英语听力精选进阶版 13772

Cashing in on the Olympics?

Summary

22 May 2012

The Olympic torch relay¹ continues its journey around Britain with a host of sporting stars queuing up to carry the torch. It is a great honour to be chosen to carry the flame, though some have seen it as an opportunity to make money too.

Reporter:

Rob Broomby

Report

It's not quite in the Olympic spirit. Before day one of the torch relay was completed, one of the golden symbols appeared for sale online. A torch used on day one is currently² attracting bids on the internet auction³ site, eBay, in excess of $79,000. According to the seller the money will go to regional charities. But what's to stop participants cashing in and pocketing the money themselves? Julia Immonen was awarded her relay place after rowing across the Atlantic with a team of women. She says she can't understand why anyone would want to sell such a prestigious⁴ item. 

One torch is thought to have sold for more than $237,000. Given that the participants were asked to pay just $314 to keep the torches that is quite a profit. A spokesperson for LOCOG - the Olympic organising committee - said the torches were the personal property of the individual runners and it was their choice to do with them as they wanted. She said she only hoped they went to a good home. 

Compared to the controversies⁵ over the scale of commercial sponsorship for London 2012, and the control of the brand, this may be of minor⁶ concern. The torch relay is the moment when the magic and mystique of the Games touches local communities. It is a-once-in-a-lifetime experience and for most people seeing it pass by is enrichment⁷ enough.

1 relay   

n.接力赛，中继转播（设备）；vt.转述，转播

参考例句：

• They will relay your message.他们会转达你的口信。
• This metal tower is used to relay television signals to distant villages.这个金属塔是用于向遥远的村子转播电视讯号的。

2 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

3 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

4 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

5 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

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 enrichment   

n.丰富；改进

参考例句：

• Books are an enrichment of life. 书籍乃充实人生之物。
• The sound of the artillery is always an enrichment to his work. 炮声不停地在给他的工作助兴。