万花筒2008-03-10:北京奥运村落成

CNN's John Vause has a look at the newly unveiled Olympic village that will house 16,000 athletes in Beijing

Well, this will be home for 16, 000 athletes and coaches at this year's Beijing Games. Forty-two buildings, it's a sprawling¹ complex in fact, it's the largest Olympics village in Games' history, and designers say this is a showcase of environmental standards, for example, the outdoor lighting² here is powered by solar panels and inside these buildings, the heating and cooling systems used reclaimed³ sewage water from a local treatment plant.  

Now, also inside, these apartments, a privilege denied to the vast majority of Beijing residents drinking water straight from the tap. There's also Internet access, but authorities say that will be subject to the normal heavy government censorship. Athletes will sleep two to a room, and eight to an apartment, and officials deny that there will be a ban on bibles and other religious symbols. In fact, they say they've built what they call a religious service center, and once the Olympics are over and the Para-Olympics are over, all of these apartments will be renovated⁴ and then sold off.  

John Vause, CNN, Beijing. 

WORDS IN THE NEWS     

1. solar panel

A solar panel is a device that collects and converts solar energy into electricity or heat. It transfers energy from the sun into electricity or heat which can be used by (for example) nearby buildings.

2. Para-Olympics : 残疾人奥运会

1 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。