【Native Speaker每日综合训练—39系列】【39-03】文史哲 - World cup final

AceJ

内容： AceJ 编辑：AceJ

Stay tuned to our latest post! Follow us here ---> http://weibo.com/u/3476904471

对于在这个全世界都在期待了世界杯决赛的夜晚，放这个主题相信大家都不会反对。不过作业不用这么着急，看球先~~~

Part I: Speaker

Doing Pro Bono Work

Claire:  Welcome to the firm.  Are you getting the hang of  things here?

Jack:  I am.  I worked in another firm for two years before coming here,  so I have some experience under my belt.  But let me ask you  one thing: Is the firm serious about wanting each person to do five  hours of pro bono work each month?

Claire:  It is.  This firm takes community service very seriously.   Everyone does pro bono work and everybody is expected to hit the  target of 60 hours each year.

Jack:  This is so different from my previous firm.  There, everything was  about billable hours.  Nobody cared about anything but how  many hours we could rack up with each client.

Claire:  Billable hours are important here, too, but we bill ourselves  as the firm with a social conscience.  That’s what sets  us apart from our competitors.  If you fall short of your  expected pro bono hours, believe me, you’ll hear about  it.

Jack:  It’s refreshing to work for a firm that’s not all about  the bottom line.   

Claire:  Don’t get carried away.  This firm is still here to make  money.  It’s just not 100% of its focus.

Jack:  Maybe just 98%?

Claire:  That’s right.  And in this industry, that’s unheard of.

Source: ESL
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=15391966

[Rephrase 1, 17:40]

AceJ

Part II: Speed

Messi Is Great. Germany Is Great. They’ll Still Be Great No Matter What Happens Sunday
BY Jeremy Stahl| June 25, 2014


[Time 2]
Lionel Messi is great. Germany is great. There should be no debate about either of these things. And yet, in the minds of many, Sunday’s World Cup final will answer a pair of questions that nobody should bother to ask: Can Messi truly be a legend if he’s missing a “signature World Cup moment”? And is this German national team, the one that crushed a reeling Brazil, really all that great?

Let’s begin with Messi.

“It would be beautiful to be five seconds him.”

It’s not notable that someone would say such a thing about the greatest player in soccer. It is notable that the words came from Messi’s Argentina teammate Javier Mascherano.

Mascherano has been the defensive anchor of an Argentine team that conceded just three goals on its way to the World Cup final. Much more so than Messi, the holding midfielder was the hero of Argentina’s semifinal victory over the Netherlands—he made the brilliant tournament-saving, anus-tearing tackle that prevented Arjen Robben from scoring the game-winner in the dying minutes.

It wasn’t just that amazing, beautiful, perfect tackle. Mascherano is one of the finalists for the “Golden Ball” award, the tournament’s MVP trophy. He has more recovered balls than any of the other finalists, including vaunted German defenders Philipp Lahm and Mats Hummels. He’s fifth in the tournament in blocked shots, fifth in interceptions, and No. 1 in total passes.

And this is not Mascherano’s first rodeo. He has been a regular starter as Messi’s teammate at Barcelona, including on the 2010-2011 team that was one of the greatest club sides in history. He has also won two Olympic gold medals with Argentina.

Keep all of that in mind when you hear that Mascherano, in a new docudrama about Messi’s life, says that it would be a beautiful thing to experience the game through Messi’s eyes for a few moments. It’s as if Scottie Pippen sang “Be Like Mike” in a Gatorade commercial.
[327 words]

[Time 3]
None of this is to say that Mascherano is some kind of lackey for Messi. He’s not. It’s just to emphasize the esteem that Messi’s otherworldly talents inspire, especially among his teammates.

Messi’s achievements have proven worthy of such admiration. His genius and vision on the pitch are undeniable. At the World Cup he has been the focal point of every game he’s played. He’s scored, assisted, or otherwise set up seven out of Argentina’s eight goals. He’s also forced teams to alter their game plans to neutralize him. In Argentina’s group stage opener at the Maracanã, the site of Sunday’s final, Messi caused the opening own-goal by Bosnia-Herzegovina with a dangerous free kick into the box. He then scored the game-winner with a stunning run through the Bosnian defense.

In the next match, he saved Argentina from an embarrassing 0-0 draw with Iran by scoring in injury time with one of the best goals of this World Cup.

