VOA慢速英語:冬奧會在索契開幕

這里是美國之音慢速英語新聞報道。

Millions of sports lovers are thinking about just one thing right now -- the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Close to 2,900 men and women are set to compete in the 2014 Winter Games. The opening ceremonies were held Friday night. The games continue through Sunday, February 23.

成千上萬的體育愛好者現(xiàn)在都在想著一件事--俄羅斯索契冬季奧運會。將近2900位男女運動員將在2014年冬季奧運會展開競爭。開幕式已于周五晚上舉行，這屆奧運會將持續(xù)到2月23日星期天。

The Olympics are bringing a lot of attention to Sochi, a city on the Black Sea. Sochi is a popular area for vacation travelers. The area is known for its mild winters, with warm to hot weather in the summer.

奧運會給索契這座黑海城市帶來了很多關注。索契是一個度假游客的熱點地區(qū)。該地區(qū)以其暖和的冬季，及溫暖到炎熱的夏天而聞名。

At least $50 billion are being spent on the 2014 Winter Games, making it the costliest Olympics in history. Seven billion dollars was spent on the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Olympic officials chose Sochi to host the 2014 games almost seven years ago.

這屆2014年冬奧會至少花費了500億美元，這使得它成為史上最昂貴的奧運會。2010年加拿大溫哥華冬奧會只花了70億美元。奧運官員在將近7年前選擇了索契舉辦2014年冬奧會。

At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the games would cost about $13 billion. Yet the real cost is four times his estimate. So where did all the money go? Many Russians say people involved in the project have taken some of it. One research group found that 38 percent of Russians it spoke with said the Olympics increased the likelihood of corruption.

當時，俄羅斯總統(tǒng)普京表示，這屆冬奧會將花費130億美元左右。然而真正的成本是他估計的四倍。那么錢到哪里去了?許多俄羅斯人表示，項目參與者拿走了一些錢。一個研究小組發(fā)現(xiàn)，38%與他們交談過的俄羅斯人表示，奧運會增加了腐敗的可能性。

Other observers say the high cost is partly the result of security measures. Brian Jenkins is a terrorism expert from the RAND Corporation.

其他觀察人士表示，成本高的部分原因是由于安保措施。布賴恩·詹金斯(Brian Jenkins)是蘭德公司的一位反恐專家。

"There are anywhere between 70,000 and 100,000 policemen and military troops deployed around the city. In addition, we hear reports that Russian authorities are going door to door in Sochi looking for suspects."

詹金斯說，“有7萬到10萬名警察和軍隊部署在城市附近。此外，我們聽到報道說，俄羅斯當局正在索契挨家挨戶搜查嫌疑人。”

The main threat comes from separatist and Islamist groups from the North Caucasus, especially from Chechnya and Dagestan. One group claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Volgograd last December. The attacks killed more than 30 people. The city is only about 600 kilometers away from Sochi.

這屆冬奧會的主要的威脅來自北高加索的分離主義分子和伊斯蘭組織，特別是車臣和達吉斯坦。一個組織聲稱對去年12月伏爾加格勒發(fā)生的兩起爆炸案負責。這兩次襲擊造成30多人死亡。該城市距離索契只有大約600公里。

Bruce Hoffman is a terrorism expert from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He says the increased security makes Sochi a difficult target for terrorists. He says they probably know they cannot get close to those attending the games.

布魯斯·霍夫曼(Bruce Hoffman)是來自華盛頓特區(qū)喬治城大學的一位反恐專家。他說，提高安保使得索契很難成為恐怖分子的目標。他說，恐怖分子可能知道他們無法接近冬奧會參賽者。

"....But they can, and I believe their intention is to, make life difficult for the Russians and to create some sort of incident that takes away from the enjoyment and the sporting spectacular that is the Winter Olympics."

霍夫曼說，“但他們能讓俄羅斯人生活遇到困難，并制造某些事件，帶走冬季奧運會的樂趣和壯觀，我相信這是他們的意圖。”

The last time Olympians from around the world competed on Russian soil was in 1980. That was a year after Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. Sixty countries boycotted the Moscow Summer Games. Thomas de Waal, a British journalist, says President Putin has a lot invested in the Sochi Olympics.

上次世界各地的奧運選手在俄羅斯境內比賽是在1980年，那是蘇聯(lián)軍隊入侵阿富汗一年之后。60個國家抵制了莫斯科夏季奧運會。英國記者托馬斯·德瓦爾(Thomas de Waal)說，普京總統(tǒng)在索契奧運會有很大投入。

"He is a man who, as we know, has made his whole brand about being this man who has put Russia back on the map. He has made Russia strong again, respected again, a place of prestige."

德爾瓦說，“正如我們所知，普京讓俄羅斯重回世界版圖。他使得俄羅斯再次強大，再次獲得尊重及地區(qū)聲望。”

As the games began, protesters were criticizing Russia's treatment of homosexuals. Critics of a Russian law recently demonstrated in 20 cities around the world. They said the law bars nearly all public discussion of homosexuality. President Barack Obama is not sending any top officials to the Sochi Olympics. Instead, the US delegation includes tennis great Billie Jean King and two other openly gay athletes.

隨著冬奧會的開始，示威者一直批評俄羅斯同性戀者的待遇。俄羅斯一部法律的批評者最近在世界各地20個城市示威。他們說，該法律禁止對同性戀幾乎所有的公開討論。奧巴馬總統(tǒng)未派遣任何高級官員到索契。與此相反，美國代表團包括了網(wǎng)球名將比利·簡·金(Billie Jean King)和另外兩位公開的同性戀運動員。