want to watch the World Cup in peace without the boss over your shoulder? Simple, con him. A British Internet site offered fans an ingenious range of ways to duck out<注2> of work so they can watch games beamed from Japan and South Korea in comfort. The timings of the games, in the early morning or at midday, have posed a dilemma to millions of soccer-mad Britons used to watching games in the evenings or at weekends and desperate to follow England and Ireland's World Cup progress live. The British government has already urged employers to bow to the inevitable<注3> and take a flexible attitude to working hours or set up TV screens. "The last thing we want is the entire workforce taking an announced sickie on the day of a big match," Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said. But British sports' company Umbro was urging fans to take the matter into their own hands. Its Web site www.umbro.com was offering a convincing-looking false sick note signed by a fictitious doctor, F. Albright, to be printed off and taken to work in advance. Alternatively, its "Top Ten Bunk Off Ideas" included such improbable excuses as: "I will be late for work today because I have to pick my uncle up from the train station. He has two bags but only one arm." For another game, a fan might claim: "My dog ate my car keys. We're going to hitchhike to the vet."

　　想躲开老板的监视安心地看世界杯吗？很简单，骗他就是了。英国一个网站为球迷提供了一系列逃避工作的巧妙方法，以便他们能舒舒服服地观看从日本和韩国传送过来的比赛节目。数百万狂热的英国球迷习惯在晚间或周末观看比赛，他们渴望即时了解英格兰队和爱尔兰队在世界杯上的赛况。但由于比赛时间是在清早或是中午，他们面临着左右为难的窘境。英国政府已经敦促雇主们顺应时势，以灵活的态度处理工作时间问题，要么(在办公室)架起电视屏幕。贸易和工业部长帕特丽夏·休伊特说：“我们最不希望发生的事情就是整支劳动大军在有重要比赛的日子集体去休所谓的病假。”不过英国的体育用品公司茵宝却在力劝球迷自己来处理这个问题。其网站www.umbro.com上提供了一张由虚构的医生F·奥尔布赖特签名的、几可乱真的假病假条，球迷可以提前把它打印下来并带去班上。网站也提供了其他选择，其“十大旷工理由”中包括像这样的难以服人的借口：“我今天得晚点来，因为我必须到火车站去接我叔叔。他带了两个包，却只有一只胳膊。”要是想看另一场比赛，球迷还可以这么说：“我的狗把车钥匙给吃了。我们得搭便车去看兽医。”

　　Remarks：英国政府的灵活态度与英人的刻板形象颇不相类，这也说明足球在该国已经是民心所系的头等大事，不只是一项体育运动而已。

　　(图片说明)false sick note from umbro.com/茵宝网站提供的假病假条