1. England expects!
England's chances of winning the World Cup are the best they've had for yonks2! Captain Becks wants a World Cup winners' medal, stars like Lamps, Stevie G and Li'I MO rock—and they have got Wayne Rooney!
英格兰雄心勃勃！
这是英格兰获得世界杯冠军千载难逢的最佳时机！队长贝克汉姆一心想要一枚冠军奖牌，明星队员兰帕德、杰拉德、欧文深受球迷喜爱——并且他们还有鲁尼！
2. Ronaldo's record bid3!
Ron could become a record breaker this summer! The Brazil star has bagged 12 World Cup goals so far, and only needs three more to beat the all-time record of 14—held by Germany's Gerd Muller!
罗纳尔多有望破纪录！
罗纳尔多今年夏天可能会打破一项纪录！这位巴西球星到目前为止已经斩获了12粒世界杯入球，再只需要3个进球就可以打破德国巨星穆勒保持的14粒入球的纪录！
3. Fan-tastic4!
It's great fun watching all the crazy World Cup fans! England supporters sing really loud, Holland followers love to dress up, German dudes5 paint their faces and the babes from Brazil are brilliant!
球迷痴狂！
感受球迷的狂热也是一件很快乐的事情！英格兰球迷齐声高唱，荷兰球迷喜欢盛装打扮，德国小伙儿油彩涂面，巴西足球宝贝光彩照人！
4. Wayne Rooney!
Forget Ronaldo, it's Rooney's first World Cup finals-and he's gonna rock! He won't be a surprise to teams, as they all know just how good he is now—but stopping him will be a different matter!
韦恩·鲁尼！
忘了罗纳尔多吧，这可是鲁尼第一次参加世界杯赛，他不会让人失望的！他的表现不会让参加世界杯的球队感到惊讶，因为他们都知道鲁尼有多棒——但是要阻止他将是很困难的一件事情！
5. Australia!
The wizards6 of Oz7 are coming! Australia are going to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, and with top stars like Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill and Mark Viduka, they're not just there to make up the numbers!
澳大利亚！
澳大利亚的足球天才们来了！这是自1974年以来澳大利亚第一次参加世界杯，拥有像哈里·科威尔、蒂姆·卡希尔、马克·维杜卡这样一流的球员，他们去德国可不是凑数的！
6. France!
France means business at the World Cup—coz they really stunk8 at the last one! ‘Les Bleus’9 crashed out10 in the group stages of the 2002 competition, losing to Senegal and Denmark without scoring a goal!
法国！
这次世界杯法国队可是动真格的了，因为上一届世界杯他们真的奇臭无比！在小组赛中他们输给了塞内加尔和丹麦，以零蛋的成绩打道回府！
7. Andriy Shevchenko!
It's hard to believe it's the first time the AC Milan striker will play at the World Cup finals! Sheva is one of the world's best strikers, but Ukraine have never made it11 before, so he's ready to bust12 nets this summer!
安德烈·舍甫琴柯！
很难相信这位AC米兰的前锋是第一次参加世界杯！舍瓦是世界上最好的前锋之一，可是乌克兰以前从未晋级过世界杯，因此这个夏天他准备好了破门得分。
8. Race for the golden boot!
Ronaldo was top scorer in the 2002 World Cup with eight goals, and he'll scrap it out13 with team-mate Adriano, England's Michael Owen, Holland's Ruud van Nistelrooy and France star Thierry Henry this year!
争夺金靴奖！
罗纳尔多是2002年世界杯的头号射手，一共进了8个球，今年他得同队友阿德里亚诺、英格兰队的欧文、荷兰队的路德·范·尼斯特鲁伊以及法国球星蒂埃里·亨利争夺金靴奖！
9. Lionel Messi!
This 18-year-old ace14 wants to be a big star in Germany! He's already a hero at his club Barcelona, and if the trickster can force his way into Argentina's starting XI, he'll tear defences apart!
利昂内尔·梅西！
这位18岁的优秀球员希望在德国世界杯上成为一个大明星，他在巴塞罗那俱乐部已经是位大英雄了！如果这位足智多谋的前锋能够进入阿根廷队首发的11人名单，他会将对手的防线撕得稀烂！
10. Spain!
Spain has a squad full of superstars, but they never seem to turn on the style at the big tournaments! With a strikeforce of Raul—if he's fit—Fernando Morientes and Fernando Torres, they should be wicked!
