高中年级英语经典阅读材料(2)

　　高中年级英语经典阅读(三)

　　Europe comes alive

　　JUNE became a festival for football fans when the 2008 European Championship kicked off last Saturday. Co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, the tournament (锦标赛), which is held every four years, sees some of the world's finest teams competing in the most picturesque stadiums. Teens lists some stars to watch in Euro 2008. Are they your heroes?

　　Cristiano Ronaldo, 23, Portugal

　　Probably the best player in the world at the moment, Ronaldo has had an outstanding season for the English Premiership club Manchester United by scoring over 40 goals. With the Premier League trophy and European Championships title on hand, will he make this tournament Ronaldo's Euro 2008?

　　Superstar qualities:

　　Portugal's chances of winning:

　　Karim Benzema, 20, France

　　Recently voted the best player in France, Benzema has been a ruthless killer in the attack, scoring 20 times in 32 appearances, leading Lyon to a league title.

　　Benzema seemingly has it all: power, speed, positioning, and the ability to score goals from out of nowhere. Euro 2008 will be his chance to showcase his skill to the whole world.

　　Superstar qualities:

　　France's chances of winning:

　　Cesc Fabregas, 21, Spain

　　Fabregas is one of the few young players who study hard off the pitch. He wants to attend university.

　　He also uses his brains well to cut through defenses effortlessly with smooth and effective passing. He also added something new to his title, scoring fantastic match-winning goals. His performances this season with Arsenal earned him the title of Young Player of the Year. The tournament is his chance to cement (巩固) his place as a world-class midfielder.

　　Superstar qualities:

　　Spain's chances of winning:

　　Lukas Podolski, 23, Germany

　　Podolski is called the new prince of German football. He showed his talent in the 2006 World Cup in which he picked up the FIFA young player of the tournament award. Podolski plays for Bayern Munich, which just claimed the German league title.

　　Podolski celebrated his 23rd birthday on June 4. Will he take the Euro 2008 trophy (奖杯) as a birthday present?

　　Superstar qualities:

　　Germany's chances of winning: