[ti:What Will Russia’s $15 Billion Investment in the World Cup Buy?] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.12]The FIFA World Cup soccer championship in Russia is the most costly ever held. [00:09.49]Officials say the total cost will be $15 billion. [00:17.72]Close to $3 billion has been spent on 12 new or improved stadiums. [00:25.24]At least $8 billion has been spent on infrastructure, [00:30.80]including new roads, railroads and airports. [00:36.16]Now, experts question whether there will be a good return for the Russian taxpayer. [00:44.76]Professor Leonid Grigoryev is an economist at the Analytical Center [00:51.29]for the Government of the Russian Federation. [00:55.48]He offers an unusual answer. [00:59.24]He compares the World Cup to a wedding dress. [01:04.76]"On one hand, it's necessary. It makes everybody happy," Grigoryev told VOA. [01:12.80]"The exact economic efficiency definitely [01:16.96]cannot be defined in American quarterly financial reports. [01:22.84]It's a long-term story. [01:26.20]We still hope to become not only a hockey country, but a football country." [01:33.84]Brazil held the last World Cup in 2014 at an estimated cost of $11 billion. [01:45.12]Four years later, the difference is clear to Brazilian football fans in Moscow [01:53.10]"Comparing Brazil with Russia, [01:56.64]the infrastructure here is much better than ours," [02:01.03]Marcio Pessoa told VOA, as he walked through Red Square. [02:07.52]Russia's $15 billion investment is aimed at improving the country's image, [02:15.08]even as it faces sanctions. [02:18.62]International restrictions were put in place over Russia's activities in Ukraine [02:25.40]and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. [02:31.44]Dmitry Oreshkin is a political expert. [02:35.68]He said Russian President Vladimir Putin [02:39.24]tries to govern as though the sanctions are not important. [02:44.40]"'Despite sanctions, we conduct such a gorgeous World Cup. [02:49.48]Despite sanctions we go ahead with the war in Syria'... [02:54.12]until the very moment that they start feeling that for all this pleasure, [02:59.48]they are paying [for something]," said Oreshkin. [03:03.56]The first to feel the financial difficulty are likely to be [03:08.16]the middle-aged people looking forward to retirement. [03:13.12]On opening day of the World Cup last week, [03:16.60]the government announced an increase in the pension age, [03:21.76]from 60 to 65 for men, [03:25.48]and a much bigger jump for women, from 55 to 63. [03:33.56]Eva lives in Moscow. [03:36.56]The 62-year-old told VOA that most Russians were not surprised. [03:44.00]She said she believed that officials thought [03:47.44]that the championship would ease the effect of the news. [03:53.64]Eva described a joke [03:56.00]that people were telling about the increase in the retirement ago. [04:02.32]"‘Yesterday, I had four years until pension age. [04:06.92]Today, I have nine years. [04:09.56]And they still keep telling us that you can't get your youth back!'" she said. [04:15.60]Russia said the World Cup is partly a gift for its young people. [04:22.44]There is talk of unforgettable memories and new buildings. [04:27.72]The World Cup ends on July 15, [04:31.92]but its value will be measured in the coming years. [04:38.32]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM