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曼彻斯特联足球俱乐部（Manchester United）考虑通过分发歌词单以及派拉拉队员手举扩音器指挥观众的形式来调动比赛的气氛，后者多见于欧洲大陆的球场上。俱乐部主教练何塞·穆里尼奥（Jose Mourinho）此前说过，曼联主赛场老特拉福德球场（Old Trafford）的观众们“过于安静”。请听报道。

Football songs or chants are mysterious – it's never clear exactly how they begin, but it is obvious when they stop. The sound of silence has been bothering Manchester United. Their manager, Jose Mourinho, recently described the Old Trafford crowd as 'quiet'.

Now United are considering ways to stimulate the atmosphere, with a full update promised in May. A kind of cheerleader with a loudhailer to conduct the crowd is one idea set to be presented to fans. A more radical but apparently less likely option is to hand out lyric sheets to supporters when they enter the stadium.

Some songs can be witty, honed specifically to celebrate a certain player or a moment in a club's history. Others rely more on a hypnotic repetition of syllables 'u-ni-ted', for example. 

The decline in singing maybe explained by changing demographics in football attendance, older supporters, more expensive tickets or by stadium design. All-seater arenas may discourage the instinct to stand up and sing. But the balance is also important.

Under Jose Mourinho, Manchester United have been playing functional but unspectacular football. So, do the fans inspire the players or is it the other way round?

足球场颂歌和助威歌很神秘 — 这类歌曲的真正起源从未被人知晓，但它们成为明日黄花的时日却显而易见。曼彻斯特联足球俱乐部（简称“曼联”）正在因安静的球场气氛而备受困扰。主教练何塞·穆里尼奥（Jose Mourinho）最近称老特拉福德球场的观众们“安静”。

现在，曼联正在考虑用不同的方法活跃现场气氛，并保证会在五月做出全面更新。其中一种展现给球迷们的新方式是：派类似于拉拉队员的工作人员在场内手举扩音器并指挥现场观众唱歌。另一种全然不同却显然不大可能被采用的选择是在球迷进场时分发写有歌词的纸张。

有一些歌曲风趣诙谐，而且特地为庆祝某位球员或某足球俱乐部的历史瞬间而精心编写而成。还有一些歌曲则凭借有催眠作用的重复性音节来达到效果，比如强调俱乐部名称的音节：“u-ni-ted”。

唱足球助威歌这一现象之所以减少，可能是由于看球的特定人群发生了变化，即球迷年龄和票价的增长，也可能是球场设计的影响。全座位式球场也许会抑制人们起身歌唱的本能。不过在变化中找到合适的平衡也很重要。

自从穆里尼奥带领曼联以来，该球队的风格一直注重实用，却趋于平庸。那么，到底是球迷激励了球员还是恰恰相反呢？

1. 词汇表

chants 颂歌，这里指足球球迷们的助威歌
mysterious 神秘的
bothering 让…担心、烦恼
stimulate 使…活跃，助兴
atmosphere 气氛
loudhailer 扩音器、电喇叭
conduct 指挥（合唱）
radical 全新的，与以往完全不同的
witty 机智风趣的
honed 精心编写的
hypnotic 有催眠暗示效果的
demographics（特定的）人群
instinct 本能
functional 实用性的
unspectacular 平庸、没有特色的

2. 阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题 。

1. How has Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, described the sound of fans at a home game?

2. Which idea being proposed is unlikely to be adopted by fans?

3. True or false? Having to sit down may discourage people chanting and singing.

4. What does the reporter mean by "do the fans inspire the players or is it the other way round?"

3. 答案

1. How has Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, described the sound of fans at a home game?
He said they were 'quiet'.

2. Which idea being proposed is unlikely to be adopted by fans?
A more radical but apparently less likely option is to hand out lyric sheets to supporters when they enter the stadium.

3. True or false? Having to sit down may discourage people chanting and singing.
True. All-seater arenas may discourage the instinct to stand up and sing.

4. What does the reporter mean by "do the fans inspire the players or is it the other way round?"
He means singing and chanting from the fans may inspire the players to play better.  But alternatively, if the players played better, it might encourage the fans to sing more.