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The Paralympic Games 残疾人奥运会
While many of the world’s most famous athletes are gearing up for the Beijing Olympics in August, there are other athletes training every bit as hard for a second Olympic games in September.
The 14th Paralympic Games will see disabled athletes from around the world compete in 20 events ranging from wheelchair fencing to powerlifting.
The Paralympic movement began at a British hospital in the aftermath of the Second World War, when sport was introduced as a therapeutic treatment for returning servicemen with spinal injuries.
The first games took place in 1948 in London with two British teams competing in an archery competition. By 1960 the games had grown to include international athletes and were held in the same city as the Olympic Games.
It is unclear where the name Paralympics came from but it was probably first coined as a pun or ‘portmanteau’ word combining the words paraplegic and Olympic. These days, however, the term ‘para’ is seen to signify a parallel competition that sits side by side with the main Olympic Games. (来源：专业英语学习网站 http://www.EnglishCN.com)
As well as athletes who have suffered spinal injuries, the modern Paralympics invites competitors with visual impairment, athletes with cerebral palsy, and amputees to participate in the games.
Although most of the Paralympic sports are also included in the Olympic Games, there are some sports that are unique to the Paralympics.
Boccia is a game similar to bowls in which the competitor attempts to throw a number of leather balls as closely as possible to a target ball; the wheelchair dance event sees athletes perform dance routines with each other or with able-bodied partners.
So if you are a sports fan, remember that when the Olympic Games have finished, the Paralympics are just about to begin.
GLOSSARY 词汇表
gearing up
做好准备
wheelchair fencing
轮椅击剑
aftermath
后果
servicemen
军人
archery
射箭
pun
妙语双关
paraplegic
半身麻痹的
visual impairment
视觉缺陷
amputees
截肢患者
dance routines
舞蹈动作
disabled athletes
残疾运动员
powerlifting
力量举重
therapeutic treatment
治疗处理
spinal injuries
脊髓损伤
coined
被发明
portmanteau
合成词
parallel
平行的，同时进行的
cerebral palsy
大脑性麻痹症
bowls
滚球运动
able-bodied
体格健全的 |
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