VOA慢速英语-IN THE NEWS - Summer Olympic Games Open in Beijing

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

After seven years of preparations, the Summer Olympic Games have opened in Beijing, China. An opening ceremony and lighting¹ of the Olympic cauldron marked the official start of the games on Friday.

More than ten thousand athletes will compete in the summer games. They will take part in more than three hundred events in twenty-eight sports. About twenty-five thousand members of the media are reporting on the games.
　
China's National Stadium is seen through polluted air in Beijing. Pollution has been a major concern for the Olympic Games

Chinese President Hu Jintao welcomed leaders from around the world to a special celebration meal. He said the Chinese government and people have been fulfilling promises made to the international community when Beijing was chosen to host the games.

However, human rights issues, pollution and the ability of the media to freely report have caused criticism and tension leading up to the Olympics.

China is hoping the criticism will be replaced by excitement for what many believe is the greatest sports event in the world. This year's theme is "One World, One Dream." The idea is to unite the world in the spirit of the Olympics.

China is promising² a safe and peaceful Olympics. The government increased security after a deadly attack on police earlier this week in the far western Xinjiang province.

China has spent more than forty billion dollars on structural³ improvements for the Olympic games. Earlier this week, some people protested the destruction of their homes to make way for new buildings.

There have been many other protests. China expelled two Americans and two British citizens for demonstrating Wednesday near the main Olympic structure. The four members of "Students for a Free Tibet" hung signs calling for freedom in Tibet.

Chinese officials detained three American Christian⁴ human rights activists⁵ Thursday after they protested for a second day in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

In addition, China cancelled a visa for American athlete Joey Cheek hours before he was to leave for Beijing. Mister Cheek has criticized China's support for the Sudanese government and had planned to demonstrate on the issue.

President Bush is expected to discuss human rights issues with Chinese President Hu Jintao when they meet on Sunday. Mister Bush attended the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Another issue surrounding the Olympics in Beijing is air pollution. The city has some of the most polluted air in the world. However, the International Olympic Committee's medical commission chief said the air is not a threat to visitors. Four members of the United States cycling team apologized after wearing protective face coverings when then arrived in the city. Pollution caused the Chinese government to ban more than three million vehicles from roads each day. It also shut down factories during the games.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. You can read and listen to our reports on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》