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　　The 2008 Olympics are about to begin in Beijing and excitement is running high among the hundreds of thousands of fans from inside China and around the world. Many visitors are taking advantage of free time between Olympic events to tour some of Beijing's historic sites.
2008年奥运会即将在北京拉开帷幕，中国乃至世界各地的数十万奥运迷们情绪高涨。许多人还利用奥运赛事之间的空闲时间前往北京的各个历史景点观光游览。
It is a steamy morning at Beijing's imperial Summer Palace, a sprawling¹ complex of ancient royal residences and gardens. Already visitors are teeming² through its archways and paddling boats on its misty³ lake.
这是北京一个炎热的早晨。在颐和园这个皇家故居与园林中，游人们已经挤满了拱廊，另一些人则在烟波鳞鳞的昆明湖上泛舟。
Xie Jing Lian, a retired⁴ calligrapher⁵, stoops over a flagstone walk as he draws Chinese characters with a large wet brush. In elegant brushstrokes, he has written 'The Olympics have arrived' on the flagstones.
谢景连(音译)是一名退休的书法家。他弯著腰，用一把巨大的刷子，蘸著水，在石板路上书写汉字。他用遒劲的字体在石板路上写下“奥运会来了”几个大字。
Lian says it is hard to get tickets to Olympic events and there are long lines but the games are good for China.
他说，奥运会赛事的入场券很难买，到处都得排长队，不过，奥运会对中国有好处。
He says the games will help the Chinese economy and will also strengthen relations with other countries. Moreover, he says they will stimulate⁶ Chinese to work harder and help their country.
他说，奥运会有助于中国经济的发展，也会加强与其他国家的联系。他还说，奥运会促使中国人更加努力地工作，为国家作贡献。
Wang Tian Xiu is a smartly dressed lady living in London who has come for the games. She says the authorities in preparing for the games made many improvements, such as new parks and public facilities. And she says the city is much cleaner than before. She acknowledges that a lot of money has been spent but says it is worth it.
王天秀(音译)旅居在伦敦，她穿着时髦，她是特意回中国看奥运的。她说，筹备奥运的有关方面确实作出了很多的改善，修建了新公园和公共设施等。她说，城市比以前干净了很多。她承认政府投入了很多钱，但是这很值得。
"It's a good time for Chinese people to show off to the international world and just to show the people our country has grown big. We have the power to hold the event. We have the power to stand in the international industry. And it's so perfect. I'm very proud to be a Chinese," said Xiu.
她说：“这是中国人民向全世界展示的好机会，告诉别人，我们国家变得强大了。我们有能力主办奥运会。我们有能力立于世界之林。这太棒了，我很骄傲我是中国人。”
In the heart of Beijing, Chu Xia has brought her daughter, Li zi yan, a ruddy-cheeked seven-year-old, to visit the imperial palace complex called the Forbidden City.
在北京市中心，楚霞(音译)正带著她7岁的女儿李子颜(音译)在游览故宫紫禁城。小姑娘有著红扑扑的脸蛋。
She says her daughter was born the year that China won the bid to host the Olympics. She promised then to bring her to the games and now, she says, my dream has come true.
她说：“我们孩子出生的时候是2001年。那时候，孩子出生的时候，我就决定2008年奥运会的时候就到北京来领孩子看看奥运会。中国是2001年7月13号申报成功，所以7年之后，这个愿望终于实现了。”
A tall Lithuanian with a full red beard who calls himself Sekla acknowledges that the Olympics have brought international criticism on issues ranging from the environment to political repression⁷ and human rights. He notes that his country almost boycotted⁸ the games this year because of a crackdown on anti-China protests by independence-minded Tibetans in March.
"I am quite happy that it didn't come out of [like] this. Because our athletes come to show their results, They come here for sport. So I think in this event sport should be number one and then only after through sport put some political pressure or one or other government," said Sekla.
他说：“我很开心，那样的事没有发生。因为我们运动员是来展示成果的，他们来这里是为了体育。因此，我认为在奥运会上，体育是第一位的。然后只有在奥运后，再通过体育向一国政府或他国政府施加一些政治压力。”
Canadian Dave Summers says it is understandable that political protest often accompanies the Olympics.
加拿大人萨默斯说，奥运会经常伴随政治抗议是可以理解的。
"The political side, it's always going to follow because it's such a large event in the world that people look to to get attention. And any large event like this will obviously be a platform for them to get their message across," said Summers. "So it doesn't surprise me there's a lot of different opinions coming out around the world."
他说：“政治总是会尾随而至的，因为这是令全球嘱目的大事件。任何像这样的大事很明显都会成为人们希望其他人了解自己信念的平台。因此，全世界冒出不同的观点和声音，我对此并不感到吃惊。”
Back at the Summer Palace, Xiu, from London, says the international community should understand that China is emerging from centuries of isolation⁹.
来自伦敦的王天秀说，国际社会应当理解中国是在被隔绝了几个世纪后崛起的。
"Every country has its problems at the beginning of the development of its economy. It can't be missed [denied], it's true," added Xiu. "But China is still a developing country at the moment. In the future we definitely can tackle this issue."
她说：“在经济发展初期，任何国家都会遇到问题。这是无可否认的事实。但是，中国目前仍然是发展中国家， 我们将来一定会解决这些问题的。
In an archway, a tall elderly gentleman named Peng Shi Yong is singing a traditional Chinese ballad¹⁰.
在拱廊上，一个叫彭世勇的高个子的老人在唱著中国传统民歌。
He says he was a music teacher who was purged¹¹ during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and sent far away.
He says back then he could not imagine that one day his country would host the Olympics. He says the focus of the Games should on the athletes many of whom have spent their lives preparing for this moment.
他说，在那个时候，他不能想象中国有一天可以主办奥运会。他说，运动员应该是奥运会关注的对象，他们中的许多人毕生都在为这样一个时刻的到来在作准备。