酷兔英语


Pick up a basketball, football, baseball, tennis ball, golf ball or a hockey puck, and the objects feel and look much as they have for two generations.


起一只篮球、橄榄球、棒球、网球、高尔夫或是冰球,它们从感觉到外观都和几十年前差不多。



Yet, grab a soccer ball from 1960, or even one from 1980 or 1990, and the orb is virtually unrecognizable from the one that will be used for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in June and July. Leather has given way to synthetics. Some 32 individually sewn panels have become eight. Hand stitching has given way to thermal bonding.


然而,拿起一只上世纪60年代、甚至是八、九十年代使用的足球,你会发现它和将于今年六至七月举行的2010年南非世界杯(World Cup)的比赛用球比起来简直"判若两球":合成材料替代了皮革;原来32块单独缝制的嵌面也变成了八块;手工缝制也让位给了热粘合拼接技术。



The result is a faster-than-ever ball for a faster-than-ever game that allows players to attempt laser-like strikes from 40 yards, and precise long-distance passes that would have been impossible with a ball from the 1960s or 1970s.


其结果就是在比以往速度更快的世界杯上将出现一只比以往速度更快的足球。新足球能让球员从40码开外打出凌厉的射门以及精准的长距离传球,而上世纪六、七十年代的足球根本完成不了这样的任务。



'The good players have more abilities to go for more extreme scenarios,' said Hans-Peter Nurnberg, seniortechnicaldirector at Germany-based Adidas, which has made every ball for the World Cup since 1970. 'It's more attractive for the spectator, more chances to score and more confidence for the player because they have higher chances to make a score.'


"优秀球员更有能力去创造出更为精彩绝伦的进球,"德国阿迪达斯(Adidas)高级技术指导汉斯-皮特•纽伦伯格(Hans-Peter Nurnberg)表示。"对于观众来说比赛更有看头,而球员有了更多的进球机会,也有了更大的信心,因为他们进球的机率更大了。"自1970年以来世界杯使用的所有足球都是由阿迪达斯制作的。



The idea that FIFA, soccer's governing body, would so willinglytransform the single most important piece of equipment in the world's most important sporting event is an odd concept for most Americans. Dozens of rules have changed in the sports most important in the U.S., and technology has transformed equipment. But the constancy of the balls allows executives and fans to compare performances across eras and regions of the country and the world.


足球运动的管理机构国际足联(FIFA)如此心甘情愿地改变全球最为重要的体育赛事中一个最为重要的运动器材,这让大多数美国人觉得不可思议。美国最重要的体育赛事的许多规则已经改变,科技也让运动器材改变了模样。不过,足球构造的始终如一能让官员和球迷横跨不同时代和不同地区比较球员的表现。



Such consistency doesn't exist in international soccer. FIFA must approve all balls used in the leagues it sanctions. But balls vary from country to country. In the U.S., Major League Soccer is already using its own version of Adidas's World Cup ball. But the English Premier League uses a Nike-manufactured ball. In Germany, the home team supplies the ball. (Imagine if the New York Yankees supplied a different baseball than the one used at Fenway Park in Boston.)


然而这种一致性在国际足球领域并不存在。国际足联认可的所有联赛中的比赛用球必须得到国际足联的批准。不过足球在每个国家却都有所不同。在美国,足球大联盟(Major League Soccer)已经开始使用自己版本的阿迪达斯世界杯用球。不过,英国超级足球联赛(English Premier League)用的却是耐克公司(Nike)制造的足球。在德国,足球由主场球队提供。(想象一下如果纽约扬基队(New York Yankees)提供的比赛用球与波士顿芬威公园(Fenway Park)的用球不一样会是什么情况。)



As a result, FIFA sees no problem with changing the ball from one World Cup to the next.


结果就是,国际足联并不觉得频繁更改世界杯用球有什么不妥。



One motivation is money. Every time Adidas produces a new design for a World Cup ball, it sells replicas in all sizes, and FIFA receives a royalty on sales. World-wide, Adidas sold 15 million versions of its 2006 World Cup ball, ranging in price from $12 to $150.


