This is 6 Minute English from BBC
Learning English.
I'm Neil.
And I'm Sam.
Sam, would you describe yourself
as 'sporty'?
Well, I do like to go running and
I might watch some sport on TV.
Would you watch sport like bandy,
skeleton or perhaps luge?
Ah, you're talking about quite
specialised sports, played on ice
or snow, and that's because it's
almost time for the Winter Olympics.
Yes, you're right.
The 2022 Winter
Olympics starts in Beijing on the
4th February.
This event will mark
the return of the Olympics to Beijing
for the first time in 14 years,
having previously hosted
the 2008 Summer Games.
That means Beijing will become the first
city in the world to have hosted both the
Winter and Summer Games.
But these latest
Games are not without controversy -
that's disagreement or argument about
something people have
strong feelings about.
More about that later - but as usual,
I have a question or you, Sam.
The Winter Olympics have not been
around as long as the Summer Olympics,
so do you know when the first
Winter event took place?
Was it in:
a) 1904 b) 1924, or c) 1934?
Well, as they are relatively new,
I'll go for c) 1934.
OK, Sam, we'll find out if that's
right later in the programme.
Now,
this latest Winter Olympics are
scheduled to include a record 109
events over 15 disciplines in seven
sports - biathlon, bobsledding, curling,
ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing.
A discipline in this context is a
particular way of doing a sport.
The BBC's China correspondent,
Stephen McDonell, went to a recent
test event for the Olympics and
explained what the organisers
are hoping for.
In the mountains outside Beijing,
the test events are in full swing.
(The) Games organisers will be hoping
(that) despite the coronavirus headaches,
despite the alleged human rights abuses,
despite the allegations from a former
Chinese Olympian - a tennis star at that -
involving a senior government official -
they can still produce a
memorable Winter Olympics.
So that was Stephen McDonell at a
test event which he described as
being in full swing - so, at its
highest level or activity - its
busiest.
And he mentioned the
controversy surrounding the games.
Yes, he mentioned the coronavirus
headache not an actual headache
but something that causes a lot
of problems.
Covid-19 certainly
makes it difficult to plan a huge
event like this, particularly
managing people who are travelling
from all parts of the world.
On top of this, China is accused
of human rights abuses against
the Uighur Muslims.
And there
is the controversy around the
tennis player, Peng Shuai.
But despite the issues facing
the game's organisers, they
want to put on an event that
is hard to forget, for good
reasons - Stephen used
the word 'memorable'.
Well, seeing athletes hurtle
down an icy track at 130 kilometres
an hour on what looks like a
tea tray, is certainly unforgettable.
This is what they
call 'the skeleton'.
Let's hear more about the
preparations for the games from
the BBC's Stephen McDonell.
The games will be held in a
freezing, mostly dry area - a
mountain of snow making is
required, but this can make for
quick, dynamic runs.
The athletes
we spoke to said these sites will
make for high-quality competition -
for everyone here,
the clock is now ticking.
So, despite this being a winter event,
held in a cold place, enormous
quantities of artificial snow
have to be made.
Stephen McDonell
describes this as a mountain of
snow - not a real mountain - but
a large amount of it.
But some athletes say this type
of snow is good for speed, and
changing and developing -
or dynamic - conditions.
They
hope it will be
a 'high-quality' competition.
Let's hope so, and it's not long
until it starts - and for the
athletes the clock is ticking,
meaning time is
running out to prepare.
And our time is running out too,
so Neil, what's the answer to
the question you asked me?
Oh yes, I asked you when the
first Winter Olympics took place?
And I said 1934.
Which was...
I'm afraid to say,
Sam, the wrong answer.
The first
Winter Olympic Games took place
in 1924 and were held in
Chamonix in the French Alps.
The Beijing Winter Olympics is
the 24th games.
And the
Paralympic Games will take
place a month later in the
city, between 4th and
13th March 2022.
Looks like I need to brush
up on my Winter Olympics
knowledge but not before
we recap some of the vocabulary
we've mentioned, starting
with controversy - disagreement
or argument about something
people have strong
feelings about.
We talked about something being
in full swing - so, at its
highest level of activity.
And a headache is, metaphorically,
something that causes you
a lot of problems.
A mountain is not only a very
high hill - used
metaphorically it means a
large amount of something.
Something continually changing
and developing can be
described as dynamic.
And finally, the clock is
ticking, means time is
running out to prepare
for or complete something.
Well, the clock is no longer
ticking for us because
our six minutes are up!
Goodbye for now!
Bye bye!