In the next match against Nigeria, he scored a brace that ensured that Argentina would finish top of the group and avoid facing France and Germany in the first two knockout rounds and instead play the much tamer Switzerland and Belgium. Against the Swiss, he made another game-changing run in the 118th minute before laying it off to Ángel di María for the match-winning score. In Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Belgium in the quarterfinals, it was again Messi who created the space for the team’s only goal by dancing around two defenders before finding Ángel di María, who ultimately set up the Gonzalo Higuaín score.

Belgium, who as a reminder had taken 38 shots and 27 on target in the previous game, was held scoreless on 10 attempts against Argentina. A lot of this was due to Macherano’s leadership and the cohesiveness of the team defensively, but Belgium was also forced to alter its tactics to try to cope with Messi. I’ve heard one commentator describe Messi’s role in these latter rounds as that of a sort of nuclear deterrent, offsetting an opponent’s ability to focus resources on attack because of fear that he’ll go off.
[355 words]

[Time 4]
No single player has had a bigger impact on his team at this World Cup. And that’s just this tournament. Messi’s prior C.V. includes six Spanish league titles, three Champions League trophies, an Olympic gold medal, and a record four Ballon d'Or trophies. He also has the records for most goals scored in a single year with 91 and most consecutive games with a goal (21 matches and 33 goals for Barca in the 2012-2013 season), and he has the second-most goals in the history of Argentina’s national team (a record he’s on pace to break).

Yet, there still seems to be a question in the sports press of whether Messi deserves to be placed alongside Brazil’s Pele and Argentine countryman Diego Maradona as one of the greatest players of all time. Whatever happens in Sunday’s final is supposed to determine the legacy of a player who has already achieved more on a soccer field than perhaps anyone else ever. He’s supposed to lead his team to victory over a German side that is clearly the best in the world. He’s supposed to do it having played 30 more minutes than the Germans, feeling “like his legs weighed 100 kilos” each, and on one day fewer rest. And he’s supposed to do it against a team that already has a “secret plan” to modify its tactics, as the Belgians and the Dutch have done, to hold him in check.

Germany is facing an identical dilemma as Messi. The Germans are the best team in the world right now. They confirmed that with a victory over Brazil that will be remembered by soccer fans and history books as long as the sport exists. But if they lose against Messi, then they’ll go down as losers.

In reality, this German national team has already earned its place as one of the best in history. ESPN’s Soccer Power Index has them listed at No. 1 in the world, which isn’t that surprising. More impressive is that the World Football Elo Ratings—touted by Neil Paine and Nate Silver of 538.com, who declare themselves “big fans” of that rating system—rank this German team as the best in history.
[365 words]

[Time 5]
If you look at the list, it’s astonishing to see them ahead of Ferenc Puskás’ 1954 Hungary team, Pele’s 1962 Brazil team, and Spain’s 2013 team that was coming off of its third consecutive major title at Euro 2012. You could look at Germany’s placement ahead of those teams and think, “that’s kind of stupid,” or at least “that’s kind of premature.” You might be right. But it should give you an appreciation for what Germany has accomplished in recent years.

This German team has been the second-most-consistent team to Spain since 2006. They finished third at the 2006 World Cup, runners-up to Spain at Euro 2008, third again at the 2010 World Cup, and as semifinalists at Euro 2012. They will finish either first or second at this World Cup, and their rating has already gotten a major bump from beating Brazil 7-1 in Brazil. That’s probably the most impressive result in the history of the sport when you consider that the Brazilians hadn’t lost a competitive home match since 1975.

And this golden generation of Germans has already achieved great things aside from rankings. The team is built from the side that won the 2009 European Under-21 Championship. Twenty-three-year-old Manuel Neuer has been the goalkeeper of the tournament (sorry Tim Howard), while the team’s young, ultra-talented midfield has been the principal reason for its success. Twenty-four-year-old Thomas Müller has five goals for the second consecutive World Cup. Twenty-five-year-old Mats Hummels scored the game-winner in the quarterfinals against France for his second goal of the tournament. Sami Khedira, the captain of that 2009 team, has been the guiding force of that midfield along with 24-year-old Toni Kroos (not a member of the 2009 German U21 team).
[287 words]

[Time 6]
All of these young stars are bolstered by three all-time greats from the 2006 World Cup team that finished third at home. Philipp Lahm has been the team’s defensive guide since returning to his natural position at right back after the team struggled to get past Algeria 2-1 in a last 16 match that required extra time. Bastian Schweinsteiger has been a stalwart in midfield, while Miroslav Klose has merely gone and broken the all-time World Cup goal scoring record. When people describe this as the most-talented team in German history, that’s a reasonable claim. As a reminder, this is a nation that has won three World Cups and is entering its eighth final.

