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[News Highlights: From Olympic Infrastructure to Cultural Heritage and Traditional Customs]-[New fitness track to link Beijing and Zhangjiakou]

Special English · B1 · 2024-08-04

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📋 Summary

1. Promoting Tourism and Fitness: The Joyful Road of Winter Olympics

To sustain the legacy of the 2022 Winter Games, authorities have launched the "Joyful Road of Winter Olympics," a 230-kilometre track connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou. This ambitious project, spearheaded by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, aims to integrate competition venues with tourist attractions. Designed as a hub for "leisure and fitness," the route will support activities such as "cycling, running, and hiking." According to Gao Yun-chao, the infrastructure includes 19 service stations providing essential "supplies, accommodation, speciality dining options, as well as medical care and emergency services," ensuring a comprehensive experience for the public.

2. Expanding Maritime Tourism: China's Second Large Cruise Ship

Adora Cruises Limited has announced that China’s second domestically produced large cruise ship is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026, with international operations commencing from Guangzhou in 2027. Building on the success of the "Adora Magic City," which completed its "maiden commercial voyage" earlier this year, the new vessel is designed to meet the "rising demand for high quality cruise trips." Boasting over 2,000 rooms, the ship will feature "larger public space and more advanced amusement facilities," positioning it as a significant asset for the South China market.

3. Cultural Inclusion: Pet-Friendly Exhibitions at the Shanghai Museum

In a pioneering move toward inclusivity, the Shanghai Museum hosted a unique event allowing visitors to bring their pets to the "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt" exhibition. This initiative, which included special "cat-friendly sessions," aims to foster "peaceful coexistence between pets and humans." To manage the logistics of such an event, the museum implemented strict requirements, including proof of "immunization certificates" and the use of "leashes and harnesses." Staff were professionally trained, and medical teams were on-site to ensure a safe environment for both the pets and the "almost 800 precious artifacts" on display.

4. Engineering Marvels: Preserving the Baiheliang Hydrological Inscriptions

Chongqing’s Baiheliang, the "world's oldest hydrographic survey device," has been preserved through innovative underwater engineering. After the Three Gorges Project submerged the site, researchers adopted a "non-pressure container" design, creating the world's first underwater museum that allows visitors to view the Tang Dynasty inscriptions without diving. This conservation approach has garnered international recognition, with experts from other countries, such as those working on projects in Pakistan, looking to this model as a benchmark for protecting relics while respecting their "natural environment."

5. Seasonal Traditions: Welcoming Liqiu and the Gancho Festival

As the solar term "Liqiu" (the beginning of autumn) arrives on August 7th, the lingering summer heat—often called the "Autumn Tiger"—remains a challenge. Cultural traditions persist across China, such as "Tieqiu Biao" (putting on autumn fat) in the north and "yao qiu" (biting into autumn) in the south to ensure health during the changing seasons. The Miao ethnic group celebrates this time with the "Gancho Festival," a vibrant harvest celebration. The festival features unique spectacles like the "eight-person swing" and the awe-inspiring "sword climbing," where performers scale ladders made of knives barefoot, showcasing the "bravery and skill" of the Miao people.

🎯Key Sentences

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The design of the route has been finalised.
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That is according to its owner
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It was opened at the Shanghai Museum on July 19th
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The exhibition runs until August 2025.
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Visitors can take photos with their pet cats at a designated area.
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📝Key Phrases

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cater to the rising demand
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pioneering practice
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artistic feast
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well-preserved relics
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peaceful coexistence
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📖 Transcript

You're listening to Special English.
Here is the news. To promote the development of sports and tourism in Beijing and Jiang Jiaco, host locations of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, a 230 -kilometre -track named the Joyful Road of Winter Olympics projects will be built to link tourist attractions in the two cities with Olympic competition venues.
The project has been launched by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, Beijing's Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Bureau of Sports, the local governments of Chau Young Changping and Yanqing Districts, as well as the government of Zhangjia Go, which is in neighbouring Hebei Province.
The aim is to create a sports track that connects competition zones in Beijing and Zhangjia Go within approximately three years.
It will function as a place for for leisure and fitness, participation in sports events, and sightseeing, and is designed to meet the growing needs of the public for sports, including cycling, running, and hiking.
The design of the route has been finalised.

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