动机之一就是经济利益。阿迪达斯为世界杯每推出一款新足球,各个尺寸的世界杯足球复制品也会上架销售,而国际足联则会收取销售版税。阿迪达斯2006年世界杯足球复制品在全球范围内售出1.5亿只,价格从12美元到150美元不等。



That doesn't mean every player likes the constant change. Goalkeepers are particularly prickly about the innovations, which have tended to make the ball fly faster and curve more dramatically in each iteration. Kasey Keller, a goalie on U.S. World Cup teams who has used the new World Cup ball during the MLS season, said its flight is far less predictable than its designers claim.


这并不意味着每位球员都喜欢这种不断的变化。守门员对于改变尤为不满,因为经过改变以后足球往往飞得更快,破门角度更刁钻。备战世界杯的美国国家队门将凯西•凯勒(Kasey Keller)在美国足球大联盟赛季已经使用了新一代世界杯用球,他表示,足球的飞行路线要比设计者所宣称的难预测得多。



A spokesman for FIFA said it tries to balance the traditions of the game by collecting input from players with technical innovations that the various manufacturers develop. It subjects each ball to a battery of tests.


国际足联的一名发言人表示,他们正努力通过听取球员意见来平衡世界杯的传统与各类厂商的科技创新。另外,国际足联会对每只足球进行一连串的测试。



The balls are measured in 16 different places, and the diameter can't vary by more than 1.5%. They are dropped from more than six feet onto a steel plate and must bounce 4 1/2 to five feet. They are turned and squeezed 250 times in a water tank and can't absorb more than 10% of their weight. They are inflated and observed for 72 hours during which they can't lose more than 20% of their pressure. They must withstand minimal damage after being fired at a steel plate 2,000 times.


这些世界杯用球通过16个不同的球体点来测量直径,而且直径的差值不能超过1.5%;从超过6英尺的高处落向一块钢板,反弹的高度必须在4.5英尺至5英尺之间;在一个水容器中旋转和挤压250次,随后球体重量的增加不超过10%;充气后被搁置一旁,三天后球压下降不超过20%;在撞击钢板2,000次后只允许发生极小的变化。



In addition, Adidas subjected the new ball, nicknamed Jabulani, which means 'rejoice' or 'celebration' in Zulu, to its own testing, including kicking it with a mechanical foot (think of a soccer version of golf's Iron Byron) thousands of times. Technicians found it was the most consistent ball Adidas had ever produced.


另外,阿迪达斯也对新一代足球进行了测试,其中包括用一只机器脚成千上万次地踢出足球(想想高尔夫Iron Byron的足球版本)。技术人员发现,这是阿迪达斯制作的所有足球中性能最为稳定的一种。新一代足球的昵称是Jabulani,在祖鲁语中是"欢乐"或者"庆祝"的意思。



'We don't want the ball to determine where the ball goes; we want the player to determine where the ball goes,' Mr. Nurnberg said.


"我们不希望由足球来决定飞行线路;我们希望由球员们来决定足球飞向哪里," 纽伦伯格表示。



The biggest change from 2006, according to Mr. Nurnberg, is the addition of the ridges on the surface of the ball. Because the ball has just eight thermally bonded panels instead if 14, it could have been much smoother than its predecessors. But balls need a certain 'roughness' to maintain balanced flight, so Mr. Nurnberg's team added the texturing so it wouldn't wobble like a beach ball.


2006年以来的最大变化在于球体表面新增加的凹槽设计,纽伦伯格表示。由于新一代足球只有八块而非14块热粘合拼接表面,因此它们拥有比前辈更光滑的球面。不过足球也需具备某种"粗糙之处"来保持飞行的稳定,因此纽伦伯格的团队增添了这种颇具质感的球面设计,这样一来足球就不会像水皮球一样摇摆不定了。



Nelson Rodriguez, executive vice president of competition, technical and game operations for MLS, said Jabulani has one thing in common with its recent predecessors.