This German team also has one of the great national club sides of the era at its core. Like Spain’s 2010 starting 11, which featured a majority of Barcelona players, more than half of Germany’s starters come from another Pep Guardiola-coached side in Bayern Munich. Those players won this year’s Bundesliga crown in record speed.  The 2012-13 Bayern team, coached by Jupp Heynckes, also tied the record for most wins in a Bundesliga season and won a treble with the Champions League title and the DFB-Pokal crown.

Finally, at this tournament the team has six players in the top 10 of total passes, four of the 10 finalists for FIFA’s Golden Ball award, and one of the three finalists for the Golden Glove goalkeeping award. Oh, and 7-1.

But none of this will be enough to ensure Germany’s reputation as one of the great teams of all-time. To do that, they have to beat the sport’s Michael Jordan. If they don’t, then they’ll be considered a pretty good team that just didn’t have enough, like the Utah Jazz.

It’s just one game, and hopefully it will be a great one, full of Messi moments and German brilliance. But only one side can win. And the victor is supposed to decide the “greatness” of Germany and of Messi forever and ever?

This German team is at worst the second-best team of the past decade and one of the top international teams in recent history. Messi is the greatest player of his generation and one of the best of all-time. The result of Sunday’s World Cup final won’t change those two facts. Unless somebody wins 7-1.
[388 words]

Source: Slate
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_spot/2014/07/12/argentina_vs_germany_world_cup_2014_final_lionel_messi_and_germany_have.html

AceJ

Part III: Obstacle

A Final Prediction: Germany Wins a Thriller
By John Cassidy| July 13, 2014


[Paraphrase 7]
Like the Sex Pistols in their prime, World Cup finals rarely fail to disappoint. After all the buildup and hype, the games often turn out to be low-scoring, bad-tempered affairs. In 2010, Holland, the nation that, during the nineteen-seventies, invented “total football,” a free-flowing, attacking style of soccer that enchanted the world, disgraced itself by trying to kick the Spanish “tiki-taka” men off the park in Johannesburg, and almost succeeded. Four years earlier, during the latter stages of a tense 1-1 tie between Italy and France, Zinedine Zidane, the French midfield maestro, was sent off for headbutting an Italian player, Marco Materazzi, who had allegedly called his sister a whore. (Italy went on to win on penalties.)

The 1994 final, which was played in Pasadena, was another dud. After playing out a dull nil-nil tie, Brazil defeated Italy—a frequent participant in tedious finals—on penalties. But the worst final in living memory was probably the 1990 contest between West Germany (as it still would be for a few months) and Argentina, which was played in Rome. The Germans bored everybody rigid for eighty-odd minutes. Then they scored a disputed penalty. Argentina, led by a prematurely aged Diego Maradona, finished the game with nine men. As the Germans in the crowd celebrated their team’s third (and most recent) World Cup triumph, a BBC commentator famously remarked that the Germans had lifted the Cup but won few friends. (It hardly needs saying that neither that comment nor these were in any way influenced by West Germany’s defeat, in the semifinals, of England.)

Today’s climax to the 2014 World Cup, which will be held at Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracanã Stadium, is a rematch of the dreadful 1990 contest, but it will surely be a better game. In fact, there are reasons to hope that it will be the exception that proves the rule: a truly thrilling finale to a tournament that started out magnificently, fizzled a bit in the later stages, but which, over all, has been a big success. (Unless you are a fan of Spain or Brazil, that is.)

Having recently lamented the dearth of goals in this tournament since the group stages, a trend not wholly negated by what Germany did to Brazil on Tuesday, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see another dull, low-scoring game. But there are reasons to hope for something better and more exciting.

For one thing, there is a historic precedent: every twenty years or so, we get a high-scoring final. In 1966, England beat Germany 4-2 at the old Wembley Stadium. (You knew I’d sneak that in somewhere.) The 1986 final, in Mexico City, was yet another Germany-Argentina showdown. On that occasion, though, the South American team, inspired by the young Maradona, who had enjoyed a wonderful tournament, ran out as the winners by three goals to two.

