT
Cologne, Togo vs France, 19:00 GMT

Saturday, June 24
Munich, Group A winner vs Group B second place, 15:00 GMT
Leipzig, Group C winner vs Group D second place, 19:00 GMT

Sunday, June 25
Stuttgart, Group B winner vs Group A second place, 15:00 GMT
Nuremberg, Group D winner vs Group C second place, 19:00 GMT

Monday, June 26
Kaiserslautern, Group E winner vs Group F secondplace, 1500 GMT
Cologne, Group G winner vs Group H second place,1900 GMT

Tuesday, June 27
Dortmund, Group F winner vs Group E second place, 15:00 GMT
Hanover, Group H winner vs Group G second place, 19:00 GMT

Friday, June 30
Berlin, Match 49 winner vs Match 50 winner, 15:00 GMT
Hamburg, Match 53 winner vs Match 54 winner, 19:00 GMT

Saturday, July 1
Gelsenkirchen, Match 51 winner vs Match 52winner, 15:00 GMT
Frankfurt, Match 55 winner vs Match 56winner, 19:00 GMT

Tuesday, July 4
Dortmund, Quarterfinal A winner vs Quarterfinal B winner, 19:00 GMT

Wednesday, July 5
Munich, Quarterfinal C winner vs Quarterfinal D winner, 19:00GMT

Saturday, July 8
Stuttgart, semifinal losers, 19:00 GMT

Sunday, July 9
Berlin, semifinal winners, 18:00 GMT

 

Vocabulary
David & Goliath 神话中矮人和巨人的名字
giant slayer 黑马
powerhouse 强手
hype 喧嚣