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Catch up on① the Beijing Winter Olympics
Summary of the Beijing Winter Olympics
Chinese 17-year-old snowboarder Su Yiming made history by winning a silver medal in the men’s slopestyle② final with 88.70 points at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics last Monday. Su scored the best result in the history of the slopestyle competition for the Chinese team by winning the silver medal. It was also the second medal for China at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Short-track speed skater Ren Ziwei won gold in the men’s 1,000 meters, the host country’s second gold after China won its first gold in the mixed team relay short-track speed skating. With International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach’s applause and the cheering of flag-waving audience, China’s 18-year-old freestyle skier Gu Ailing, also known as Eileen Gu, with hands on her head and a look of excitement, was crowned as the champion of Women’s Freeski Big Air③ final. (The Global Times)
On February 7, in the men's slope steeplechase final of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Su Yiming, a 17-year-old Chinese snowboarder, won the silver medal with 88.70 points, creating history. Su Yiming's silver medal was the best in history for the Chinese team in the slope obstacle course and the second medal won by the Chinese team at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Short-track speed skater Ren Ziwei won the gold medal in the men's 1,000m event, the second gold medal in the short-track speed skating mixed team relay after the organizer China won the first gold medal. China's 18-year-old freestyle skier Gu Ailing won the final of the freestyle ski women's big jump – thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), applauded it, the audience raised the national flag and cheered, and Gu Ailing was very excited with his hands on his head.
【Notes】
(1) Catch up on: to find out about (things that have happened)
② slopestyle: [ˈsləʊpˌstaɪl] n. a winter sport in which athletes ski or snowboard down a course including a variety of obstacles including rails, jumps and other terrain park features 坡面障碍技巧
③ Big Air: a sports discipline where the competitor rides a vehicle, such as a motocross motorcycle, a skateboard, a snowboard, or a pair of skis, down a hill or ramp and performs aerial tricks after launching off very large jumps 大跳台
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(Credit: olympics.com)
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Ottawa is under a state of emergency
Ottawa is in a state of emergency
Ottawa police have said “volatile①” and “determined” demonstrators remain in Canada’s capital after nearly two weeks of a trucker-led anti-vaccine mandate protest. Ottawa is under a state of emergency after protesters blockaded② the city centre with trucks and cars. The so-called Freedom Convoy began on 9 January in western Canada, as truckers protested against a rule that requires them to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to cross the US-Canada border. The demonstrations have morphed③ to include anger at Covid restrictions and at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government generally. Though the rally has been mostly peaceful, police have expressed concern about extremist rhetoric④ coming from far-right groups among the protesters. As well as reported racial and homophobic⑤ abuse, one individual danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. (BBC)
Police in Canada's capital, Ottawa, said the protests, led by truck drivers against mandatory vaccination orders, had lasted nearly two weeks and that there were still "grumpy" and "determined" demonstrators in Ottawa. The city is currently in a state of emergency after protesters blocked the streets of downtown Ottawa with trucks and cars. The so-called "free motorcade" movement began on Jan. 9, starting in western Canada, when truck drivers protested against government regulations that truck drivers crossing the U.S.-Canada border must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Today, the demonstrations have developed into restrictive measures against COVID-19, and even generally against the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Although the rally was mostly peaceful, police expressed concern about extreme rhetoric from far-right groups among protesters. In addition to the already reported verbal abuses against race and homosexuality, there was a man dancing at the tomb of an unknown soldier in front of canada's National War Memorial.
① volatile: [ˈvɒlətaɪl] adj. tending to erupt into violence 暴躁的
② blockade: [blɒˈkeɪd] vt. to obstruct, block up or off 阻塞，阻断
③ morph: [mɔːf] vi. to change 变化
④ rhetoric: [ˈretərɪk] n. the language or discourse characteristically associated with a particular subject, concept, or set of ideas 言论
⑤ homophobic: [ˌhəʊməˈfəʊbɪk] adj. having or showing dislike towards gay people, or treating them unfairly 反同性恋的
(Credit: EPA)
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Australia to reopen to vaccinated international travelers
Australia will reopen its borders to international travelers who have been vaccinated
Australia will open its borders to fully vaccinated international travelers from late February, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last Monday after a meeting of the government’s national security committee. “The National Security Committee and (sic) Cabinet① has decided today that Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on the 21st of February,” Morrison said, speaking outside parliament in Canberra. Australia, which has been closed to most travelers since early 2020, has been slowly easing its restrictions since November through travel programs with New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. Currently, citizens, permanent residents and their families, along with international students, backpackers② and migrant workers are allowed entry into the country though they must show proof of having two doses of an approved vaccine. (CNN)
On Feb. 7, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced after a meeting of the government's National Security Council that Australia would open its borders to fully vaccinated international travelers. "The Cabinet's National Security Council decided today that Australia will reopen its borders on 21 February for holders of the remaining types of visas." Morrison said outside Parliament in Canberra. Australia has closed its borders to most travellers since the beginning of 2020, and the country has slowly eased travel restrictions through travel programs with New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan since last November. Currently, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families, along with international students, backpackers and migrant workers, are allowed to enter Australia, but they must show proof of two doses of approved vaccination.
