VOA标准英语2010年-London Begins Two-Year Countdown to 20

Sports stars and politicians are in London to tour the Olympic Park construction site, where in exactly two years athletes from around the world will compete in the 2012 Games.  Despite cost concerns, British authorities say they are ahead of schedule and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has indicated its satisfaction with the city's progress. 

Within sight of the skyscrapers¹ of central London lies what organizers claim is the biggest building site in Europe.  Thousands of construction workers are toiling² away across a swath of the eastern suburb of Stratford, and in their midst are emerging the shells of spectacular stadiums.  This is the London 2012 Olympic Park.

In two years, the Olympic flame will be lit in the main stadium as athletes from an estimated 205 countries parade for the opening ceremony of the 30th Olympiad.

To mark the countdown, one of the world's most successful athletes took a tour of the stadium to the thrill of local spectators.

Michael Johnson
American sprinter³ Michael Johnson, the winner of four Olympic gold medals, says that for competitors, the two-year milestone⁴ will focus the mind.

"It is easy to get caught up in the training so much and this is a great reminder⁵ of what they are training for, this special moment in two years' time," said Johnson.

It is not just a milestone for the athletes.  London is beginning to gear itself up for 2012.  The venues⁶ are taking shape; from the dramatic waveform of the Olympic pool, where athletes like Michael Phelps will be going for gold; to the futuristic shell of the basketball stadium and the dramatic outline of the velodrome, where one of Britain's biggest medal hopes will compete, cyclist Chris Hoy.

British cyclist Chris Hoy
"Straight away you can imagine yourself in here racing⁷ on the big day with the place packed out and you do get a bit of a tingle⁸ up the spine," said Hoy.

But the facilities have come at a huge cost.  The budget for the Games is $14.5 billion, nearly three times the original estimate when London bid to host the Olympics.  The government now says the Olympics will not be immune from current spending cuts, but says major projects will not be affected⁹.

Reporter Patrick Lane of The Economist¹⁰ newspaper says by any measure, the bill is too high.

"It was presented as 2 things - both as a sporting festival and as a regeneration project," said Lane.  "And whichever way you look at it, it's an expensive way of doing either. For example you probably wouldn't build an 80,000 seat stadium and then scale it back to whatever it's going to be in its post-Games use if you were thinking solely¹¹ about regeneration."

As Deputy Chair of the London 2012 Organizing Committee, Keith Mills disagrees.   He is talking up London's progress at a ceremony to mark the countdown in London's St. Pancras international station, where high speed trains will run to and from the Olympic Park as well as through the Channel Tunnel to Europe.

"At a time when economically around the world it is really tough, I think one of the things that is going to stimulate¹² this country and perhaps take us out of recession is going to be the Games in 2012," said Mills.

Londoners are not letting financial concerns overshadow the excitement of the buildup.  Polls show three-quarters of the city's residents now support the Games, an increase from when London won the bid.

The final bill may be huge, but the Games organizers claim the 2012 Olympics will re-energize London and the city should be proud to host the greatest sporting show on Earth.
 

1 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

2 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

3 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网

4 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

5 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

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 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

8 tingle   

vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动

参考例句：

• The music made my blood tingle.那音乐使我热血沸腾。
• The cold caused a tingle in my fingers.严寒使我的手指有刺痛感。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

11 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

12 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。