The month-long party has finished.  Soccer’s World Cup final was played last Sunday in Berlin, Germany.  Italy beat France to become 　soccer’s world champions for the fourth time.  Almost one-third of the world’s population watched the game on TV. So, the FIFA World Cup is the world’s most popular sports tournament.  Why?
    Soccer is the only sport played in every country in the world.  People all over the world enjoy the excitement of soccer. The word “goal” is used by soccer players and fans everywhere.
    Soccer is a tool for communication.  Many soccer players play outside their home country, so they must learn a new country’s language and culture.  They can make new friends in this way, too.  Some soccer players can speak three or four languages.
    Fans use soccer to communicate, too.  Many friendships start when fans meet at soccer games.  People can learn about other languages and cultures through their love of soccer.
　　Do you remember World Cup 2002?  It was very exciting for me because Niigata hosted several games.  Players and fans from Mexico, Croatia, Ireland, Cameroon, England, and Denmark came to Niigata City.  They brought their languages and customs with them, and I enjoyed seeing their colorful flags around Niigata City.  So, even if you don’t like soccer very much, you can still learn a lot about foreign people and places.

month-long（１ヶ月続いた），final（決勝），Berlin（ベルリン）, Germany（ドイツ），Italy beat France（イタリアがフランスを負かした），champion（チャンピオン），for the fourth time（４回目），one-third（３分の１）, population（人口），tournament（試合），excitement（興奮），goal（ゴール）, tool（道具），home country（自国），friendship（友情），host（主催する）, several（いくつかの），Mexico（メキシコ），Croatia（クロアチア）Ireland（アイルランド），Cameroon（カメルーン），Denmark（デンマーク）, colorful（色彩に富んだ），flag（旗），even if〜（たとえ〜でも）