Millions of people across China ride their bicycles every day. So， when the Olympics come to Beijing this summer， it almost feels like cycling is coming home. The question is now whether China can convert this obvious enthusiasm for two wheels into a haul of medals in Beijing.

在中國有成百上千萬的人每天都騎自行車。因此，奧運會在今夏來到北京，似乎有一種自行車回家的感覺。許多人確實認為中國是自行車的發(fā)源地，因為最早的記載表明六千年前中國就有人使用安裝輻條的車輪。但現(xiàn)在的問題是中國能否將這股對于二輪車的顯而易見的熱情轉化為在北京奪取奧運獎牌的動力。

The story of the modern bicycle actually began in 1817 when Baron von Drais， a wealthy German landowner， created a running machine to move quickly around his forests. Pedals were added to turn the wheels that powered the machine， but this early form of the bicycle was so difficult to ride that it was widely known as the \"The Boneshaker\"!

事實上，現(xiàn)代自行車誕生于1817年，德國一位名叫巴郎#8226;馮#8226;德賴斯的地主創(chuàng)造了一種能夠飛快地繞著他的樹林運動的機器。上面安裝了踏板以作為機器的動力，但是早期樣式的自行車很難騎，這就是廣為人知的“破舊搖晃的車子”！

To make the bicycle easier to ride， an Englishman， James Starley， made the front wheel much larger than the rear， and this new model was called the \"Penny Farthing\" because of its strange shape. Riders were elevated very high off the ground， which makes the idea of racing these bicycles an amusing idea to modern cycling enthusiasts. Yet with the addition of rear wheel power， air-filled tires and a saddle placed in a more practical position， the bicycle took on the standard design that has survived to the present day.

為了讓自行車騎起來方便些，一位叫詹姆斯#8226;史達雷的英國人將前輪做得比后輪大一些，由于它形狀奇怪，這一新的款式被稱為“前輪大后輪小的腳踏車”。騎車的人坐在一個高出地面許多的座位上，對于現(xiàn)代自行車狂熱者而言用它來比賽真是十分有趣和滑稽。隨著后輪力的增加，充氣輪胎和坐墊被安放在更實用的位置，自行車采用了標準設計并一直延續(xù)至今。

Cycling has now evolved into a fully professional sport， greatly helped by the success of the most widely-known cycling event， The Tour De France. With the varied cycling programme in Beijing， there is now another opportunity to bring this most competitive of sports into the limelight. In a two-week period from August 9， 2008， Beijing will play host to four exciting cycling disciplines that will push the world's top cyclists to their limits. The events are divided between road cycling， track cycling， mountain cycling and the newly introduced BMX (Bicycle Motor Cross) event， with each one offering something different.

自行車如今發(fā)展為全職業(yè)的運動項目，這很大程度上得益于環(huán)法自行車賽這項著名賽事的成功舉辦。北京奧運會有許多自行車比賽項目，現(xiàn)在又有新的機會使這項充滿競爭的運動成為人們關注的焦點。在2008年8月9日開始的為期兩周的時間里，北京將舉辦四類激動人心的自行車比賽，世界頂級的自行車手們將挑戰(zhàn)極限。這些項目將被分為公路賽、場地賽、山路賽和最新引進的自行車越野賽，每類比賽都會有一些與眾不同的地方。

Each discipline offers a range of challenges that make the cycling events an extremely interesting part of the Olympic programme as a whole. The track races， on the one hand， are purely about how fast a person can go on two wheels. In these events， riders use incredibly light-weight bikes and dress in smooth aerodynamic fabric to reach the fastest speeds possible. Road racing， on the other hand， is more about tactics and how to beat your competitors over long strong stretches of tarmac road. Of course， the mountain bike races offer something different again. Requiring extreme levels of stamina and endurance， riders face tough uphill courses across rocky paths and muddy tracks， which put their riding skills to the ultimate test. Finally， the newly introduced BMX event offers further variety， where cyclists must build up great speeds and negotiate large jumps whilst racing round a 350-meter dirt track circuit. The riders must also wear helmets and padded suits to protect themselves， as they are often likely to fall off their bikes during the course of the race.