I’m not predicting that today’s final will produce five or six goals. With this German team, though, you can never be sure. As it demonstrated against Portugal during the group stages, and against Brazil in a stunning semifinal, the Germans counterattack at great pace and punish mistakes mercilessly. Although they lack an individual superstar, that sometimes works to their advantage. Inspired by the hard-working and athletic midfield of Schweinsteiger, Khedira, and Kroos, they play for each other unselfishly, and operate as a coherent unit. Once they get on top, they can pulverize virtually any opposition.

But as Ghana and, to a lesser extent, the United States showed, the Germans aren’t invincible. Their defense, while capable and well-organized, lacks a bit of pace, and can be vulnerable to nimble strikers who are capable of springing the offside trap. In Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, Argentina has at least two players who fit the bill. At this World Cup, though, neither has been at his peak. Aguero is playing with a hamstring injury, and Messi, who has four times been voted the world’s best player, has gone quiet for the past couple of games.

As Messi labored through an indifferent season at Barcelona, one theory was that he was saving himself for the World Cup. During the group stages, when he looked lively and scored four times, that seemed like a plausible argument. In the quarter-finals, and particularly in the semifinal against the Netherlands, though, he wasn’t much of a factor. "We didn’t see Messi," Louis van Gaal, Holland’s manager, commented after the semifinal, which saw Argentina go through on penalties.

Thus far, Argentina has concentrated on shutting down the opposition. Arguably, its best player has been Javier Mascherano, a defensive midfielder who also plays for Barcelona. But if Argentina is to defeat Germany, it will have to get Messi, its offensive talisman, more involved. That shouldn’t be impossible. If the game is level and Germany presses forward, as it usually does, it may leave some open spaces open at the back, which Messi can exploit. If, on the other hand, Germany gets an early lead, the Argentines, as a team, will be forced to come out of their defensive shell and provide him with more support and passing options. That’s when he’s at his best. Playing for a Barcelona team that normally monopolizes possession, he has shown the ability to be here, there, and everywhere.

In the interests of open football and excitement, I’m hoping that the Germans get an early goal. Even if they don’t, I think that they will ultimately prevail. (So do the bookmakers. Germany is the 4-6 favorite to win the trophy.) Ever since the tournament began, it has appeared to be the strongest team. But an early breakthrough could set up a real thriller, which is what the tournament needs, and deserves.

The Brazilians, for all their troubles on and off the field, have put on a great show. The stadiums were ready; the people were hospitable; the transport links mostly worked; and the national team, when the tournament was in danger of fizzling out, provided a sensational plot twist by imploding in full view of the world. On Saturday, in the playoff game for third place, it lost heavily again—three-nil, to Holland. Today’s game is the final act. Let’s hope it surprises everybody, in a good way.
[1039 words]

Source: The New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/07/a-final-prediction-germany-wins-a-thriller.html

疏离无罪

沙发~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaker: Talking about the pro bono policy of the company.
getting the hang of things= to become comfortable doing it,to learn how to do it
billable hours= time you spent working for clients    rack up= to increase the number of sth
bill sth as= advertise sth as   fall short = not do as well as you expected to do  
you’ll hear about  it= you will be in trouble  get carried away=get too excited about sth
unheard of = uncommon,rare

01:37
Messi is great.

01:20
More details about the truth.Messi’s achievements have proven worthy of such admiration.

01:50
No single player has had a bigger impact on his team at this World Cup.When it comes to Gernmany,their whole team is the no.1 in this world cup.

01:24
The achievement of Germany team derserve its ranking.And this golden generation of Germans has already achieved great things aside from rankings.

01:53
This Germany team has good young and old players.This German team also has one of the great national club sides of the era at its core. The team VS the Star Messi.

06:40
The World Cup finals rarely fail to disappoint.Amd the author raised several examples of finals in the world cup history.Although some finals may be boring,not this one.According to the several fomrer games,this final will be really great.
The author analysised the Germany team,and said that although it has no superstar,all its palyers playes unselfishly and coporated well.
When it comes to Argentina,it has the world's best player Messi,But his performance was not perfect as he should be.And the whole team doesn't played as well as Germany in this tournament.However it is no doubt that Argentina need Messi to stand out to defeat Germany.
At the end,the author still thought the Germay may win the final.And he hoped an early breakthrough of Germany which can make the game more interesting and exciting.

