Thirty-two of the world's best football teams are now competing for the iconic golden World Cup trophy -- but the planet's most populous nation is not among them.
三十二支來自各個(gè)國家的最優(yōu)秀的足球隊(duì)都在為爭奪金燦燦的世界杯獎(jiǎng)杯而相互角逐——然而世界上人口最大的國家卻不在他們之列。

Team China failed to qualify for the "beautiful game's" showpiece event in Brazil. In fact China's World Cup dream turned into a nightmare as early as 2011, when it was eliminated in a regional qualifying round.
中國隊(duì)還不夠資格去參與在巴西舉行的這場精彩賽事。事實(shí)上，中國的世界杯之夢早在2011年就成了一場噩夢，當(dāng)時(shí)其在亞洲區(qū)預(yù)選賽中失去了進(jìn)軍巴西的資格。

Still, these setbacks have not deflated the football fever here.
然而，中國隊(duì)在球場上的失意并沒有挫傷中國球迷的熱情。

"There is a huge following for international football in China because local fans celebrate global talent," said Kronick, a long-time Beijing resident who plays football in a local amateur league. "The World Cup is about 'nationalism' at its finest, absent politics, and that's what makes it enjoyable."
“中國有一大批球迷關(guān)注世界足壇，因?yàn)樗麄兿矚g那些世界足球明星。”一位名叫克羅尼克的北京市民說，他長期居住在北京，還參加了當(dāng)?shù)氐臉I(yè)余足球隊(duì)?！笆澜绫顷P(guān)于‘愛國主義’的，這種‘愛國主義’完全不具備政治內(nèi)涵，因而也就具有最好的政治內(nèi)涵。這就是為什么人們喜愛世界杯。”

Chinese football fans have been enjoying the action in Brazil despite matches taking place after midnight, Beijing time.
盡管巴西的賽事總是在北京時(shí)間的午夜舉行，中國的球迷們還是在享受這些賽事。

By hook or by crook, local fans are finding ways to stay up late for the games. Some took paid leave, others found excuses to stay home, such as getting doctors to sign sick-leave certificates. A man asked to take the day off ostensibly to attend a teacher-parent conference.
中國的球迷們?yōu)榱税疽箍辞蛳氡M了各種方法。有的申請帶薪休假，有的找借口請假——比如請醫(yī)生簽病假條。某人聲稱請一天假是為了去開家長會。

Since the month-long competition opened in Brazil, legions?of Chinese sports fans have been gathering for viewing parties in their living rooms, in factory and school dormitories, and in restaurants and bars, many of which have opened late for the fans to watch matches live on Chinese television.
自為期一個(gè)月的巴西世界杯開賽以來，大批的中國球迷集結(jié)成團(tuán)、共同觀賽。他們聚集在客廳里，在工廠和學(xué)校宿舍里，在餐館和酒吧里——許多餐館和酒吧營業(yè)直至深夜，還提供電視讓球迷們觀看直播賽事。

Of course, not all of these sleep-deprived folks are bona fide football fans. A posting on Baidu, China's largest search engine, noted that the Chinese have recently coined the word "wei qiumi," or "fake soccer fans," referring to people who watch the game only once in a while, who care more about the final scores rather than enjoying the actual games, and who think celebrity players play a more important role in matches than the coaches.
當(dāng)然，并非所有熬夜不睡的人都是真正的球迷。中國最大的搜索引擎網(wǎng)站百度中，百度貼吧上有這樣一則帖子，說中國人近來杜撰出了“偽球迷”一詞，即指那些僅僅是撇兩眼賽事，比起賽程本身更關(guān)心最終比分，更關(guān)注明星球員而不是教練的人。