The Olympic sinkhole.docx

1、The Olympic sinkholeThe Olympic sinkhole”本文选自华盛顿邮报5月18日中一篇名为 “The Olympic sinkhole” 的文章。文章以近期大热的巴西奥运会困境为话题，援引两位科学家最新的研究，指出举办奥运会并不像人们想象得那么光鲜，随着经济增速放缓，承办奥运会风光不再，甚至从经济角度看承办奥运会已然成为“赔钱买卖”。文章中作者剖析了奥运经济背后的原因，并在结尾提出解决之道。希望读者能对体育金融方面的相关热点有所了解，积累相关词汇。原文I Brazil cant seem to catch a break. Its suffering the wo

2、rst economic slump in decades; its president may be thrown out of office; its contending with the Zika virus.Now, to add to these indignities, come the huge subsidies to pay for this summers Olympics. The costs exceed $10 billion, with only a fraction to be covered by revenue from the Games.II Once

3、upon a time, hosting the Summer or Winter Olympics was considered a national trophy and global status symbol. Sure, costs were high, but with rapid economic growth, they seemed bearable. No more. Hosting the Olympics has become a financial sinkhole, made less attractive because economic growth and t

4、ax revenue have slowed. By one estimate, Russias Sochi Winter Olympics cost $51 billion. The estimated price tag for Beijings 2008 Summer Olympics was $45 billion. These expenses dwarf the income from television rights, tickets and licensing sales.III We know this because a recent paper by two econo

5、mists Robert Baade of Lake Forest College and Victor Matheson of College of the Holy Cross has reviewed public data and scholarly studies of recent Olympics. “In most cases the Olympics are a money-losing proposition for host cities,” they write in the spring issue of the Journal of Economic Perspec

6、tives. Costs are high in part because the International Olympic Committee imposes stiff demands on cities that host the games. These include an Olympic Village capable of housing at least 15,000 athletes and officials, as well as 40,000 hotel rooms (Rio de Janeiro had to construct 15,000 rooms). Aft

7、er 9/11, security costs also soared. In 2000, they were $250 million for the summer Sydney Games; by the 2004 Athens Games, they had climbed to $1.6 billion and “have stayed near that figure.”IV For the Olympics to make financial sense, Baade and Matheson argue, the short-term and long-term economic

8、 benefits have to fill the gap between immediate costs and revenue. But their review of academic studies, including some of their own, reveals that this is rarely the case.V One purported benefit is a construction boom, as cities build stadiums and swimming pools as well as hotels. In reality, say B

9、aade and Matheson, this construction often substitutes for other projects that are crowded out or postponed.Tourism poses the same problem. Many visitors come for the Games, but others stay away to avoid the crowds. For the 2012 London Games, visitors to the United Kingdom dropped 6 percent from a y

10、ear earlier. Long-term benefits are also skimpy,because the new stadiums are often unneeded once the Games are over. “Beijings iconic Birds Nest Stadium has rarely been used since 2008 and has been partially converted into apartments,”The increasingly expensive Olympics have a harder time attracting

11、 bidders. For the 2022 Winter Olympics, four cities (Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow and Munich) dropped out. For the summer 2024 Games, two cities Boston and Hamburg withdrew.There are ways to control costs. One idea is to designate a permanent site or several sites that would be reused. But does the world

12、 have the will to do something so obvious?“The Olympic sinkhole “By Robert J. Samuelson May 18 at 11:51 AM词汇短语1. economic slump 经济下滑 2. indignity ndgnti n.轻蔑、侮辱 3. fraction frkn n. 一小部分4*.trophy trfi n. 胜利、奖杯5.sinkhole skhl n. 污水池6.television rights 电视转播权7. proposition prpzn n. 命题，建议8. stiff stf adj

13、. 严厉的，僵硬的9. soar s:(r) v. 高飞、高涨10. substitute sbsttju:t v.代替11. convert kn v:t v. 使转变12. withdrew wdru:v.收回，撤出13. permanent p:mnnt adj.永久的14. postpone pspn v.推迟注：标*号为超纲词翻译点评I Brazil cant seem to catch a break. Its suffering the worst economic slump in decades; its president may be thrown out of offi

14、ce; its contending with the Zika virus.Now, to add to these indignities, come the huge subsidies to pay for this summers Olympics. The costs exceed $10 billion, with only a fraction to be covered by revenue from the Games.翻译：巴西似乎连口气都没法喘了。该国正遭遇几十年来最为严重的经济下滑；国家总统可能遭到罢黜；再加上寨卡病毒的担忧。现在，不算这些丢脸的事情，又来了今年夏季奥

