Take Away English-FA Cup Action 足总杯风云
时间：2019-01-02 作者：英语课 分类：Take Away English
Anything can happen in the FA Cup
High-profile football teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal 1 are so well-known that they have become household names all around the world, but have you ever heard of Burton Albion or Leyton Orient?
A week ago you could have been forgiven for never having heard of such obscure teams. However, last weekend’s FA Cup third round saw several ‘minnows’ bringing big-name teams to their knees.
The FA Cup is unique in British football because it offers fans the opportunity to see smaller teams take on their higher-placed counterparts.
Established in 1871, the FA Cup competition is the oldest football tournament in the world. What makes it so exciting is that it is a knockout tournament with no seeds – all the pairings are drawn 2 completely randomly 3.
This means that the finest squads 4 in the Premiere League can find themselves playing against part-timers, which is precisely 5 what happened in Sunday’s fixture 6 between Manchester United and Burton Albion.
A few statistics indicate the theoretical difference in quality between the two sides. Manchester United has an annual salary bill of more than £80 million; Burton Albion players are amateurs who hold down full-time 7 jobs and play in their free-time. United’s stadium, Old Trafford, has a 68000-seat capacity; Burton Albion’s stadium can seat less than 7000 fans.
However, the theory did not match the reality as Burton Albion managed to hold United to a goalless draw, forcing a replay at Old Trafford next week.
Other underdogs like Leicester City and Leyton Orient did even better, defeating Premiership giants, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.
Chinese players have also been involved in FA Cup action but with mixed results. Sun Jihai’s team Manchester City had a comfortable 3-1 win over Scunthorpe, with striker Robbie Fowler scoring a hat trick. Hao Haidong’s team, Sheffield United, had less luck, losing 2-1 at home to Colchester.
GLOSSARY 词汇表
high–profile
有名气的, 高声望的
obscure
无名的
minnows
小鱼, 杂鱼, 这里指无名的足球队
take on
挑战
knockout tournament
淘汰赛
pairings
配对
part-timers
兼职者
amateurs
业余爱好者
underdogs
劣势者
striker
前锋
household names
家喻户晓的名字
third round
第三轮, 第三局
big-name
大名鼎鼎
counterparts
对手
seeds
种子选手
randomly
任意地
annual salary bill
年薪帐单
goalless draw
双方各无进球的平局
mixed results
喜忧参半
hat trick
连进三球
- 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。
- All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
- Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
- Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
- Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句
- Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
- Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句
- It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
- The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
- Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
- The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。