How to Become a Professional Soccer Player

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Work Hard, Play Fair
—— 高中进阶 (2018-201**年第2期) 1版
掌握“美式发音”技巧，一个句子就GO了！
原文

My name’s Gary. I’m British. And how I got my name is an interesting story. My mother gave naming duties of her soon-to-be-first-born-child, yours truly (鄙人，在下), to my soccer-mad Dad. The year was 1986 and the England football team was taking part in the World Cup. Before the tournament started, my father almost wistfully (发愁地) stated that I would be christened (取名) after whoever scored the most goals throughout the competition.

It ended up being a two-horse race between Gary Lineker (加里·莱因克尔), the prolific England striker (前锋), and Diego Maradona (迭戈·马拉多纳), the midfield maestro from Argentina (阿根廷中场**), with the two teams meeting in the quarter-finals. To cut a long story short, what ensued was the most blatant (明目张胆的) bit of cheating from the latter as he “scored” a goal which has since been dubbed the “Hand of God”— alas, Argentina won the match and the tournament. Regardless, I was gratefully named after the Englishman as he scored the most goals, and ever since I have been thanking my lucky stars that I wasn’t christened after a dishonest, under-handed (狡诈的) cheater in the view of England fans!

To gain an unfair advantage, cheating in sport is nothing new and has been around since physical competition began, through bribery (贿赂), match-fixing (非法操纵比赛) or simply playing dirty. The latest cheat is seemingly the use of AI technology. Liu Chao, an unknown novice (新手), was recently accused of using AI to beat the World ** Go titleholder (世界业余围棋冠军) in the national championships. Although Liu strongly denied these allegations, the fact that he has since decided to hang up his boots implies possible foul-play (犯规) and maybe even a guilty conscience.

Go, like many sports, requires patience, perseverance and preparation, among other things. Hours of practice, perfecting moves and tweaking (稍稍调整) technique go on behind the scenes in order to prepare for a final event. However, when someone is dishonest, they should not only be punished but also engage in some serious introspection (反省). Wanting to win is natural, but enjoying the game, learning from mistakes, and experiencing the journey of competition should be the ultimate goal.
The ancient Greek playwright Sophocles (索福克勒斯) once said, “I would prefer even to fail with honour than win by cheating.” High school studies are stressful, and sports can be a beneficial outlet as well as providing useful life lessons and learning blocks for you to achieve success in developing personal integrity. Studying and playing sports have obvious parallels (相似特征); working hard and playing fair is the name of the game.

教案
Pre-reading
1. Here are some screenshots of a football match between England and Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup. What can you learn from them?



Note: Seemingly friendly at the beginning of the match, the man in blue, Diego Maradona (迭戈·马拉多纳) from Argentina (阿根廷) committed a foul and “scored”a goal with his hand, helping his team win the match.
1. Do you think becoming the winner is the ultimate goal of taking part in a competition? Why or why not?
Language study
1. Regardless, I was gratefully named after the Englishman … I have been thanking my lucky stars that … a dishonest, under-handed cheater … !
① name **./sth. after **./sth.: to give **./sth. the same name as another person or thing 用……的名字给……命名
e.g. Lucy was named after her great-grandmother.
② thank one’s lucky stars: to be grateful for sth. 庆幸运气好
e.g. You should thank your lucky stars you didn’t watch the boring movie yesterday.
③ under-handed adj. done secretly, and sometimes dishonestly, in order to achieve an advantage 秘密的，狡诈的
★ 和汉语一样，英语中也有双关（pun）的修辞手法，作者在本句中用的under-handed一词就是很好的例子，既说明了马拉多纳是用手“进”的球，又体现出他这一行为的“狡诈”。
2. Hours of practice, perfecting moves and tweaking technique go on behind the scenes … but also engage in some serious introspection.
① behind the scenes: in secret; without being known to the public 秘密地，暗中
e.g. A team of experts are working behind the scenes to make sure the supercomputer runs well.
② engage in: to be doing or become involved in an activity 参与，加入
Complete each sentence with one word in its correct form.
prolific competition allegation perseverance integrity
1. The policeman was ___________ to have accepted bribes.
2. The company has better products than its ___________.
3. Abraham Lincoln was always praised for his ___________.
4. You must ___________ if you are to win.
5. Agatha Christie was a(n) ___________ writer, and had more than 60 detective novels to her credit.
Key: 1. alleged 2. competitors 3. integrity 4. persevere 5. prolific
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 根据新的法规，任何人在上海室内公共场所吸烟将被罚款至少五十元。(whoever)
2. 有时人们会用发现者的名字来命名一项科学发现，比如：哈雷彗星。(name)
3. 只有一小部分中国高中生定期参与体育锻炼。(engage)
Key:
1. According to the new regulations, whoever **okes in public indoor areas in Shanghai will be fined at least 50 yuan.
2. Sometimes a scientific discovery is named after the discoverer, such as Halley’s Comet.
3. Only a **all proportion of Chinese students engage in physical exercise regularly.
Reading comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. According to the article, the author was named after ________.
A. the player who scored the most goals in 1986
B. a former English professional soccer player
C. the player who cheated in the 1986 FIFA World Cup
D. his fathers favorite soccer star
2. According to the article, Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal was the act of ________.
A. offering the judge some money illegally
B. arranging the outcome of the match before it was played
C. using a dishonest method to win the match
D. cheating his loyal fans
3. The author would mostly likely agree with the statement that ________.
A. there is no need to regulate the use of AI technology in physical competition
B. most people are born competitive and eager to win
C. nothing could be worse than failure in physical competition
D. it’s difficult to strike a balance between studying and playing sports
Key: 1-3 BCB
After reading
l Have you ever cheated in a competition or examination? If so, how did you feel after cheating? If not, what do you think is more important than winning a game or getting good grades? Write an English composition in 120-150 words to express your ideas.
相关阅读：
「英语阅读进阶版」”Idolizing” the Positive（内附音频）
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