wensd1111

1 A 02:24
2 A 02:36
3 A 02:05
4 A 01:36
5 A 02:15
6 A 06:39
idea about the final world cup game.
1,history germen and argentina, 1994,11 germen won 9 argentina
2,everty 20 year,the final score was big data, but what's this final
3,germen is a good team player, it was the strongest team in its histroy, take to brazil game for example, no one will be sure what's go on between argentina.
4,argentiia has wrold class plays, m and n. n scored more than m, but m was reward as the best players world wide. m should play as he did in barca.
the game is awaiting

公元前334

T2-T6: 3:05，3:30，3:10，2:25，3:18

T7一会补上，先去上班

醒醒Shine

[speaker]a firm ask its staff to have enough pro bono work hours
pro bono work 义工

under my belt: have this kind of skills
hit the target:achieve amount of sth
billable hours:计费小时
rack up：击倒，获胜
fall shrot:to not reach a particular level or to fail to achieve something that you were trying to do
get carried away:get too exicited about sth.
unheard of: very rare 前所未闻的
[time2]
Messi is great, from great teamplayer's,Maschrano's opinion
vaunted 自夸的，吹牛
rodeo 竞技（者）
[time3]
what Messi had done in the World Cup= nuclear deterrent,genius and vision on the pitch undeniable,focal point

[time4]
Messi had won a lot records, still q: he= Pele, Daradona?
Germany team is the no.1

[time5]
Germany team has been the 3rd ranking for a long time, not astonishing to win
young team
consecutive 连续的连贯的（咋突然忘了这词的词义！）

[time6]
Why German team great: most players from the samen coach
conclusion: result won't change either German team' or Messi's greatness.

[obstacle]
1 history: low-scoring, bad-tempered affairts
2 prediction: 2014 World Cup, better game,thrilling finale.Germany win.
   why: every 20 years get a high-scoring final;1986 G vs A showdown
   German is great but not invincible
   Argentina needs more concetration of Messi.

implode：内爆

obstacle很有趣呀，虽然不是足球粉。今天早上朋友圈已被刷爆，各种拍照和评论，大家好像都挺开心。有几个朋友所在的公司，甚至至少半夜微信群里打卡证明熬夜看球了，第二天可以迟到1小时。=）

Going

Speaker:
Jack met Clair to clarify sth for new comers.
Jack: Does the firm require people to do community service 5 hours a week?
Clare: Yes. Firm seriously cares for it because it wants to meet 60 hours target for a year. Even though the firm was built as social conscience, it cares for money too. Jack felt it a refreshing firm.

Time 2: 2:09
Time 3: 2:05
Time 4: 1:58
Time 5: 1:47
Time 6: 2:17
Obstacles: 7:24

Time 2: Messi and Germany team, which is better? Hard to say. The article talked Messi first. Messi’s teammate, who is also great, praise Messi.
Time 3: Messi helped the team won for each match.
Time 4: Even though Messi is good, is Messi the best of Argentina? For Germany team, it is also one of the best teams in the world.
Time 5: List the performance of Germany team during world cup. Introduce many excellent players within Germany team.
Time 6: German’s team member and the team ‘s good performance in many contests. Messi is the best player, Germany team is the best team. Whoever won the game, they are both the best.

Ostables:
For the final, there were many unexpected things happen. And normally the final game begin in peace, end with unbelievable things. For Germany team, the team cooperation is very good even though they do not have very shining star. and Germany has weaknesses, which Messia and his Argentia team player are good at creating opportunity. Brazil prepared well for the world cup and we hope there will be an exciting game tonight.

slave918

T2

MA is Messi's teammate and he is a greatfinalist.

T3

Messi's achievements in World Cup aregreat.

T4 2:08

whether Messi is one of the greatest playerwould be determined in the World Cup final.

T5 1:34

German team is a very strong opponent.

T6 2:39

Messi and German team are both great.

TaoRs92

首页啊啊啊啊好久没在首页了！！！！
thx~~

Messi's outstanding image in football and world cup.
_____________
Messi's talent and important role in his team.
_____________
Messi has already got a lot of achievements.
Messi faces Germany,the best team in the world now.
Turns to Germany.
_____________
Introduction of the team of Germany. Talented and outstanding team.
_____________
Messi versus German team.
_____________
World Cup final are usually low scoring and bad tempered game.
Examples and cases.
Prediction--Germany win,in a good and thrilling way.
20 years--high scoring happens.
Germany is a great team.
Anaylsis of Germany and Argentina(Messi).
Expectation.