Athens Passes Olympic Flag to Beijing

 

By Rebecca Ward¹

The summer games in Athens ended with a bang - but not the kind most feared, as in terrorism. No, the bang was a grand finale of fireworks, song and dance, bringing an end to the Olympics' 17 day run. The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens have been declared officially closed.

Unforgettable, dream games. Those were among the closing remarks from International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, who earlier in the day had promised not to repeat his predecessor's oft-heard phrase, these were the best games ever.
He also told reporters that the competition should be about the athletes and not the host cities. Still he gave high praise to Athens. "I've always said I believed there was enough time to finish the preparations in due time. Many did not believe me. Many did not believe the IOC by saying oh you are very nice to the Greeks but you don't believe it yourself. Yes we believed it. We knew [the Greeks] could do it amidst a very strong skepticism and criticism internationally. I think our Greek friends have delivered in a splendid way," he said.
On Sunday, closing ceremonies for the 2004 Olympics officially brought an end to the summer games that had been plagued first by bad publicity², then doping scandals and judging controversies³. But with all of that unpleasantness now behind them, the crowd of 70,000 cheered and applauded throughout the closing ceremonies, roaring with pleasure as the IOC President thanked Athens and Greece in their own language, Efharisto.
The producer described the show as full of joy; of dance and music; of tradition and community. He says Greece has a lot to celebrate. The audience apparently⁴ agreed, paying anywhere from $120 to $900 dollars for the Olympics' grand finale.
Although the Olympics got off to a slow start two-and-a-half weeks ago with sluggish⁵ ticket sales, it made up for it in the final week of the games as ticket sales climbed slightly above expectations.
So, in the end, all the worries about security, completion of the venues⁶ and transportation evaporated in the hot Athens sun almost as soon as the Olympics opened its gates. Acknowledging as much during Sunday's closing ceremonies, IOC President Rogge told the crowd, my dear Greek friends, you won.
Rebecca Ward, VOA News, Athens.
注释:
terrorism 恐怖主义
unforgettable 令人难忘的
International Olympic Committee President 国际奥委会主席
Jacques Rogge 雅克·罗格
predecessor 前任
splendid 极佳的
closing ceremonies 闭幕式
doping 禁用药
scandal 流言蜚语
judge 裁判
controversy 争议
applaud 喝彩
roaring with pleasure 满堂喝彩
Efharisto 谢谢（希腊语）
sluggish 缓慢的
evaporate 降低

1 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

2 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

3 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

6 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网