2006年VOA标准英语-Italian Olympic Organizers Hope to Make Go

By Parke Brewer¹
Turin
17 February 2006

Cities that host the Olympics hope that people who watch the Games on television will be inspired to visit, and that those who visit will want to return. But as VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer reports from Turin, the surge in tourism during the Olympics is not necessarily beneficial for all local businesses.

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View of Piazza² Solferino, in central Turin  
  

Olympic organizers estimate that about one million people will visit Turin and the nearby mountain venues³ during the Winter Games. But that does not mean that during the Games business is good for everyone.

Skiing is closed to the public in Sestriere where the alpine⁴ events are being staged.

In Cesana, where the bobsled, luge and biathlon competitions are being run, the nearby ski slopes are still open to the public. But little revenue is coming in because there are few skiers enjoying the snow. Most who are there are Italians who are close enough to make the drive for the day.

Ski instructor⁵ Lara Zaccaria told VOA a slow winter season is the price they are paying for hosting the Olympics.

"Here we don't have a lot a business because the hotels are full for the Olympics," she said. "But it is good because it is important for all of Italy and the world and for us. So we think the future will be better."
 
 
Laura Mills
  
The mostly empty ski slopes are a pleasant surprise for Laura Mills, who is here from London to visit family.

"Yeah, we thought it'd be really busy. So it's good for us," Mills said.

The nearby winter resort of Sestriere is full of Olympic visitors. While none are skiing, most are having a great time. Elizabeth Biaett is from the western U.S. state of Utah. She was a volunteer during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and says Italy is doing a great job of hosting the Winter Games.

"It has been incredible. The Italian people have gone out of their way to make things work," she said.

Italian tourism officials such as Mirko Ussegio says this kind of favorable review by the thousands of visitors here, plus the positive media coverage⁶ being broadcast daily to millions around the world, will lead to increased tourism in the future.

"The visibility, the promotion⁷, you can only get that through the Olympics, is something you cant⁸ pay for with any money," Ussegio said.
 

Ray Duncan  
  
South African Ray Duncan made the trip here from England with his British girlfriend to watch the snowboarding competition in Bardonecchia. He is a recreational snowboarder and told VOA he will likely come back.

"I had not been to Italy before and I've now seen the mountains and the ranges around here, and it's really nice, so it would be something that I would consider for my next trip, to come out and see it. The Italians so far have been pretty friendly. So, all good," he said.

That is just the kind of impression Olympics organizers hope to make visitors enjoying themselves so they can spread the word, resulting in a long-term gain for the tourism industry here.

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

3 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

4 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

5 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

6 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

7 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

8 cant   

n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔

参考例句：

• The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
• He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。