2022年11月19日 VOA慢速英语：即将到来的世界杯上值得关注的故事和球员

Will you be watching the World Cup when it begins November 20 with the game between Ecuador and host country Qatar?
您会观看 11 月 20 日厄瓜多尔与东道国卡塔尔之间的世界杯吗？
 
The soccer tournament is normally played in the summer, but this year it will start in the late autumn and finish in winter. That is due to very high temperatures in the Middle East in the summer.
足球锦标赛平时在夏季进行，但今年将在深秋开始，在冬季结束。这是由于夏季中东地区的气温非常高。
 
If you like to watch the World Cup but do not watch world soccer all year long, here are some of the major stories to follow.
如果你喜欢看世界杯，但不是全年都在看世界足球，这里有一些重要的故事可以跟进。
 
How it works
如何运作
 
Here's how it works. The 32 teams are placed into eight groups of four. The teams in each group play each other once. Those with the best records move into a 16-team elimination stage. At that point, teams will go home if they lose.
这是如何运作的作品。 32 支球队被分成八组，每组四支。每组中的球队互相比赛一次。成绩最好的队伍进入 16 队淘汰赛阶段。届时，如果球队输了，他们将回家。
 
Most days will have four games -- until the elimination stage begins. The first day with no games is December 7. The final game is December 18.
大多数日子将有四场比赛——直到淘汰赛阶段开始。没有比赛的第一天是 12 月 7 日。最后一场比赛是 12 月 18 日。
 
Top teams
顶级球队
 
Which country will come out on top?
哪个国家会拔得头筹？
 
The top teams in the world are Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, France and England.
世界顶级球队是巴西、比利时、阿根廷、法国和英格兰。
 
France is trying to win for the second time in a row. Brazil is looking for its sixth championship. Argentina has not lost in 35 games and would like to win one World Cup before Lionel Messi stops playing the sport. England has not played well lately, going winless in six games. But England has done well in recent international events like the European Championship.
法国正试图连续第二次获胜。巴西正在寻找其第六个冠军。阿根廷在 35 场比赛中没有输过，并且希望在莱昂内尔·梅西停止参加这项运动之前赢得一届世界杯。英格兰最近表现不佳，六场比赛未尝胜绩。但英格兰在最近的欧洲锦标赛等国际赛事中表现出色。
 
Belgium is the second-ranked team in the world and has been considered one of the top teams in recent World Cups. However, the Belgian players who were known as "the golden generation" are getting older. The health of Romelo Lukaku, one of the team's top goal scorers, is in question.
比利时是世界排名第二的球队，在最近的世界杯上被认为是顶级球队之一。然而，被誉为“黄金一代”的比利时球员却日渐老去。球队最佳射手之一罗梅洛·卢卡库的健康状况存在疑问。
 
Brazil has two strong players, Neymar and Vinicius Junior, and is currently in good shape. The South American nation is hoping for its first World Cup since 2002.
巴西拥有内马尔和小维尼修斯两名实力派球员，目前状态不错。这个南美国家希望自 2002 年以来首次参加世界杯。
 
Top players
顶级球员
 
Lionel Messi of Argentina is known as the best player in the world. He has won the world's best player award seven times. If he can help Argentina win, he may become known as the best soccer player ever. He is 35 years old and playing well for his team in Paris, but this could be his final World Cup.
阿根廷的莱昂内尔·梅西被誉为世界上最好的球员。他曾七次获得世界最佳球员奖。如果他能帮助阿根廷获胜，他可能会成为有史以来最好的足球运动员。他今年 35 岁，在巴黎为球队踢得很好，但这可能是他最后一次参加世界杯。
 
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is one of the most famous players in the world. He helped his country win the European Championship and has the most-ever goals in international games. However, he has never come close to winning the World Cup, and this will be his fifth try. He is also near the end of his career, so this may the last time he will play in the big tournament.
葡萄牙的克里斯蒂亚诺罗纳尔多是世界上最著名的球员之一。他帮助他的国家赢得了欧洲冠军杯，并且在国际比赛中拥有最多的进球。然而，他从未接近赢得世界杯，这将是他的第五次尝试。他的职业生涯也接近尾声，所以这可能是他最后一次参加大型锦标赛。
 
Kylian Mbappe became famous four years ago when he helped France win the World Cup at just 19 years old. He is even better now. If France wins, Mbappe will match Brazilian star Pele in winning his first two World Cups.
基利安·姆巴佩四年前成名，当时他年仅 19 岁，帮助法国赢得了世界杯岁。他现在更好了。如果法国获胜，姆巴佩将与巴西球星贝利一起赢得他的前两届世界杯冠军。
 
Kevin De Bruyne is Belgium's top playmaker and could help the world's Number 2 team finally win a World Cup.
凯文·德布劳内 (Kevin De Bruyne) 是比利时的顶级中场组织者，他有可能帮助世界排名第二的球队最终赢得世界杯冠军。
 
South Korea is concerned about the health of its top player, Heung-min Son. He is coming back from a facial injury suffered while playing with England's Tottenham Hotspur on November 1. Last year, Son tied with Mohammed Salah of Egypt for the most goals in the English Premier League. Son recently said he would play in Qatar with a protective face covering.
韩国担心其顶级球员孙兴慜的健康状况。他在 11 月 1 日与英格兰托特纳姆热刺队比赛时面部受伤，正在复出。去年，孙兴慜与埃及的穆罕默德萨拉赫并列成为英超联赛进球最多的球员。儿子最近表示，他将在卡塔尔比赛时戴上防护面罩。
 
Neymar of Brazil is sometimes outshined by Messi and Mbappe, who play with him in Paris. But he is the number-one player for his home country.
巴西的内马尔有时会被在巴黎与他一起踢球的梅西和姆巴佩击败。但他是他祖国的头号球员。
 
Games to watch:
值得关注的比赛：
 
Qatar plays against Ecuador on Sunday, November 20. The first game of a World Cup is always important.
卡塔尔将于 11 月 20 日星期日对阵厄瓜多尔。世界杯的第一场比赛总是很重要。
 
Argentina plays Mexico on November 26. A win would likely put Argentina into the elimination stage.
阿根廷将于 11 月 26 日对阵墨西哥。一场胜利很可能让阿根廷进入淘汰赛阶段。
 
On November 27, Spain and Germany play. They are two of the recent World Cup winners and experts call them "giants" of world soccer.
11月27日，西班牙和德国比赛。他们是最近的世界杯冠军中的两位，专家称他们为世界足坛的“巨人”。
 
Two days later, on November 29, the United States plays Iran. The countries will meet in the group stage, just as they did in 1998. Some are calling it "The Mother of All Games Part II," as the countries continue to have a difficult relationship after ending diplomatic ties in 1980.
两天后，即 11 月 29 日，美国对阵伊朗。两国将在小组赛阶段相遇，就像 1998 年那样。一些人将其称为“所有游戏之母第二部分”，因为这些国家在 1980 年结束外交关系后继续保持着艰难的关系。