2006年VOA标准英语-Turin Uses Olympics To Showcase Its Transf

By Brian Padden
Turin, Italy
13 February 2006
 
watch Turin report

Turin business district  
  
The Winter Olympic Games have begun, in and around the city of Turin in northern Italy. Every host city hopes that the Olympics will bring some benefit.

As VOA's Brian Padden reports, the stakes are higher for Turin than for many of its predecessors¹.

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Maria Louisa Suraco 
  
During the Olympics thousands of people will visit the beautiful mountains outside of the city of Turin in northern Italy.  Those working in the local tourist industry, like Maria Louisa Suraco, hope visitors will like what they see. "I hope they will ask information and come back to visit us in the summer".

In addition to the visitors, over two billion television viewers will see both the rustic² mountain villages and the historic city of Turin for the first time.   The Olympics, says City Director of Strategic Planning Paolo Verri, is an opportunity to project a modern high-tech³ image that will attract students to its universities and new businesses to the region.
 
 
Paolo Verri, Turin's director of strategic planning
  
"Our hope for the future is to become one of the capitals of knowledge in Europe."

Hosting the Olympics is part of a long-term plan to transform the city after the car manufacturer Fiat⁴, which at one time employed over 150,000 people, closed its operations in Turin. 

Paolo Verri says this historic city, which was the capital of Italy 150 ago, has focused on improving roads and telecommunications lines to secure its future.

"In the next five years we will have the infrastructure⁵ that could connect business culture and leisure very well over Europe.  That's our target for the Olympics."

For the city of Turin, the Olympics is a competition for jobs and investment.

1 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

3 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

4 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。