環(huán)球英語 — 113：Manchester United Remembers

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Voice 1

Hello, I’m Rachel Hobson.

Voice 2

And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Manchester United - one of the most famous football teams in the world. The manager is Sir Alex Feguson. He has been in charge of the team for more than twenty years. Some of the most famous footballers in the world have played for Manchester United - Ronaldo, David Beckham, Eric Cantona. Alex Ferguson says he has had some excellent players. But he believes that his current team is the best yet.

Voice 2

People from all around the world support Manchester United. And many of these supporters like to buy copies of the special shirts that players wear on the football field. The purchase of these shirts creates a lot of money for Manchester United. This is because today, football is no longer just about playing a game. It is big business. The people responsible for a football organization, the club, need to make a lot of money. Then, this permits the manager to buy the best players on the market. And, this should mean that the team with the best, most costly, players wins! Selling copies of football shirts is one very popular way of making money.

Voice 1

Teams usually change the design of their shirts every season. The shirts often have the names of business organizations on them. These companies pay for their name to appear on the shirts. They consider this a good way to tell people about their product! In February 2008, the Manchester United players plan to wear yet another new shirt. However, this shirt will be very different from the others. The players will only wear it for one football game. And the shirt will not have any company names on it. It will not even be the usual team colour of red. In fact, it will look just like a shirt from the 1950’s - the kind worn by the old Manchester United team. But what is so special about these shirts? Well, the shirt has an important meaning. It is a symbol of the team’s memory of a tragic historical event...

Voice 2

It was the 6th of February, 1958. An airplane was flying to England from Yugoslavia. It was carrying the Manchester United football team. They had been playing a European Cup game against a Yugoslavian team - Red Star Belgrade. There were other passengers on the airplane that day. One of them was the team manager, Matt Busby. Busby was very proud of his team. They were only young men. In fact, people called them ‘the Busby Babes’, or ‘Babies’. But they were very skilled at playing football. And Matt Busby expected them to win many prizes that season.

Voice 1

After some time, the airplane landed at an airport in Munich, Germany. It needed to re-fuel. However, the weather was terrible. It was freezing cold and a white blanket of snow covered the ground. The airplane tried to take off two times - but it did not succeed. Some time later, the pilot attempted a third take-off. The airplane did not even manage to leave the ground. It went off the end of the runway, moving at a high speed. The pilot lost control. The airplane broke through a fence and crossed a road. Then, one of its wings hit a nearby house. The wing broke off. And the main part of the airplane hit a small wooden building. The building contained a truck loaded with fuel. When the airplane hit it, the whole thing exploded.

Voice 2

Seven of the “Busby Babes” died immediately. So did three team officials, eight sports writers, two passengers and a member of the aircrew. Duncan Edwards died in hospital three weeks later. He was one of the team’s most gifted players. The manager, Matt Busby, was seriously injured. Doctors were sure that he was going to die. At first, they did not tell him about his players. They thought that he would lose the will to live if he knew many of them had died. But surprisingly, Busby survived and made a good recovery.

Voice 1

News of the accident shocked the nation. People today still remember what they were doing when they heard the news. One man said:

Voice 3

“I was about twelve at the time and coming home from school. I met my grandfather coming home from work. He was crying. I had not heard anything about the crash in Munich. When I did, I was also deeply shocked and sad.”

Voice 2

Sir Bobby Charlton survived the Munich air crash. He was one of the ‘Busby Babes’. He was thrown from the airplane when it hit the wooden building. He continued to play football for Manchester United after the accident. He never forgot what happened on that snowy day in February, 1958. He says:

Voice 4

“We were all such friends...I could not understand how I only suffered a bang on my head... ...I was all right... and my friends were dead? I think about this every day of my life.”

Voice 1

The Munich air crash had its heroes. Harry Gregg was a new player. When the crash happened, he helped a woman and her baby escape. He also pulled two of his injured friends away from the burning airplane.

Voice 2

In fact, people thought that the remaining ‘Busby Babes’ were all heroes. Only three months after the crash, they played in the most important game of the football season. They lost the game, but they won the respect of everyone watching because of their courage and bravery.

Voice 1

Today, David Gill is responsible for managing the business side of Manchester United. He has planned a free, permanent show, or exhibition. It is about the Munich Air Crash. He wants people to see how the past has helped to shape the present. He says:

Voice 5

“I hope the exhibition will help generations of supporters to understand the place Sir Matt Busby and his teams have in the Club’s history.”

Voice 2

And that is why the current Manchester United team will wear similar shirts to the ‘Busby Babes’ for one game in February. The team wants to show respect to those players long ago. The Busby Babes may not have had the chance to show the world how good their football was. But the players who survived showed their value as brave, courageous people.

Voice 1

The writer and producer of this programme was Ruby Jones. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and South Africa. All quotations were adapted for this programme. Today’s programme is called, “Manchester United Remembers.”

Voice 2

Thank you for joining us for today’s programme, goodbye.