西班牙！
西班牙队巨星云集，但在世界杯大赛中他们似乎总是发挥不好。有了劳尔（如果他身体状况良好的话）、莫伦特斯和托雷斯的冲击力，西班牙人应该有上乘表现！
11. New boys!
Forget Brazil and Italy—they always make it to the finals! But say hello to the teams making their first ever appearance, like Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Angola, Zimbabwe, Ukraine and Trinidad & Tobago!
新伙伴！
先别管巴西队和意大利队，他们总是晋级世界杯决赛！问候一下第一次亮相的球队吧，像加纳、象牙海岸、多哥、安哥拉、津巴布韦、乌克兰以及特立尼达和多巴哥！
12. Holland!
Holland and their fans are on the march to glory! Marco van Basten's team have got top stars like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen ROBBEN, Rafael van der Vaart, Edwin van der Sar and more! They'll be wicked!
荷兰！
荷兰队和他们的球迷正在走向辉煌！马尔科·范·巴斯滕率领的队伍拥有路德·范·尼斯特鲁伊、阿扬·罗本、拉斐尔·范德法特、埃德温·范德萨等超级球星，他们会有精彩表现的！
13. Young guns!
Carlos Tevez, Robinho and Fernando Torres will be showing off their silky skills! There are loads of wonderkids waiting to impress, and Germany reckon they've got the new Rooney—striker Lukas Podolski!
年轻杀手！
卡洛斯·特维茨、罗比尼奥以及费尔南多·托雷斯会有机会表演他们流畅的球技，有许多神奇少年将会给人们留下深刻印象，德国人还认为他们拥有鲁尼式的前锋，那就是卢卡斯·波多尔斯基！
14. Ronaldinho!
Ronaldinho is ready to rock the World Cup! The brilliant Brazil star will go to Germany as the World and European Player of the Year, where he'll be hoping to prove to everyone he's the greatest player on Earth!
罗纳尔迪尼奥！
罗纳尔迪尼奥整装待发，期待在世界杯上给世人带来惊喜！这位才华横溢的巴西球星将以2005年世界足球先生和欧洲足球先生的身份参加德国世界杯，在那儿他希望向所有的人证明他是世界上最好的运动员！
15. Argentina!
They're one of England's big rivals, but Argentina are also one of the best teams in the world! This summer their superstars Crespo, Messi, Riquelme and Tevez want to land Argentina's third World Cup crown!
阿根廷！
他们是英格兰队的最大对手，不过阿根廷也是世界上最好的球队之一！这个夏天，他们的超级球星克雷斯波、梅西、里克尔梅和特维茨希望为阿根廷夺取第三个世界杯奖杯！
16. Michael Owen!
Li'I MO loves the World Cup, coz he scored one of England's greatest ever goals against Argentina when he was just 18! And this summer he'll be super sharp after recovering from injury, so watch out!
迈克尔·欧文！
欧文喜欢世界杯，因为当他还只有18岁的时候在对阿根廷的一场比赛中打进了英格兰队历史上最重要的一粒进球。今年夏天，伤愈复出的他会勇猛无比的，请拭目以待！
17. Group of death!
Group E is a real stinker15! There are loads of top teams jam-packed16 into one group, and with only the top two going through to the knockout stages17, Italy, Czech Republic, USA and Ghana are in for a scrap18!
死亡之组！
分在E小组可的确是件不愉快的事情，这个小组挤满了一流的球队，但经过淘汰赛后只留下前两名的球队进入下一阶段。意大利、捷克、美国和加纳将会为出线奋力拼博！
18. Freddy Adu!
Wonder kid Adu is the USA's youngest ever player, and he could be a megastar in Germany! The 16-year-old trickster made his debut for the USA recently, and is desperate19 to show the world his twists and tricks!
弗雷迪·阿杜！
足球神童阿杜是美国队最年轻的队员，在德国世界杯上他有可能成为超级球星！这位16岁的足球天才最近才代表美国队公开露面，他迫不及待地要向世人展示他高超的转身动作和假动作！
19. Frank Lampard!
It's his first ever World Cup, so watch Franky Lampas go this summer! The Chelsea ace is one of England's biggest stars now, but he didn't even make the World Cup squad in 2002! How weird20 is that!
弗兰克·兰帕德！
这是他第一次参加世界杯，请关注一下他的表现吧！这位切尔西的王牌球员现在可是英格兰最大的明星之一，但是他甚至没能进入英格兰队参加2002年的世界杯，多么奇怪！
20. Brazil!
Brazil goes nuts21 for the World Cup! The Samba stars won the last one in South Korea & Japan, reached the final in 1998 and also won it in 1994! They'll try to make it four finals on the trot22, and could do it too!
巴西！
巴西人为世界杯而疯狂，桑巴球星们是2002年韩日世界杯的冠军，1998年进入了决赛，也是1994年世界杯的冠军。他们想连续四次进入决赛，他们能办得到！
21. Trinidad & Tobago!
The T&T boys are gonna love the World Cup—it's the first time they've ever played in the finals! They take on England on June 15, and big stars like Dwight Yorke, Stern John and Dennis Lawrence can't wait!
特立尼达和多巴哥！
特立尼达和多巴哥的小伙子们会爱上世界杯的——这是他们第一次进入世界杯决赛圈！他们将在6月15日迎战英格兰队，大明星德怀特·约克、斯特恩·约翰和丹尼斯·劳伦斯都等不及了！
22. Shocks!
The World Cup always throws up23 a few surprise results, and this year's will not be any different! The big boys will have to watch their backs24 after seeing teams like Senegal pull off25 big shocks at the last World Cup!
爆冷门！
世界杯总会爆出一些冷门，今年也不例外。上次世界杯上塞内加尔爆出了一个大冷门，了解这是事实的大明星们可得小心！
23. World Cup ball!
For every World Cup there's a cool new footy26—and this is the best yet! It's the Adidas ‘Teamgeist’, which means team spirit in German! Whatever it's called, England will still bag loads of goals with it!
世界杯用球！
每一届世界杯总会有一个很酷的新足球--那可是最好的足球！今年的比赛用球由阿迪达斯公司设计，取名“teamgeist”，德语是“团队精神”的意思。不管叫什么名字，英格兰会用它进很多很多的球！
24. Crazy celebrations!
Scoring in a World Cup makes players go mental27! The Ivory Coast stars love having a dance when they score, and the boys from Brazil will shake it up samba style28 when they score!
疯狂庆祝！
在世界杯赛场上进球会让球员疯狂不已！象牙海岸的球星们以舞蹈庆祝进球，而巴西人则扭桑巴舞来庆贺！
25. Golden oldies29!
Loads of footy heroes will be going to the World Cup for the last time! Oliver Kahn, Henrik Larsson and Pavel Nedved have been at the top for ages now, and they'll all be hoping to go out with a bang30!
金色暮年！
许多足球英雄将是最后一次参加世界杯！奥利弗·卡恩、亨里克·拉尔森以及帕维尔·内德维德多少年以来一直雄踞世界足球之巅，他们渴望在本届世界杯上创造奇迹，在辉煌中告别足球生涯！
26. David Beckham!
Becks needs to shape up31 in this World Cup if he wants to be remembered as an England legend! After getting sent off at France 98, and struggling with an injury in the 2002 finals, this is his big chance!
大卫·贝克汉姆！
这次世界杯上贝克汉姆需要好好表现，如果他还希望人们记住这位英格兰队的传奇人物！98年法国世界杯上，他被罚下了场，2002年又为伤病困扰，这次可是千载难逢的机会！
27. World Cup songs!
There are always some blingin's tunes to groove along32 to when the World Cup comes around! Get behind33 Sven's boys by singing along with the England song, and see if you can drive them on to glory!
世界杯歌曲！
世界杯开打时，总有一些球迷可以跟着和唱的旋律。高唱英格兰队队歌，来鼓励埃里克森的小伙子们，看你是否能激励他们走向辉煌！
28. Surprise teams!
In 2002, South Korea shocked everyone by beating Spain and Italy on their way to the semi-finals, and there will be loads of other teams trying to do the same! Look out for Australia and Ghana!
黑马！
2002年，韩国队击败西班牙队和意大利队，一路高歌猛进走向半决赛，这次同样会出现很多黑马，关注一下澳大利亚队和加纳队！
29. Cafu!
Cafu is a World Cup legend-he's the only player ever to have played in three finals in a row34! The tournament in Germany will be his fourth, and he might even lead Brazil to another wicked win!
