2006年VOA标准英语-Turin Says It Will Be Ready for Winter Gam

By Sabina Castelfranco
Turin
12 January 2006

Piazza¹ Vittorio square where a new parking area is under construction  
  
With less than a month to go to the opening of the Winter Olympics, the host city, Turin, is making feverish² efforts to complete its facelift on time.   While some things may remain incomplete, the city says it will be ready to put on its best show.

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Workmen are busy in the piazzas³ of Turin. You hear the jackhammers and the electric saws. You see the giant cranes, the scaffolding and the piles of dirt and cobblestones.

Visitors are immediately aware that some big changes have been taking place in this city. It's what the authorities here have been calling "an ambitious urban revolution."

 The airport has undergone a major upgrade to prepare for the large crowds expected to arrive for the 2006 Winter Games. Estimates say one million spectators will attend the events.

But with less than a month to go to the inauguration⁴ of the Games, much still needs to be done. But, even though parts of Turin look like a construction site, the Games organizers say they are confident the city will be ready.

Few people in this industrious⁵ town in northern Italy have doubts.  The least of all Turin's Mayor, Sergio Chiamparino, who says he's pleased with the pace of the preparations.

"It's going well," he said.  "The venues⁶ and the villages are ready. Now we are in the last phase, the phase of the dressing⁷."

The people here, he adds, know this is a very important event for their city.

For residents it's not been an easy four years. Many acknowledge they have been inconvenienced by all the construction work, but say the city is becoming more livable and they are proud to play host to the Winter Games.

This young woman says she is very proud of her city and happy that it is hosting the Games. There have been inconveniences, she adds, but we will overcome them.

Turin is the largest city ever to host the winter Olympics. Visitors will be able to attend sporting events but also sightsee in a city that has much to offer to tourists: the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, the National Museum of Cinema, the Egyptian Museum and fascinating art exhibits.

Turin has never really been on the tourist map, considered by many a dull industrial city in the north. When tourists come to Italy they visit Rome, Florence and Venice. The people of Turin want to change this and know this is an opportunity they cannot miss.

1 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。

2 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

3 piazzas   

n.广场，市场( piazza的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the cities of Italy, piazzas are the acknowledged centers of local activity. 在意大利的城市里，广场是公认的群众活动中心。 来自互联网
• Alleyways wind through the city like a maze, opening up into surprising, sunny fountained piazzas. 小巷子像迷宫一般蜿蜒穿过这座城市，出现在令人惊讶、绚烂的喷泉广场上。 来自互联网

4 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

5 industrious   

adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的

参考例句：

• If the tiller is industrious,the farmland is productive.人勤地不懒。
• She was an industrious and willing worker.她是个勤劳肯干的员工。

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

7 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。