聽力：北京奧運倒計時

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