卡福！
卡福是世界杯的传奇人物--他是惟一连续三次参加过世界杯的球员！这次将是他的第四次世界杯之行，他也许会带领巴西队取得又一次漂亮的胜利！
30. Sven's big goodbye!
This will be Sven's last World Cup as England boss, so he'll want to go in style35! The Swede has never made it past the quarter-finals, so he'll have to get the boys playing mega36 slick37 footy to make them all the way!
告别埃里克森！
这将是埃里克森作为英格兰队主教练最后一次指挥世界杯之战，所以他希望能够体面隐退！这位瑞典籍主教练还从没有率领英格兰队超过四分之一决赛，因此他得让他的部下踢得超级棒，并一路走向冠军！
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup (often called Football World Cup, The World Cup, or simply World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer), and the world's most representative team sport event. Organised by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, the World Cup is contested by men's national football teams which are FIFA members.
The World Cup is held every four years, but the qualifying rounds of the competition take place over a three-year period, using regional qualifying tournaments. 197 national teams entered the qualification tournaments for the 2006 World Cup. The final tournament phase involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated38 host nation.
The World Cup final competition (often called the “Finals”), which has been held every four years since 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was cancelled due to World War II, is the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world. It has a global audience of more than 3 billion people (half the world's population) exceeding even the Olympic Games.
Only seven nations have won the World Cup. Brazil is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. Germany and Italy follow with three titles each. Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each. Finally, France and England have one title each.
The 18th football World Cup will be held in Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006.
FIFA世界杯
国际足球联合会世界杯，通常也成为足球世界杯或者世界杯，是国际足球最重要的比赛，也是世界上最具代表性的团队体育运动。世界杯由国际足球管理机构-国际足联组织实行，参赛球队是国际足联成员国的男子国家队。
世界杯每4年举行一次，但是多轮次的资格赛采用地区资格锦标赛的形式，耗时三年多。197支国家队参加了2006年的资格锦标赛。比赛的最终阶段，32支国家队在事先确定好的举办国进行为期4个星期的比赛。
世界杯决赛自从1930年以来每四年举行一次（1942年和1946年例外，由于第二次世界大战被迫取消），它是世界上观看人数最多、追随者最多的体育赛事，全球观众30亿多，占整个世界人口的一半，甚至超过了奥运会人数。
只有7个国家获得过世界杯冠军，巴西是最成功的世界杯球队，共获得5次冠军，德国和意大利紧随其后各获得三次，阿根廷和乌拉圭各两次，法国和英格兰各一次。
第18届世界杯于2006年6月9日至7月9日在德国举行。
1. wicked adj. （俚语）极好的
2. yonks n. 长时间
3. bid n. 努力争取要赢得或得到某东西的热切努力
4. fantastic adj. 极好的。这里将fantastic分开写成fan-tastic目的在于既保留这个词的基本意义，又强调突出fan（球迷）。
5. dude n. （俚语）男人，家伙
6. wizard n. 天才
7. Oz n. （澳俚）澳大利亚
8. stink v. 发出恶臭，有异味
9. The Bleus 法语, 法国国家队的绰号，大概源于2002年世界杯法国队那首脍炙人口的歌曲Allez Les Bleus。
10. crash out 坠毁、大败
11. make it 取得成功
12. bust v. （俚语）击破、击碎
13. scrap out 争夺
14. ace n. (在某一方面)成绩超群的人，佼佼者
15. stinker n. 令人不愉快的人或事
16. jam-pack 塞满、挤满
17. knockout n. 淘汰赛
18. scrap n. 争吵，打架
19. desperate adj. 急切的
20. weird adj. 奇怪的
21. go nuts for... 为…而疯狂
22. on the trot 连续地
23. throw up 产生
24. watch one's back 当心
25. put off 努力实现，成功
26. footy n. （英）（非正式）足球
27. mental adj. （俚语）疯狂的
28. shake it up samba style=to celebrate in samba style 用桑巴舞庆祝
29. oldie n. 老人
30. go out with a bang 辉煌收场
31. shape up 调整改进以合乎标准
32. groove along 和唱
33. get behind 支持
34. in a row 连续
35. in style 成功地
36. mega adj. (美俚)许多
37. slick adj. 熟练的，轻松的
38. nominate v. 任命，提名