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第38章 走进多样化的英国

When Britain hosts the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012,it will not just celebrate sport。The Games will celebrate cultures,peoples and languages-in London,the rest of Britain and around the world。

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad will begin on September 26-28 2008 in an‘Open Weekend’programme involving hundreds of innovative cultural events around the country。The weekend will open up opportunities for people across the UK to visit spaces,places and people and get them involved in imaginative,thought-provoking and creative activities。

The Cultural Olympiad will be for everyone。It will:

celebrate London and the whole of the UK welcoming the world to our unique internationalism,cultural diversity,sharing and understanding;

inspire and involve young people;

generate a positive legacy through cultural and sports participation,audience development,cultural skills,capacity building,urban regeneration,tourism and social cohesion and international links。

London is one of the most international cities in the world。Almost 30%of London's population come from a minority ethnic group and there are 50 non-indigenous communities with more than 10,000 people living in London。

London is also the home to many annual festivals that celebrate world culture。The annual Notting Hill Carnival(23-25 August)is London's largest public event and Europe's largest street festival。The carnival first began in 1964 by Caribbean immigrants with the aim of encouraging people,both black and white,to go into the streets and express themselves,socially and artistically。It now attracts 2 million people and is the second largest street festival behind Rio。

Another widely celebrated festival is the Russian Winter Festival,held in London every year in January to mark New Year according to Russia's pre-1917 calendar。This festival features music and dance performances as well as market stalls,games for children and Russian films。

In 2008 Britain held the six-month‘China Now’festival which concluded in time for the Olympic Games。1300 events were held in 100 towns and cities in the UK as part of‘China Now’,attracting 2 million attendees。In previous years London also hosted‘India Now’,which ran from July to September 2007.

Through these festivals and other measures,Britain aims to promote understanding between all communities,and ensure equal opportunities for all citizens,irrespective of their colour,race,religion or gender。

伦敦将举办2012年奥运会及残奥会,这不仅仅是体育盛会,还是在伦敦、英国乃至整个世界举行的文化、民族和语言的盛会。

2012年伦敦“文化奥运”将以2008年9月26日至28日的“开幕周末”拉开序曲,届时,全英将举办数百场创新文化活动。“开幕周末”将为英国各地的人们创造机会,让人们参观各种场所、地点,访问各种人,并亲自参加充满想象、发人深省的创造性活动。

“文化奥运”是面向每个人的,将:

使伦敦和全英举国欢庆,欢迎世界来了解英国独特的国际性、文化多样性、共享和理解性;

激励青年人并让他们参与进来;

通过文化和体育参与、观众发展、文化技能、能力建设、城市复兴、旅游和社会凝聚力,以及国际联系,留下积极的奥运遗产。

伦敦是世界上国际化大都市之一,伦敦人口的30%来自少数民族团体,有10,000多人居住在伦敦50个非原住民社区中。

伦敦还是许多庆祝世界文化年度盛事的举办地。一年一度的“诺丁山狂欢节”(8月23日-25日)是伦敦最大的公共活动,也是欧洲最大的街头欢庆节。狂欢节始于1964年,是来自加勒比地区的移民举办的,目的就是鼓励人们,无论是黑人还是白人,走上街头,从社会和艺术方面表现自己。现在,狂欢节吸引着200万人,是继“里约热内卢狂欢节”之外的世界第二大街头欢庆节。

另一个大范围庆祝的节日就是“俄罗斯冬日节”,每年1月份在伦敦举办,迎接新年(按照俄罗斯1917年之前使用的历法)的到来。节日上会有音乐和舞蹈表演,还有货摊、为孩子们准备的游戏和俄罗斯电影。

2008年,英国举办了为期六个月的“时代中国”(China Now)活动,在2008北京奥运会开幕之前结束。在英国100多个乡镇和城市举办了1,300场有关“时代中国”的活动,吸引了200万人参加。去年,伦敦还举办了“时代印度”(India Now),时间是从2007年7月到9月。

通过举办这些节日和采取其他措施,英国增进了本国内所有社区间的相互了解,保证所有公民都能享有平等的机会,而不论他们的肤色、种族、宗教或性别。

Innovative adj。创新的,新奇的

Thought-provoking adj。发人深思的

Feature v。给(某人或某事物)以显著地位

英国的组成部分:英格兰、苏格兰、威尔士、北爱尔兰

英国首都:伦敦

爱尔兰首府:都柏林

英格兰首府:伦敦

威尔士首府:加的夫

苏格兰首府:爱丁堡

北爱尔兰首府:贝尔法斯特