东京奥运延期,代价有多大?
【新冠疫情的阴影笼罩下,各大体育赛事相继停摆,备受瞩目的2020年东京奥运会也未能幸免。本周,东京奥运被正式推迟至明年,成为了史上首届延期举行的奥运会。】这一决定会给东道主日本带来什么影响?又将波及哪些其它领域?一起来听今天的课程讲解。
【I.O.C. and Japan Agree to Postpone Tokyo Olympics国际奥委会和日本同意推迟东京奥运会】
A week ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, were promoting the Summer Olympics in Tokyo as the balm the world needed to show victory over the coronavirus pandemic.
一周前,日本首相安倍晋三和国际奥委会主席托马斯·巴赫还在宣传东京夏季奥运会,称世界人民需要这样的慰藉,来昭示新冠大流行被打败。
On Tuesday, the virus won out.
然而这周二,病毒胜出。
Bach and Abe bowed to a groundswell of resistance — from athletes, from sports federations, from national Olympic committees, from health experts — and formally postponed the Games, which had been scheduled to begin in late July, until 2021.
来自运动员、体育联合会、各国奥委会和卫生专家高涨的反对呼声,迫使巴赫和安倍做出让步,正式宣布将原定于7月下旬开幕的奥运会推迟到2021年。
The decision became all but inevitable after the national Olympic committee in Canada announced on Sunday that it was withdrawing from the Games, and Australia’s committee told its athletes that it was not possible to train under the widespread restrictions in place to control the virus.
这一决定几乎是不可避免的,鉴于加拿大国家奥委会已在周日宣布将退出东京奥运会,澳大利亚奥委会也告知本国运动员,在病毒防控的诸多限制性措施下,无法进行训练。
At a time when Japan’s economy is already stumbling, the delay of the Olympics could deal a serious blow. In a report early this month, Nikko Securities projected that a cancellation of the Games would erase 1.4 percent of Japan’s economic output.
日本经济已然举步维艰,这个时候推迟奥运会可能会造成严重打击。日兴证券本月初的一份报告预计,取消奥运会将使日本经济产出减少1.4%。
The complications will ripple beyond the Games themselves. The international governing bodies for track and field and swimming, for example, planned to hold world championships in 2021 and will have to work with their athletes and host cities to possibly reschedule those events.
复杂的影响将超出奥运会本身。例如,国际田径和游泳管理机构原本计划在2021年举行世界锦标赛,如今将不得不和参赛运动员及主办城市协商,可能会重新安排这些赛事的时间。
【重点词汇】
1. International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) 国际奥林匹克委员会(简称国际奥委会)
2. postpone /pəʊs(t)ˈpəʊn/ vt. 延期,推迟(put off)
词根pon表示 放(put)
前缀post- 表示 在……后面(after)
post-modern adj. 后现代的
post-war adj. 战后的
【词义辨析:】
postpone:推迟、延迟(在感情色彩上是中性的,通常它的主语是人,是人主动做出来的动作)
delay:延误(主语通常是某个客观原因,表示在不情愿的情况下,被耽搁了,被打乱了节奏)
3. promote vt. 宣传,推介
promote …(A) as…(B)
(B)作为……被推介/宣传
promotion n.
4. balm /bɑːm/ n. 慰=consolation=solace
as the balm 当作慰藉
【拓展】 lip balm 润唇膏
tiger balm 老虎牌止痛膏(虎标万金油)
essential balm 清凉油,风油精
【拓展】
healing adj. 治愈的,有复原作用的
soothing adj. 缓解疼痛的,减轻创伤的
『Sth. has a healing/soothing power.
某物有着宽慰人心/治愈的力量。』
eg:Art can be a balm to the soul.
艺术可以是灵魂的慰藉。
Laughter is a balm for difficult times.
在困难的时候,笑声是一种慰藉。
The Consolations of Philosophy 《哲学的慰藉》
5. Bach US /ba:k/ UK /ba:k/ n. (人名)巴赫(国际奥委会主席)
Bach 这一名字来源于德语,在德语中的读音为/ba:h/,在英语中也常常会将结尾的-ch 发成/k/的音,读作/ba:k/。
6. win out 获胜,赢了(文中含讽刺意味)
【短语】show victory over sth 昭示sth被打败
Beijing wins/won out. 北京赢了。
7. resistance /rɪˈzɪstəns/ n. 抵制,反抗
8. a groundswell of sth. (群体情绪的)迅速高涨
groundswell n. 地面隆起,涌浪;(尤指群体性的)情绪高涨
swell 膨胀
【拓展】a groundswell of support 支持的呼声
a groundswell of concerns 担忧之声骤起
a groundswell of certain sentiments 某种情绪的高涨
a groundswell of anti-war sentiments 反战情绪的高涨
a groundswell of nationalistic sentiments 民族主义情绪的高涨
9. bow to sth. 听从于某事,顺从于某事
bow vi. 鞠躬
submit/yield to sth. 屈服于某事(程度更强)
10. inevitable /ɪˈnevɪtəbə/ adj. 不可避免的,势必会发生的
11. all but 几乎(almost)
12. after conj. 随着,鉴于
13. withdraw from 退出
14. in place 适当,适当的;在恰当的位置;运行当中的,正在生效的
15. stumble /ˈstʌmbəl/ (财经文章高频词)
vi.(走路)踉跄,踌躇,蹒跚;失足;犯错(walk unsteadily)
vt.使…困惑;使…绊倒
v.(宏观经济的)举步维艰,(股票市场的)动荡;
16. deal a blow 造成打击,形成冲击
deal a blow to sth. 对……造成冲击
The new regulations have dealt a fatal blow to the stock markets.
新的规定对股票市场造成了致命的打击。
17. project vt. 预测(predict)
名词读作/ˈprɒdʒɛkt/,动词读作/prəˈdʒɛkt/
v.计划,预计;(以某方式)呈现;投映,突出
18. erase vt. 消除
eraser n. 橡皮
19. complication /ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃən/ n. 复杂的情况
20. ripple /ˈrɪpəl/ vi. 扩散(spread)n. 细浪,涟漪(small waves)
ripple beyond=spread beyond 超出
21. at a time when...
22.securities n.[金融] 有价证券;担保;抵押物;保证人
23.governing body 管理机构
24.track and field 田径;田径赛
25. championship n.锦标赛;冠军称号;冠军的地位
world championships 世界锦标赛
champion n.冠军;拥护者;战士
26. host city 主办城市