China welcomes the world

China has waited years for this chance to welcome the world, its country and deliver a powerhouse athletic team onto the Olympic stage.

The slogan for the Beijing Games is “One World One Dream”. The mascots are the Five Friendlies: Beibei the Fish, Jingjing the Panda, Huanhuan the Olympic Flame, Yingying the and Nini the Swallow. The Opening Ceremonies are set for August 8, 2008, at 8:08 p.m. and 8 seconds because, in Chinese culture, the number eight is connected with prosperity and good fortune.

Expect the host country to . Since the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2008 Games to Beijing on July 13, 2001, China has been preparing to climb to the top of the medal stand.

With more than 4,000 sports schools training prospective medalists from a population of more than 1.3 billion, China is giving itself every chance to surpass its rivals.

The Chinese have become a force well beyond their traditional strongholds of diving and table tennis. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, they won nine medals in shooting, eight in weightlifting, five in badminton, five in judo and three in gymnastics. So don't be surprised if China strikes plenty of gold at home.

Scandal watch

Drugs are never far from the Olympic conversation. A record 24 athletes were sent home from the 2004 Olympics for drug violations.

Kostas Kenteris, the Greek men's 200-meter gold medalist in 2000, and training partner Katerina Thanou, the women's 100 silver medalist in Sydney, were suspended on the eve of the Athens Games when drug testers couldn't find them. Kenteris and Thanou later were reported to have been in a motorcycle crash and withdrew from the Olympics.

U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin, the men's 100 gold medalist in Athens, received an eight-year ban last year after a positive test for . Don't be surprised to see other athletes stumble with drug problems.

Vocabulary Focus

showcase （v） ――to show the best qualities or parts of something
　　powerhouse （n） ――a country, organization or person with a lot of influence, ability or energy
　　prospective （adj） ――relating to something likely to happen in the future
　　stronghold （n） ――something that is controlled by a certain group
　　strike gold （n） ――to win a gold medal in a sports competition

Specialized terms

mascot （n）―― 吉祥物 a person, animal or object that represents an organization

中国迎接全世界

为了这个欢迎世界进一步了解他们、展示国力及将一支实力雄厚的体育团队送上奥运舞台的机会，中国已经等了好几年。

北京奥运的口号是“同一个世界，同一个梦想。”吉祥物是5只“福娃”：鱼“贝贝”、大熊猫“晶晶”、奥运圣火“欢欢”、藏羚羊“迎迎”和京燕“妮妮”。开幕盛典定于2008年8月8日晚间8点8分8秒举行，因为在中华文化中，“8”是兴旺和吉利的数字。

主办国可望在奥运的聚光灯下享受属于它的时刻。自“国际奥林匹克委员会”在2001年7月13日将2008年奥运主办权授予北京后，中国即已准备登上领奖台顶端。

中国从13亿多的人口中挑选出有夺牌希望的选手，通过4000多所体育学校加以培训，不放过任何能超越对手的机会。

中国已成为体育强国，优势远超过跳水和乒乓球这些传统强项。在2004年雅典奥运会，中国在射击及举重场上分别囊括9枚及8枚奖章，羽毛球和柔道各赢得5枚，体操项目也摘下3枚。因此如果这次在中国自己的地盘抢下一箩筐的金牌，也不足为奇。

丑闻观察站

禁药话题向来是热门的奥运话题。2004年奥运期间，24名运动员因违反药物规定而打道回府，可说创下纪录。

2000年悉尼奥运会男子200米短跑金牌得主、希腊的柯斯塔兹。肯特里斯，以及同届女子100米银牌得主、也是他的集训伙伴卡特琳娜。塔努，在雅典奥运会前夕因双双未参加药检而被禁赛，后来据说两人发生了摩托车车祸，因而退出奥运。