每個項目都會帶來一系列的挑戰(zhàn)，使自行車項目成為整個奧運項目中特別有趣的一部分。在一方面，場地賽純粹取決于一個人利用兩個輪子能跑多快。在這些項目中，自行車選手使用難以置信的輕便的自行車，穿著平滑的空氣動力纖維來達到盡可能快的速度。而在另一方面，公路賽則需要策略，如何在長距離的路段上擊敗你的競爭對手。當然，山地自行車賽又會有一些不同的東西。它對于體力和耐力有很高的要求，自行車選手要穿越布滿巖石的小徑和泥濘的道路，一個又一個艱難的上坡過程對他們的車技提出了極高的要求。最后，新引進的自行車越野賽項目提供更多的選擇，選手必須達到極高的速度，沿著350米長的泥濘環(huán)形賽道比賽的同時還要高高躍起跨過障礙。選手要戴頭盔和襯棉裝備來保護自己，因為在比賽過程中很有可能會從車上摔下來。

China's hopes of winning medals in cycling appear to rest firmly with the women， although an influx of new talent has given the Chinese team cause for optimism. China has world-class women's riders in track cycling and mountain biking. Track cyclist Guo Shang has enjoyed a lot of success and won several golds at large international events in the past. She has recently been ranked number three in the world for the Women's Individual Pursuit， and is considered China's best hope for cycling gold this summer. In addition， Wang Jingjing， Ren Chengyuan and Liu Ying are amongst the top eight mountain cyclists in the world， and many are hoping that at least one of these athletes will be able to win a medal in Beijing. Finally， road racers Huang Xiaomei and Gao Min have shown real potential， securing their places at the Beijing Olympics by claiming first and second place at the B World Championships. It is clear that there is plenty to keep Chinese audiences interested in the cycling events this summer.

中國在自行車比賽中奪牌的希望必然取決于在女子項目上的發(fā)揮，新涌現(xiàn)的人才讓中國隊有了保持樂觀的理由。中國在場地賽和山地賽項目上有一批世界級的女子自行車選手。場地自行車賽選手郭爽曾在大型國際比賽上多次獲得金牌。她目前在女子個人追逐賽排名世界第三，被認為是今夏中國最有希望奪金的自行車選手。此外，王靜靜、任成遠和劉穎在山地自行車選手中躋身世界前八，許多人希望他們其中至少有人在北京獲得一枚獎牌。此外，公路賽選手黃曉妹和高敏極具潛力，在B級世界杯比賽中分列前兩名，確保了他們的北京奧運會參賽席位。顯而易見，中國觀眾將有充足的理由關注今夏的自行車比賽項目。

The male cyclists have a more difficult task. Among the male road racers， Li Fuyu and Ma Haijun's great performances at the Tour de Qinghai Lake have raised Chinese hopes. However， it is difficult to see other events that will bring further medals to the Chinese team. Li Fuyu has real talent， however， and was the first Chinese cyclist to join a UCI (International Cycling Union) professional team. The 29-year-old Li came to international prominence as a member of Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel cycling team in 2007. Many believed that Chinese cycling had found its very own Yao Ming; a superstar who could help popularize the sport in the Middle Kingdom. However the Discovery Channel team broke up over allegations of doping， and the sudden change threatened Li's preparations for the Olympics. He responded with a fantastic seven Pro Tour points in a time trial in the Netherlands which guaranteed qualification， showing he has the spirit to compete seriously in Beijing.