15、运会的补贴问题。此次盛会的支出高达100亿美元，赛会收入只能支付极小的一部分。点评：I 段开门见山，通过巴西奥运会窘境，引出文章探讨主题：奥运会经费问题。句介绍今年奥运会主办国巴西正面临一系列窘境：金融危机、总统下台、寨卡病毒。“cant seem to catch a break”形象说明巴西现在正处于一种焦头烂额的状态，无暇应对。句自然引出话题：奥运会经费问题。 句指出，在种种问题之上，还有另一个问题更让巴西丢脸：奥运会经费补贴问题，“indignities”代指一系列令巴西喘不过气来的麻烦。句说明矛盾：小小的赛会收入（revenue from the Games）根本不足以支付（only

16、 a fraction）巨额的开支（The costs exceed $10 billion），鲜明的对比凸显了问题矛盾的核心：举办奥运会收入微薄但开销巨大。暗示这一花销给主办国造成了巨大的压力。II Once upon a time, hosting the Summer or Winter Olympics was considered a national trophy and global status symbol. Sure, costs were high, but with rapid economic growth, they seemed bearable. No more

17、. Hosting the Olympics has become a financial sinkhole, made less attractive because economic growth and tax revenue have slowed. By one estimate, Russias Sochi Winter Olympics cost $51 billion. The estimated price tag for Beijings 2008 Summer Olympics was $45 billion. These expenses dwarf the incom

18、e from television rights, tickets and licensing sales.翻译：曾几何时，举办夏季奥运会是国家胜利，赢得国际地位的象征。的确，举办一场奥运会的费用很高，但是在经济高速发展的时候，这样的费用似乎还是可以接受的。但是奈何盛况不再。由于经济增长和财政收入增加放缓，举办奥运会如今已经变成了经济的阴沟。据一项估计俄罗斯索契冬奥会花费高达510亿美元。北京夏季奥运会则花费了450亿美元。而电视转播权、门票及许可证收入在这个数字之下显得微不足道。点评：II段今昔对比，说明奥运会曾经是一时荣耀，但是在今日经济形势走弱的情况下，已经成了巨大的负担。句回忆过去情形

19、，举办奥运会曾经是国家的荣耀。句sure让步指出，虽然主办奥运会费用很高，但是在经济快速增长时期（with rapid economic growth），这样的费用还是可以承受的（seemed bearable）。句突出说明这种情况已经不再有了。句例证句。说明举办奥运会已经成为经济的阴沟，“sinkhole阴沟、臭水沟”一词有很强的贬义，形象说明当下举办奥运会不再是各国争相为之的利好，而是如臭水沟一般避之不及的烫手山芋。Because引出原因：经济增长和财政收入增加放缓。句列举俄罗斯索契冬奥会和北京奥运会的数据说明：举办奥运会花销巨大，而其他收入（television rights, tick

20、ets and licensing sales），在这一花销之下显得微不足道，“dwarf”意为“make appear small by comparison”，显得十分矮小，直言举办奥运会收支难以相抵的矛盾。III We know this because a recent paper by two economists Robert Baade of Lake Forest College and Victor Matheson of College of the Holy Cross has reviewed public data and scholarly studies of r

21、ecent Olympics. “In most cases the Olympics are a money-losing proposition for host cities,” they write in the spring issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives. Costs are high in part because the International Olympic Committee imposes stiff demands on cities that host the games. These include a

22、n Olympic Village capable of housing at least 15,000 athletes and officials, as well as 40,000 hotel rooms (Rio de Janeiro had to construct 15,000 rooms). After 9/11, security costs also soared. In 2000, they were $250 million for the summer Sydney Games; by the 2004 Athens Games, they had climbed t

23、o $1.6 billion and “have stayed near that figure.”翻译：由于近期两位经济学家森林湖学院的罗伯特贝阿德以及圣十字学院的维克多曼德森整理了关于奥林匹克运动会的资料和研究，让我们知道了这一事实。“很多时候对于主办国来说，奥运会都是一个赔钱的项目。”他们在经济视野杂志上发表的文章中提到。由于国际奥委会对主办城市有十分严格的规定，所以导致承办成本十分高昂。这些要求里包括建设至少能够容纳15000位运动员和官员的奥运村并提供40000个酒店房间（里约热内卢不得不为此建造了15000个酒店房间）。911恐怖袭击以后，反恐成本也水涨船高。2000年悉尼夏季奥运

