Bringing the World Cup to Asia was supposed to expand the reach of the global game in a happy confluence of good will and good business. The action on the pitch has certainly been dramatic, and most fans were thrilled. But less than half way through the month-long tournament, the good will is already wearing thinand business seems relatively slow, with fewer visitors and Cup-related sales than expected. Deeply embarrassed by the image of part-empty stadiums besieged by angry ticket hunters, Japanese prime minister ordered an official investigation into the ticket fiasco. Claiming losses of more than $800,000 per game, Korea's soccer federation even threatened to sue Byrom, the official ticket agent, for failing to print and deliver tickets on time.
Japan and Korea both hoped to score big pointsat home and abroadwith the World Cup. Perhaps it was the memories of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which were considered turning points in their nations' development. Mired in a decade-long slump, Japan longs for anything that might shock its economy back to life. Korea, meanwhile, hopes the Cup will steady its halting recovery from the 1997 Asian financial crisisand help brand it as Asia's most wired nation. Their plan: inject billions of dollars into new facilities, welcome throngs of tourists and for one glorious month showcase their countries to the biggest television audience in world history.
中译英3
有了房子，就想车子，老百姓想法和银行不谋而合。银行在巩固了自己的住房贷款之后，又将目光瞄上了汽车市场。昨天，建行上海分行推出了十大优惠举措，欲在外资非金融机构染指汽车贷款之前，做大自己的汽车贷款。
此前，银行界人士纷纷预测，外资非金融机构进入汽贷市场后，很有可能会在手续简便和贷款利率上做文章，以吸引购车族。因此，建行的十大举措也同样是为了简化手续和提供优惠利率，希望此举能使该行的汽车贷款占个人消费信贷的比重从原来的三成提升至五成以上。
