There are many sorts of spies. There are those employed by governments to protect their countries’ interests; there are those we find in fiction and film, like the famous James Bond; and then there are the spies of the business world. But now there is a new form of espionage (间谍): sports spying. It may be a profitable job – if the spy can find a buyer for the information.
Last week, British newspapers reported that the England national team had been secretly recorded by an unknown group of individuals.
Media suggested that bugs had picked up a discussion of team tactics (战术), as well as playful talk about athletes’ affairs and possible rewards for players if they manage to win the World Cup.
England officials immediately filed a suit to stop media from publishing the contents of the recordings. Little is known about the identities of the spies, but authorities doubt they have any connection to rival sides preparing for this summer’s competition in South Africa. Rather, it appears that the people who bugged the hotel meeting room are just after money. If they find the right buyer, they could get a lot of it.
Gambling in major sports, like football, involves much more than picking the winner of a particular match. People can also place bets on starting line-ups, the timing of substitutions and goals scored. Knowing a team’s tactics for a particular game, or for a series of games, can help gamblers to increase their chances of winning big money.
England manager Fabio Capello tried to play down the importance of game tactics. He argued that a team’s psychological preparation is the most vital. “It’s more important to train the mind, to find confidence, create a group and a winning mentality,” he said.
Perhaps of more interest to the casual fan are the discussions of the players’ relationships with wives and girlfriends. UK newspapers may be prevented from publishing the details, but some Britons might say, the chances of the recordings never being heard are about as good as those of England winning this year’s competition: slim to none.
小题1:We may know from the first paragraph that ______________.
A．the spies mentioned are all pursuing money
B．all the spies are employed by the government
C．James Bond belongs to spies of the business world
D．if a sport spy can find a buyer, he can make money小题2:What does the underlined word “bugs” probably mean?
A．A small insect.
B．The devices used in the spying.
C．A kind of virus.
D．A kind of laptop computers.小题3:The group of individuals who spied the England national team____________.
A．are from the rival sides for sure
B．probably intended to make money
C．are involved in gambling
D．knew a winning mentality for a team is important小题4:What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A．The chance of the England team winning the African World Cup is very small.
B．Many people will never hear the recordings.
C．A fan will be more interested in the players’ relationships with wives and girlfriends.
D．No one can get any information from the UK newspapers for ever.
