Olympic Ticket Sales Brisk, Hours Ahead of Opening Ceremony

 

By Rebecca Ward¹
 
City workers in Athens were putting fresh coats of paints on the concrete barrier along the main road leading to the Olympic Village just days before Friday's opening ceremonies. Tens of thousands of visitors arrive this week for the games, some already armed with passes to the venues² others not. So, after getting off to a relatively³ slow start, Olympic ticket sales are beginning to pick up pace.

Some said it couldn't be done, that Greece was just not up to the momentous⁴ task of hosting the 2004 Olympics. Even some Greeks questioned the wisdom of their government. But now they and a record number of visitors this week are lining⁵ up for tickets.

"I've been staying here for about 20 minutes and - right here. I haven't moved at all," one tourist complained.

Ticket receipts for Tuesday alone topped 89,000 after organizers opened four ticket centers around Athens earlier this week. Lines are long, but the enthusiasm is growing.

"I would like to see tennis, badminton and volleyball…" "It's just once in my life that I would wait maybe an hour, not more. But I won't do it again, so what's the big deal?" another tourist said.

Just a few weeks ago, ticket sales were reported as sluggish⁶ especially among the local population. Now, Athens Olympic officials are hoping sales will exceed expectations by selling at least 70 percent of the available 5.3 million tickets by opening day ceremonies.

Dora Bakoyannis is the Mayor of Athens and one of the driving forces behind the city's bid to host the games.

"I would never say I told you so, but I would say trust the Greeks. They made it," the mayor said.

At a news conference in Athens, Ms Bakoyannis described the games as a new chapter in both Greek and Olympic history.

Rebecca Ward, VOA News, at the Athens Olympics. 注释：
barrier栅栏
momentous 重大的
line up 排队
enthusiasm 热情
tennis 网球
badminton 羽毛球
volleyball 排球
sluggish 缓慢的
exceed 超过
chapter（一）章

 

1 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

2 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

5 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

6 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。