BBC随身英语:England footballers crash out 欧锦\赛英格兰被淘汰

The skilful Italians soon thwarted any hope of English victory. The Italian striker Alessandro Diamanti put the final nail in the coffin by coolly slotting in the winner past England goalkeeper Joe Hart.

As Italian fans and players celebrated, English dreams were left shattered and deflated. England captain, Steven Gerrard, said his players were heartbroken at their departure from the tournament. The agonising jinx of losing a match on penalties continues to haunt the England team.

The players must now return home with their tails between their legs. But there is some consolation: the young team only lost by a narrow margin and the setback will last just two years before England mount their next challenge at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

But if faced with another penalty shootout, can England finally overcome the odds and triumph?

Quiz 测验 1. By what other name is the England football team known?

The Three Lions

2. What phrase describes when a result is not known and remains in suspense?

hung in the balance

3. What word in the article means zero?

nil

4. What verb means 'stopped' or 'prevented'?

thwarted

5. What word means something has bad luck?

jinx

Glossary 词汇表 crashed out 出局，被淘汰 penalty shootout 罚点球 pipped at the post 在最后一刻被击败，功败垂成 hung in the balance 不相上下，胜败未定 the omens 预兆 misplaced 错误判断 with their hearts in their mouths 悬心吊胆，心惊肉跳 thwarted 挫败 the final nail in the coffin 盖馆定论，最终失败 shattered 粉碎，破灭 deflated泄气 heartbroken伤心的 jinx厄运\ to haunt 萦绕 with their tails between their legs 夹着尾巴 consolation安慰 a narrow margin 比分相差极小 setback 挫折 overcome the odds 克服困难