美国足球大联盟负责竞技、技术和赛事运营的执行副总裁尼尔森•罗德里格斯(Nelson Rodriguez)表示,Jabulani在一个方面和此前使用的足球有共同点。



'As the balls progress, the goalkeepers and defenders say always it's more unpredictable and it moves more, and the forwards say it's better because they can do more with it,' he said. 'That dynamic has existed with the introduction of every new ball.'


"在足球的进化过程中,守门员和后卫永远都会说,足球的飞行变得更难预测,球路出现更多变化,而前锋则会说,足球变得越来越棒了,这是因为新足球能让前锋有更出色的发挥,"他说。"这样的情况在每次新一代足球亮相时都会出现。"



Matthew Futterman
  • extreme [ik´stri:m] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.尽头的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)
  • director [di´rektə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.指导者;....长;导演 (初中英语单词)
  • attractive [ə´træktiv] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.有吸引力;诱人的 (初中英语单词)
  • player [´pleiə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.游戏的人;选手 (初中英语单词)
  • equipment [i´kwipmənt] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.装备,设备 (初中英语单词)
  • concept [´kɔnsept] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.概念;观念;思想 (初中英语单词)
  • international [,intə´næʃənəl] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.国际的,世界的 (初中英语单词)
  • approve [ə´pru:v] 移动到这儿单词发声 v.赞成;同意;批准 (初中英语单词)
  • league [li:g] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.同盟;社团 (初中英语单词)
  • premier [´premiə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.总理 a.首要的 (初中英语单词)
  • constant [´kɔnstənt] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.坚定的;坚贞的 (初中英语单词)
  • flight [flait] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.逃走;飞行;班机 (初中英语单词)
  • absorb [əb´sɔ:b] 移动到这儿单词发声 vt.吸收;吸引 (初中英语单词)
  • pressure [´preʃə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.压榨 vt.对...施压力 (初中英语单词)
  • addition [ə´diʃən] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.加;加法;附加物 (初中英语单词)
  • mechanical [mi´kænikəl] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.机械的;力学的 (初中英语单词)
  • maintain [mein´tein] 移动到这儿单词发声 vt.维持;保持;继续 (初中英语单词)
  • executive [ig´zekjutiv] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
  • competition [,kɔmpi´tiʃən] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.比赛;竞争 (初中英语单词)
  • introduction [,intrə´dʌkʃən] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.介绍;引言;引导 (初中英语单词)
  • baseball [´beisbɔ:l] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.棒球运动 (高中英语单词)
  • tennis [´tenis] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.网球(运动) (高中英语单词)
  • senior [´si:niə] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.年长的 n.前辈 (高中英语单词)
  • technical [´teknikəl] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.技术的;专门性的 (高中英语单词)
  • spectator [spek´teitə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.观众,旁观者 (高中英语单词)
  • transform [træns´fɔ:m] 移动到这儿单词发声 v.转化,转变;改造 (高中英语单词)
  • royalty [´rɔiəlti] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.王位;特权阶层;版税 (高中英语单词)
  • battery [´bætəri] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.炮兵连;炮台;电池 (高中英语单词)
  • diameter [dai´æmitə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.直径 (高中英语单词)
  • bounce [bauns] 移动到这儿单词发声 v.&n.(使)反弹;拍 (高中英语单词)
  • virtually [´və:tʃuəli] 移动到这儿单词发声 ad.实际上,实质上 (英语四级单词)
  • precise [pri´sais] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.精确的;清楚的 (英语四级单词)
  • willingly [´wiliŋli] 移动到这儿单词发声 ad.情愿地,乐意地 (英语四级单词)
  • version [´və:ʃən, ´və:rʒən] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.翻译;说明;译本 (英语四级单词)
  • withstand [wið´stænd] 移动到这儿单词发声 vt.抵抗,经得起 (英语四级单词)
  • consistent [kən´sistənt] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.一致的;始终如一的 (英语四级单词)
  • individually [,indi´vidʒuəli] 移动到这儿单词发声 adv.个别地 (英语六级单词)
  • constancy [´kɔnstənsi] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.坚定;坚贞;坚久不变 (英语六级单词)
  • consistency [kən´sistənsi] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.坚韧;一致性 (英语六级单词)
  • spokesman [´spəuksmən] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.发言人 (英语六级单词)