British Football Team 英国国家球队
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Hello. My name is Xu He Qiucen. I am from Chongqing University. I love this programme very much. And I have a question. When we watch football games, why do we always see England, Scotland, Wales, but not Britain? And what do British people think about it?
Wang Fei: 徐何秋岑的问题非常有意思。为什么英格兰England, 苏格兰 Scotland, 威尔士Wales, 别忘了还有北爱尔兰Northern Ireland, 他们为什么不组成一支英国国家球队进行比赛呢？英国人又对此怎么看呢？大家好，I'm Wang Fei.
Finn: And I'm Finn. Actually, it's quite a hot topic right now.
Wang Fei: A hot topic. 一个很热的话题。Why's that?
Finn: Well, in the Olympics, the UK competes as one country: Team GB. People are asking if Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales will combine to form a British Olympic football team as well.
Wang Fei: Ah yes, for London 2012. What do you think, Finn?
Finn: Personally, I think it's not a bad idea! But as a Scot, I will admit that not many Scottish players would be good enough to get into the team.
Wang Fei: 是这样的！同时这个原因也能部分回答今天的问题了。英格兰是组成英国的四个国家中最大的国家，英格兰也有最好的足球队员，如果只组成一支国家队，其它三个国家的足球队员就很可能没有参加的份儿了。
Finn: Anyway, football is a topic that most British people have an opinion about. Let's hear from someone who thinks this idea of a British team might work.
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I’m quite in favour of them becoming one larger team. I say this because I’m from a smaller nation myself: Northern Ireland. Our teams don’t have enough world-class players to compete with the larger nations. I think if they join together with the likes of Scotland and England and Wales, this would enable us to have a chance at competing in a World Cup final in the future.
Wang Fei: 刚才这位被采访者来自北爱尔兰，他说他quite in favour 很支持把四个国家组成一个国家队。
Finn: He says this as he thinks Northern Ireland don't have enough world-class世界级的players on their own but if they all joined together then Britain would be a very very strong team. But, of course, not everybody is in favour of this.
Wang Fei: Let's hear from them.
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I think there's a lot of rivalry, and people always like it when the home nations, you know, play together in a friendly or competitively. I think that would kind of be lost if the teams were combined, certainly.
Just because, maybe FIFA say we should have a combined team in the Olympics, well, why should we change our culture, traditions?
It’s just a massively nationalistic sport, so I don't think you can then condense that into one Great British team. I don't think that'd ever work. That'd be controversial.
Wang Fei: 刚才的被采访者们表达了不同的意见，他们说如果组成一支球队，这些球队之间独特的竞争rivalry 也就消失了。
Finn: Yes, people from different nations really enjoy the rivalry. Another person says that it would be going against our culture and traditions to combine the teams.
Wang Fei: 这与我们的文化和传统相悖。最后一位被采访者也表达了同样的想法。他说这是一个极具国家特色的运动，a massively nationalistic sport. 所以你不能把它浓缩成一支球队，condense into one team.
Finn: He thinks that would be too controversial. 这太有争议了。You see, these rivalries go back a long way to the 1870s when Scotland and England first played against each other. It's quite a deep, emotional thing for many people.
Wang Fei: 现代足球在英国的足迹这可以追溯到19世纪。经历了这么多年的足球竞争比赛，这已经是一个非常让人有感情的主题了an emotional subject.
Finn: And there's also the issue of how the manager of a UK team would choose his players.
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Do they select 25% Welsh players, 25% Scottish players, 25% English players, 25% players from Northern Ireland?
Wang Fei: 确实这样，如何公平挑选队员呢？每个国家各选25%听起来太死板了，但需要建立什么样的选拔机制呢？这是另外一个有争议的地方，another controversial area.
Finn: Indeed, another one. So, Xu He Qiucen, I hope you understand a little bit more about why the UK does not compete as a single country in football.
Wang Fei: But Finn, I think maybe they will for the London 2012 Olympics?
Finn: You think so?
Wang Fei: Probably.
Finn: We'll see. Anyway, enough talking, let's play some football. Wang Fei, on your head!
Wang Fei: 什么？让我来个头球？肯定进！Goal! 这些苏格兰守门员也太不行了！
Finn: What did you say?!
Wang Fei: 苏格兰守门员，Finn!
Finn: Bye for now.
Wang Fei: Bye.
(Football crowd noise)
词汇学习：
1. rivalry 竞争
2. controversial 争议的
3. hot topic 很热的话题
4. world-class 世界级的
5. condense 浓缩
6. an emotional subject 一个非常让人有感情的主题