美国国家公共电台 NPR In The Olympic Spirit, Tourists Are Giving Rio Benefit Of The Doubt

In The Olympic Spirit, Tourists Are Giving Rio Benefit Of The Doubt

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

With the Olympics set to start in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, athletes and tourists are flooding the city. NPR correspondent¹ Lulu Garcia-Navarro checked in with some of those visitors.

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, BYLINE²: So you've heard all the bad news - Zika, muggings, dirty water, disorganized venues⁴. But Rio de Janeiro has a secret weapon.

MARIKA BIELEFELD: It's a great city, a big city, wonderful city, beautiful beaches.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Rio de Janeiro simply wows when you first see it. It's epically⁵ gorgeous⁶. Marika Bielefeld is from Holland. And she was waiting in line to go up to see the view on top of Sugarloaf Mountain. It provides an iconic vista⁷ of the sparkling⁸ sea and green mountains of the city. She says she came to Rio despite all the warnings.

BIELEFELD: We just wanted to see the games because we were in London in 2012 and we were so enthusiastic, we said we'd go again.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Just coming down from Sugarloaf are two Americans wearing sports jerseys⁹.

And you guys are athletes or tourists?

COLIN SMITH: We're tourists. Former athletes, though - high school.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: High school. Somehow I just don't think that's the same thing.

SMITH: Yeah, well, you know.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Peter Jorgensen from New York and Colin Smith from Alaska, both 23.

SMITH: Beautiful city. This is our first full day here. Just went up to Sugarloaf. Amazing views. Couldn't be more impressed.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Peter jokes he hasn't been to the beach yet.

PETER JORGENSEN: I'll try to avoid the flesh-eating bacteria or whatever is in the water. So, no, everything's fine here, I think.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Both say they are really excited about Team USA's prospects¹⁰.

JORGENSEN: Yeah, I think, yeah, every American athlete is going to get 10s on everything and nine from the Russian judge. So that's the expectation.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter) All right, there you go. Thank you so much, guys.

SMITH: Thank you so much.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: On the famed Copacabana beach, tourists and residents are flocking¹¹ to take pictures in front of an Olympic rings sculpture on the sand. Adriana Marvelli is a Carioca, as natives of Rio are called. She's living in the States, but she's come back to Rio for the games. And she says she's tired of all the bad press her home city is getting.

ADRIANA MARVELLI: I love Rio. I think there's - what's not to love? There was a personality and a character in town within the people. People are very proud of their spaces and their outdoor areas. And I think that's part of coming here and experiencing that.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Do you think it was a good idea for the Olympics to come to Rio?

MARVELLI: It's about time to come to South America. I know it's not a first world Europe. It's not. But there's a lot of great people living and doing great things in the city.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Outside the main Olympic park, which is 20 miles away from Copacabana, Alan Edge, the team leader for gymnastics Great Britain, had a few complaints. Distances are big. Transportation is really slow. But where it counts, he gave Rio a big thumbs up.

ALAN EDGE: Venue³ is fantastic. Training venues as good as London. And this venue, competition venue, equally good.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes, Rio has had a lot of problems. But getting into the Olympic spirit, many visitors are willing to give this complicated, beautiful city the benefit of the doubt. Lulu Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.

1 correspondent   

n.记者，通信者；adj.符合的，一致的，相当的

参考例句：

• He volunteered as a correspondent for the war.他自愿担任作报道这次战争的记者。
• The result was correspondent with my wishes.结果与我的愿望是一致的。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

4 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

5 epically   

adv.史诗式地，宏伟地

参考例句：

• That74-year span clearly illustrates how consistently, epically bad the Yankees' recent pitching has been. 这74年来显示出洋基投手群的稳定性，也显示出最近投手的状况有多糟。 来自互联网

6 gorgeous   

adj.华丽的，灿烂的，美丽的，宜人的，棒的

参考例句：

• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。
• What a gorgeous day it is today!今天天气多好啊！

7 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

8 sparkling   

adj.发火花的，闪亮的；灿烂的，活泼的；闪闪发光的，闪烁的；起泡沫的v.闪光，闪耀(sparkle的现在分词)

参考例句：

• the calm and sparkling waters of the lake 平静的波光粼粼的湖水
• Other sparkling wines are often considered the poor relations of champagne. 其他起泡的葡萄酒通常被认为较香槟酒为次。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 jerseys   

n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句
• The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

10 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

11 flocking   

n.羊毛屑，棉屑，植绒花纹v.群集，成群结队而行( flock的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Firms are flocking after the government's offer of money to help them move to areas needing industry. 许多公司都想得到政府提供的旨在帮助他们迁向需要工业的地区的资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mournful fancies came flocking on her mind, in crowds. 悲伤的幻想便纷纷涌上她的心头。 来自辞典例句