24、会花费2亿5000万美元，而到了2004年雅典奥运会，成本陡然上涨至16亿美元并“一直保持高位”。点评：III段援引最新的研究指出，主办奥运会的确是个“赔钱的买卖”。援引两位经济学家的研究，说明主办奥运会是个赔钱项目（a money-losing proposition for host cities），句例证观点。句说明由于国际奥委会的硬性规定，导致成本十分高昂。stiff意为“rigidly formal ，incapable of or resistant to bending”，僵硬的，无法变通的，暗示这一规定太过严苛，十分不合理。“impose”意为“compel to behave

25、 in a certain way”，强加、强行要求，也凸显了主办国为了完成国际奥委会规定的指标的无奈。句具体说明对承办奥运会城市一些要求：提供足够的酒店房间，并举出巴西的例子：不得不（had to）兴建15000个房间。句从时间角度说明举办奥运会成本近年来陡然上涨(climbed to)的事实。IV For the Olympics to make financial sense, Baade and Matheson argue, the short-term and long-term economic benefits have to fill the gap between imme

26、diate costs and revenue. But their review of academic studies, including some of their own, reveals that this is rarely the case.翻译：对于奥运会是否能够收回成本，贝阿德和曼德森称，短期和长期的经济效益也许会填补即期花销和收入的鸿沟。但是他们翻阅了许多学术研究，包括他们自己的一些研究，发现这种例子少之又少。点评：段从经济效益（economic benefits）角度探讨得出结论：主办奥运会收支矛盾仍然严峻。句指出两位经济学家关注了主办奥运会短期和长期的经济效益（sho

27、rt-term and long-term economic benefits），这里矛盾的双方分别为cost (支出)vs. revenue（收入），其矛盾被比喻为巨大的鸿沟（gap），需要短期和长期的经济效益来填补。句转折词but指出，经过研究，能够填补鸿沟的情况，少之又少（rarely the case）。V One purported benefit is a construction boom, as cities build stadiums and swimming pools as well as hotels. In reality, say Baade and Mathes

28、on, this construction often substitutes for other projects that are crowded out or postponed.Tourism poses the same problem. Many visitors come for the Games, but others stay away to avoid the crowds. For the 2012 London Games, visitors to the United Kingdom dropped 6 percent from a year earlier. Lo

29、ng-term benefits are also skimpy,because the new stadiums are often unneeded once the Games are over. “Beijings iconic Birds Nest Stadium has rarely been used since 2008 and has been partially converted into apartments,”翻译：一个可能的好处是建筑业蓬勃发展，因为奥运会期间会兴建场馆泳池和旅馆。但是实际上，贝阿德和曼德森称，这些建筑通常会被其他被挤掉或者推迟的建筑项目替代掉。旅游

30、业也有同样的问题，许多游客慕名前来观看比赛，但也有一些游客由于害怕拥挤避而远之。2012年伦敦奥运会期间，其游客量较上年同比下降了6%。而长期收益同样微不足道，因为一旦奥运会闭幕，新建场馆便极少使用。北京地标性建筑“鸟巢”主体育馆在2008年之后便极少使用，并且部分被改建成了公寓。点评：V段从建筑和旅游两个方面的经济效益，分析主办奥运会的经济效益。句由理想状态和现实情况的对比指出，在建筑业方面，理想状态下奥运会会促进建筑业蓬勃发展（construction boom），但是事实上“In reality”引出现实情况的鲜明对比：奥运会场馆的建筑最终会被其他推迟的项目代替，最终没有产生任何实际效益

31、。“substitutes”意为“代替”。句指出旅游业也面临同样的问题，突出奥运会对旅游业是把双刃剑：游客慕名而来观看比赛（Many visitors come for the Games）vs.游客躲避拥挤避而远之（stay away to avoid the crowds）。句例证上文研究结论。句说明伦敦奥运会期间游客数量下降的事实，说明北京奥运会主场馆“鸟巢”使用状况堪忧。两句共同说明了主办奥运会长期经济效益堪忧（Long-term benefits are also skimpy），“skimpy”意为“containing little excess”，小的，不够用的，直言主办奥运会

32、收益甚微。The increasingly expensive Olympics have a harder time attracting bidders. For the 2022 Winter Olympics, four cities (Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow and Munich) dropped out. For the summer 2024 Games, two cities Boston and Hamburg withdrew.There are ways to control costs. One idea is to designate a permanent site or several sites that would be reused. But does the world have the will to do someth