Today, tomorrow, learn English naturally. 天天自然学英语
Pandas in ice? Beijing puts its mark on the history of Olympic mascots.
The organizers of the Winter Olympics in Beijing turned to an old friend when picking a mascot: the panda.
Organizers selected Bing Dwen Dwen, designed by Cao Xue, from more than 5,800 potential mascot designs that had been submitted, according to the official site of the Olympics. Wrapped in a protective layer of ice mimicking an astronaut’s suit, Bing has been making its way around the bubble that is the home to hotels, competition sites and the Olympic Village.
The panda, once considered endangered, is native to China and is the country’s national animal. It has long been used as a diplomatic tool — like the pandas that have been donated to zoos in the United States — and has been minted on gold coins issued by the government. In 2008, when Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics, the organizers chose a panda as one of the five official Fuwa, or good-luck dolls, that served as mascots.
A committee made up of representatives of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and the Jilin University of the Arts chose Bing, which means “ice” in Mandarin. And Dwen Dwen translates as “robust and lively,” and represents children, according to the website.
The first Olympic mascot, Shuss, was created for the 1968 Games held in Grenoble, France. At the time, organizers referred to Shuss as a “character” and not as a mascot. Its crude depiction of a man zipping downhill on skis is probably a result of the fact that it was created in a “hurry,” according to the Olympics website. The designer was given one night to design Shuss.
Since then, there have been 26 mascots for the Winter and Summer Games, including an anthropomorphic American bald eagle dressed as Uncle Sam for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. One of the more famous ones was Cobi, a mountain dog from the Pyrenees that was drawn in a Cubist form, for the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
难点注释：
Mascot，n
表示“吉祥物”，means “a person, animal, or object that is believed to bring good luck, or one that represents an organization” 。如下句：The mascot of World Expo Shanghai is Haibao.上海世博会的吉祥物是海宝。
mimic, v
1）表示“模仿（人的言行举止）；（尤指）做滑稽模仿”，means “to copy the way sb speaks, moves, behaves, etc., especially in order to make other people laugh”。如下句：He mimicked his uncle's voice and gestures perfectly.他把叔叔的声音和姿态模仿得惟妙惟肖。
2）表示“（外表或行为举止）像，模拟”，means “to look or behave like sth else”。 如下句：The robot was programmed to mimic a series of human movements.机器人可按程序设计模拟人的各种动作。
Bubble, n
1) 表示“泡；气泡；泡沫”，means “a ball of gas that appears in a liquid, or a ball formed of air surrounded by liquid that floats in the air”。 如下句：
When water boils, bubbles rise to the surface.水开时,水面起了泡泡
2）表示“泡影,幻想”， means” sth which is unsteady, risky, or unlikely to last”。 如下句：As a stock market bubble is taking shape, the investors should take precautions against the risks.股市泡沫正在形成,投资者应该防范风险。
He didn't want to burst the newcomer's bubble. 他不想打破这个新来者的不切实际的美梦。
3) 表示“透明圆形罩”，means” a dome-shaped covering made of transparent glass or plastic” 。注意本文的bubble可以解释为疫情发生以来的“隔离区”-即，奥运村。因疫情防疫需要，要求所有运动员都集中到某个地方隔离，不能随意外出串门之类的，等等要求严格遵守各种防疫措施。这个地区，就好像一个“透明圆形罩”一样，与外界隔离开！。如下句：Barbers from around the country are getting a chance to showcase their skills in the NBA bubble.来自全国各地的理发师都有机会在NBA的复赛隔离区中展示他们的技能。
mint, v
1) 表示“铸造（硬币）”，means “to produce a coin for the government”； 如下句：The Romans learned to mint from the Greeks. 罗马人从希腊人那里学会了铸造钱币。
2) 表示“创造（尤指新词语）”，means “to produce something new, especially to invent a new phrase or word” 。如下句：The poet minted several words that cannot be found in any dictionary. 诗人造了几个词典里找不到的词。
zip, v
1）表示“快速移动；迅速去（某处）”，means “to move or go somewhere very quickly” 。如下句：Rifle fire zipped over them. 步枪子弹在他们头顶上飕飕飞驰。
2) 表示”用拉链拉开或扣上”, means “close with a zipper”. 如下句：Please help me to zip my dress on. 请帮我把衣服的拉链拉上。
Anthropomorphic, adj
表示“ 被赋予人形的；拟人化的”， means “relating to the idea that an animal, a god, or an object has feelings or characteristics like those of a human being.” 如下句：The signal upright column installed on the bottom bracket center consists of two bendable anthropomorphic joints.安装在底架中间的单立柱是由两个可弯曲的仿人体关节组成。
Cubist, adj
表示“立体派的；立体主义的”，means “belonging or relating to a style of modern art in which an object or person is shown as a set of geometric shapes, or typical of this style of painting”。 如下句：This cubist vision of the world introduced a new period in the history of art.这种对世界的立体感开创了绘画史上的一个新时期。
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