英主教写祈祷文 祈祷英格兰世界杯出线

A British bishop has penned a special prayer in the hope that divine intervention can help England rediscover their World Cup form.

Nick Baines, Anglican Bishop of Croydon in south London, said while it might take "too much of a miracle" for his side to win the World Cup after lacklustre draws with the United States and Algeria, he wanted to try and help the side.

Writing on his blog, he joked that he had written a first prayer which consisted of just two words: "Oh God".

His second prayer is slightly longer and reads: "God, who played the cosmos into being, please help England rediscover their legs, their eyes and their hunger: that they might run more clearly, pass more nearly and enjoy the game more dearly. Amen."

England need to beat Slovenia on Wednesday to be sure of progressing to the last 16.

英国一名主教近日专门为征战南非世界杯的英格兰队撰写了一段特殊的祈祷文，希望上帝能保佑他们找回状态。

伦敦南部克罗伊登的圣公会主教尼克．贝恩斯称，尽管英格兰队在此前对阵美国和阿尔及利亚的比赛中闷平，本届世界杯夺冠可能需要指望“奇迹”出现，但他仍想为球队做点什么。

他在博客中开玩笑称，他在第一段祈祷文只写了两个词“噢，上帝”。

他的第二段略长的祈祷文是这样写的：“创造了宇宙的上帝啊，请帮助英格兰队找回他们有力的双腿、敏锐的双眼、和对胜利的渴望吧！这样他们在赛场上才能更有目的地奔跑、更精准地传球、更投入地踢比赛。阿门。”

英格兰队必须在本周三击败斯洛文尼亚队才能挺进本届世界杯的16强。

Vocabulary:

lacklustre：lacking liveliness, vitality, spirit, or enthusiasm（单调的，枯燥乏味的）