395. Watching the Olympic Games

Translation

b

• Original Mary Lou: Am I too late for the opening ceremony? Jesse: No, it’s just starting. The runner is just coming into Olympic Village with the torch. Mary Lou: Oh, this is so exciting! I love the summer Olympics. ==Track and field==, gymnastics, swimming - I can’t wait! Jesse: Oh, here come the athletes from each country, with their flag bearer in front. Look at all those gold, silver, and bronze medalists. Mary Lou: Isn’t it funny that that country only has one competitor? Jesse: No way! Can you imagine the accolades you’d get as the only athlete from your country that’s of Olympic caliber? I’d trade places with her any day. Mary Lou: This schedule says that the track and field events begin tomorrow. Jesse: Yeah, but those are just the qualifying heats. The real races don’t start for three days. What’s that? Mary Lou: My flag. I’m cheering on the U.S. team. Jesse: From the living room? Mary Lou: Sure, why not? It can't hurt, can it?

• Chinese Mary Lou: 我来晚了吗？开幕式开始了吗？ Jesse: 没有，才刚开始。那位火炬手正拿着火炬跑进奥运村。 Mary Lou: 哦，太让人兴奋了！我很喜欢夏季奥运会。田径、体操、游泳，我都等不及了！ Jesse: 哦，各个国家的运动员出来了，前面还有他们的持旗手。看看那些金牌、银牌和铜牌得主。 Mary Lou: 那个国家居然只有一名参赛选手，不觉得很好笑吗？ Jesse: 不会吧！你能想象吗，如果你是自己国家唯一一个达到奥运水平的运动员，会得到多少赞誉？我随时都愿意和她交换位置。 Mary Lou: 这份赛程表上说田径项目明天开始。 Jesse: 是啊，不过那只是预赛。真正的比赛要三天后才开始。那是什么？ Mary Lou: 我的旗子。我在给美国队加油呢。 Jesse: 在客厅里加油？ Mary Lou: 当然，为什么不呢？反正也没什么坏处，不是吗？

• First 2026-03-21 12:15 M: Am I too late ? Did the ceremony opening opening ceremony start? J: No, it just started it's just starting. That torch carrier torchbearer is running into the Olympic field Village with the torch. M: Oh, it this is too so excited exciting! I like love the summer Olympic ==Olympics==. The field and jump Track and field, gymanatics gymnastics, swimming, I can’t await wait it! J: Oh, each countries’ country's sporters athletes are coming out, there are also their * bears flag bearers. Look at those golden gold, siliver silver, and borzen carriors bronze medalists. M: That country only have has one competitor. Don’t you think that’s interesting Isn't it funny? J: No way! Can you imagine that how much honor accolades you would get if you were the only one who arrives the Olympic sporter of Olympic caliber in your country? I’d like to switch places with her at any time day. M: The schedule says that the field and jumping track and field events will start tomorrow. J: Yeah, but that’s those are only the preview qualifying heats. The real competite start races don't start for three days. What’s that? M: My * flag. I’m cheering on American the U.S. team. J: Cheering on in Cheering from the living room? M: Sure, why not? It can’t be hurt, right?

  Full review: 395. Watching the Olympic Games - Review Key Takeaways:

  1. Use so + adjective for welcome emotions (so exciting), not too (which implies an unwanted excess).
  2. Medal metals are bare nouns as modifiers: gold medalist, silver medal — never golden medalist.
  3. trade places with / any day are fixed spoken chunks — memorise them whole, don’t improvise.
  4. cheer on (phrasal verb) = actively support; it can't hurt, can it? = a fixed tag-question idiom for justifying a harmless action.
  5. as + noun phrase (as the only athlete…) = “in the role of” — no need to restructure into a if clause.

• Second 2026-03-21 20:19 M: Am I too late for the ceremony opening opening ceremony? J: No, it just started 's just starting. The torch bearer is running into the Olympic village Olympic Village with the torch. M: Oh, it this is so exciting! I love the summer Olympics. ~~ Track and field, gymnatics gymnastics, swimming, I can’t wait! J: Oh, here are come each country’s altheles athletes and in the front is are the flag bearers. Look at these gold, silver, and bronze medalists. M: Is Isn't it funny that that country only have has one competetor competitor? J: No way! Can you imagine that how much acllodes accolades you’d get as the only altheles athlete from your country who arrives the Olympic calibre ==that’s of Olympic caliber==? I’d like to trade places with her any day. M: The schedule says that the ~~ track and field event events start from tomorrow begin tomorrow. J: Yeah, but that’s those are just the * qualifying heats. The real races begin from don't start for three days later. What’s that? M: My flag. I’m cheering on the U.S. team. J: Cheer in From the living room? M: Sure, why not? It can’t hurt, can it?

  Full review: 395. Watching the Olympic Games - Review Key Takeaways:

  1. Use it's just starting for something that is beginning right now in front of you; it just started sounds more retrospective.
  2. Use Here come ... when people or things are entering the scene; it sounds more natural than Here are ... in live narration.
  3. Use be of + noun to describe level or quality: of Olympic caliber, of high quality, of great importance.
  4. Use start/begin + time point: begin tomorrow, not start from tomorrow.
  5. Use don't start for + duration to show a delay before something begins: don't start for three days.

---