新闻英语精解【53】2010年冬奥会举办权敲定加拿大温哥华

2010年冬奥会举办权敲定加拿大温哥华
Vancouver bring Winter Games back to Canada in 2010
【参考译文】温哥华赢得2010年冬奥会的举办权

The Canadian city of Vancouver beat off the challenges of South Korea's Pyeongchang and Salzburg of Austria to win the right to stage the 2010 Winter Olympics on Wednesday.
【参考译文】本周二，温哥华战胜对手韩国平城（PYEONGCHANG）和奥地利的萨尔茨堡（SALZBURG）之后赢得了冬奥会的主办权。

【讲解】beat off，To drive away.击退，逐走。the attacker was beat off.进攻者被打退了。

challenge，contest, fight, or competition.挑战、竞争、战斗。和challenge相关的习惯用语很多，常用的有beyond challenge，无与伦比, 无可非议；rise to the challenge
接受挑战, 迎战、迎着困难。

Vancouver, always the favorite, won by taking a narrow majority in the second round of voting by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members against Pyeongchang after Salzburg was surprisingly eliminated in the first round. The relatively unknown Asian candidate had been widely expected to place third in the opening ballot but took Vancouver surpringly close, losing by just three votes -- 56 to Vancouver and 53 to the Koreans.

【参考译文】在第一伦投票中，奥地利的萨尔茨堡即被意外淘汰。温哥华一直是最有希望获胜竞争者，在国际奥委会第二轮投票中以微弱优势击败韩国的平城。不太被看好的亚洲入选城市在开始的投票中排名第三，但在最后却与温哥华的选票非常接近，温哥华为56票，韩国平城获得53票，仅以3票之差落选。

【讲解】favorite 的常用意思是One that enjoys special favor or regard. 受宠的人或物，受到特别喜爱或对待的人或物。而在本文中，它的意思是A contestant or competitor regarded as most likely to win.。最有希望获胜的选手或竞争者。

narrow majority，勉强的多数，也可以说成是by a bare majority以勉强的多数票(当选或通过)。和它相对立的一个习惯说法是overwhelming majority，压倒的多数。

eliminated ，To remove from consideration by defeating, as in a contest. 淘汰通过击败对方而不予考虑，例如在比赛中。

first round，前一单轮；final round，决赛。

ballot，The act, process, or method of voting, especially in secret. 投票投票的行为、过程或方式，尤指只有少数人知道的。作动词用时常与for连用，投票，表决。
The Vancouver delegation erupted in cheering and hooting as IOC president Jacques Rogge announced the result of the vote. Vancouver will bring the Winter Games to Canada for only the second time and the first since 1988 when Calgary staged the event. Canada also staged one Summer Games -- in Montreal in 1976.

【参考译文】在国际奥委会主席罗格宣布投票结果之后，来自温哥华的代表们顿时欢呼雀跃。这是加拿大历史上第二次取得冬奥会的主办权。前两次分别是1988年的加尔加里冬季奥运会以及1976年的蒙特利尔夏季奥运会。

【讲解】erupt，To emerge violently from restraint or limit;，explode.突然发生，爆发。
Violence erupted after the football match. (喻)足球赛后发生了暴力行为。

hoot，To make a loud raucous cry, especially of derision or contempt. 大声叫嚣发出沙哑的大叫，尤指表讥讽或轻蔑。也可以理解为狂笑的意思。not care a hoot，毫不在乎 (= not care two hoots)。