(1) The National Security Committee and (sic) Cabinet: Should be The National Security Committee of Cabinet.[ The original text of CNN is wrong, so it is marked in English with sic.
② backpacker: [ˈbækpækə(r)] n. a person who travel on holiday carrying your equipment and clothes in a backpack 背包客
Australia implemented some of the world’s strictest border controls during the pandemic
(Credit: Getty Images)
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Madagascar death toll from Cyclone Batsirai nears 100
Cyclone Bazire killed nearly 100 people in Madagascar
The death toll from the cyclone that struck Madagascar has risen to almost 100 and the figure is likely to climb further as the devastation caused begins to emerge. One district on the island’s southeast coast lost at least 60 people who were crushed in their flimsy① homes or drowned in flooding when Cyclone Batsirai, categorised as “an intense tropical cyclone”, swept through. “It’s devastation here,” an MP said. “Most of the victims died after their homes collapsed.” Batsirai hit the agricultural eastern coast, moving inland and ravaging the central “breadbasket②” only weeks before the harvesting of rice, fruit and vegetables. (The Times)
Madagascar has struck cyclones and the death toll has risen to nearly 100, a number that is likely to climb further as the damage caused by the cyclone begins to manifest. When Cyclone Bazire swept across the island, vulnerable houses in a region along the southeast coast collapsed and flooded, and people were either buried under their houses or drowned in the water, and at least 60 people died. One mp said: "It's all destroyed. Most of the victims were crushed to death in their homes when the house collapsed. After attacking the agricultural areas of the eastern coast, Bazire marched inland, destroying the central "granary area" – in fact, in just a few weeks, rice, fruits and vegetables could be harvested.
① flimsy: [ˈflɪmzi] adj. badly made and not strong enough for the purpose for which it is used 粗制滥造的
(2) breadbasket: [ˈbredbɑːskɪt] n. a region of a country, continent, etc., that is notable for producing wheat or other cereals in large quantities
(Credit: Reuters)
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£740,000 painting is ruined after ‘bored’ security guard draws eyes on faceless figures
"Boring" security guards painted eyes on faceless figures, and famous paintings worth £740,000 were destroyed
A painting worth £740,000 has been destroyed after a ‘bored’ security guard drew eyes on faceless figures depicted in the artwork at a Russian gallery. Two visitors enjoying an art exhibition called ‘The World as Non-Objectivity. The Birth of a New Art’ at the Yeltsin Center spotted the extra details to two of the three figures on the 1930s painting on December 7 last year. The painting, which was on loan from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, was damaged by the security guard after he is said to have become bored on his first day. He has since been fired. Police have now opened an investigation for vandalism①, which comes with a £395 fine and a one-year correctional② labour sentence. The painting is being restored, and the damage can be eliminated without any long-term damage to the artwork. (Daily Mail)
A "boring" security guard at a Russian exhibition hall painted the eyes of a faceless figure depicted in a work, and the £740,000 painting was destroyed. On December 7 last year, two visitors visited the art exhibition "The World of Non-Objectivity: The Birth of a New Art" at the Yeltsin Center and found that two of the three figures in the 1930s painting had new details. The painting was loaned by the Russian State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. It is said that the security guard involved was bored on the first day of work, so he made the above move, and the result was that the painting was destroyed. After the incident, the security guard was dismissed. Police have now opened an investigation into the crime of vandalism of public property, which could result in a fine of £395 and a year of re-education through labor. The destroyed painting is being repaired, the defacement can be removed and does not have any long-term effect on the painting.
① vandalism: [ˈvændəlɪzəm] n. the crime of destroying or damaging something, especially public property, deliberately and for no good reason 故意破坏公共财物罪
② correctional: [kəˈrekʃənl] adj. connected with improving the behaviour of criminals, usually by punishing them 改造的，惩教的
(Credit: Daily Mail)
Chen Zi'an compiled and read aloud
Wang Nuanliu reviewed and read aloud