中國的男子自行車選手有著更艱巨的任務。在男子公路賽選手中，李富玉和馬海軍在環(huán)青海湖比賽中有著出色的表現(xiàn)，讓人們對他們寄予厚望。但是，在其它項目上中國隊很難獲得更多的獎牌。然而李富玉很有天賦，他是第一位加入UCI（國際自行車聯(lián)合會）職業(yè)隊的中國選手。29歲的李富玉在2007年加入阿姆斯特朗探索頻道車隊之后引起了世界的關注。許多人認為中國自行車隊找到了屬于自己的姚明；一名能為在中國普及該項運動帶來幫助的超級明星。然而發(fā)現(xiàn)探索頻道車隊因受服用興奮劑的指控而解體，這一突然的變故可能會使李富玉為奧運會的準備受到影響。然而他卻以在荷蘭職業(yè)巡回賽計時賽中有力的七分晉級作為回應，證明他有能力在北京奮力一搏。

The BMX event， whilst popular in the USA， is a very new concept to China. Unfortunately， its presence this summer will mean one of China's cycling heroes， Jiang Yonghua， will not be joining the rest of the team. Jiang was the silver-medal winner in the Athens Olympics， where she just missed out on gold. However， news that the Women's 500m time trial was to be replaced by the BMX event led Jiang to retire early. Despite the absence of such a great athlete， the Chinese team has typically responded and are eager to try their hand at the new discipline.

自行車越野賽項目在美國十分流行，然而在中國還是新生事物。不幸的是，自行車越野賽成為今夏的比賽項目使得中國的自行車賽英雄江永華無法參加比賽。江永華是雅典奧運會的銀牌得主，差點就得了金牌。然而女子500米計時賽將被新的自行車越野賽所替代，這也導致了江永華的提前退役。盡管有如此偉大的運動員缺席，中國隊仍然渴望在新的自行車越野賽中一展身手。

Olympic committee member for Cycling and Fencing， Cai Jiadong， made an interesting remark when asked about China's rivals in the BMX championships this summer: \"China is now lagging far behind the world in this sport， so I think at present we have no rivals at all， all we have are friends!\" With such a wonderful attitude， and the fact that China has genuine medal contenders in the other Olympic cycling events， the future looks bright for China's young cycling stars. China's chances of winning the medals will come down to what individual cyclists can do on the day， but one thing is for sure: it is going to be an entertaining summer.

自行車擊劍奧委會成員蔡家東對中國隊今夏在自行車越野賽的對手有十分有趣的評論：“中國在該運動項目上還落后很多，所以我想目前我們沒有對手，我們只有朋友！”有這么好的心態(tài)，加上中國在其它奧運自行車項目中有天才的獎牌爭奪者，中國年輕的自行車選手將會有一個美好的前景。雖然中國隊獲得獎牌的希望還要取決于比賽當天選手的個人發(fā)揮，但可以肯定的一點是：這將會是一個別開生面的夏天。

Questions:

1. Why do some people say that China is the home to the bicycle?

為什么一些人認為中國是自行車運動的發(fā)源地？

2. Why might racing Penny Farthings be amusing to modern cycling enthusiasts?

為什么前輪大后輪小的自行車在現(xiàn)代自行車狂熱者看來十分滑稽？

3. On what dates do the cycling events in Beijing start and finish?

北京奧運會自行車比賽項目從哪天開始，到哪天結束？

4. What do mountain cyclists require is they are to be successful?

山地車選手要想獲得成功主要取決于什么？

5. How long is a BMX track?

自行車越野賽全長多少？

6. Who is China's greatest cycling medal prospect in Beijing?

誰最有希望為中國在北京奪得自行車比賽的獎牌？

7. How did Huang Xiaomei and Gao Min qualify for the Olympics?

黃小妹和高敏是怎樣獲得奧運會資格的？

8. Which famous cyclist did Li Fuyu ride with in 2007?

2007年李富玉與哪位著名的自行車選手在同一車隊？

9. Why did Jiang Yonghua retire early?

江永華為何早早退役？