爱华网All Olympics are important to thehost city.每一届奥运会对主办城市都很重要。These Games were monumentallyimportant to the host nation, which happens to be home to one fifthof humanity.而作为全球五分之一人口的家园，本届奥运对整个国家都具有纪念性的意义。All that said, just as theseOlympics were significant politically, they were also verysignificant competitively.一如所言，所有奥运会不止具有重大的政治意义，也有强烈的竞争意味。And there, Beijing turned out to beamong the most memorable Olympics ever.北京奥运正是其中最值得记忆的一届。
One headline was anticipated beforethe Games began, and then verified here.奥运开幕之前人们都在等待出现引人的头条，现在大家等到了。For the first time since the fall ofthe Berlin Wall, an ongoing Olympic rivalry shapes up.柏林墙倒下后第一次形成了新的竞争格局。In Beijing, the U.S. won 110 medals- the most it's ever won at a non-American Olympics.美国在北京斩获110枚奖牌，是在非美国主办奥运会中的最佳战绩。But China, second in the overallcount, easily won the most golds here, and the most by any countrysince the old Soviet Union in 1988.而奖牌总数排名第二的中国则轻而易举地站到了金牌榜首，是自1988年的前苏联以来获得最多金牌的国家。Many of China's triumphs went beyondexcellence.中国所取得的许多胜利已然超越完美。Their perfection and precision,simply beautiful to the hold.他们尽善尽美，无比精准，难以形容。China is now a sports power with asophisticated state-supported sports system.中国现已是个拥有精密举国体制的体育强国。They will be at or near the top ofthe medal list in London and beyond.伦敦以及之后，她仍将高居奖牌榜前列。Meanwhile, the Americans had plentyto cheer about.与此同时,美国人也有很多值得欢呼。Beach volleyball pairs, NastiaLiukin and Shawn Johnson winning gold and winning hearts, the men'sbasketball team doing exactly what they set out to do-win, yes-butalso redeem and redefine the image and purpose of the U.S.program.沙滩排球的两对组合都获得了胜利，娜斯佳·柳金和肖恩·约翰逊赢得了金牌也赢得了人心，美国男篮实现了他们的誓言，胜利是当然的，更重要的是他们挽回并重新定义了美国队的形象。These Games reached multiplecrescendos.这届奥运会高潮一浪高过一浪.From the beginning, there wasMichael Phelps, who now ranks among the very greatest Olympiansever and was also now in the top tier of the best and most popularcontemporary athletes in any sport - unheard of for a swimmer,until Phelps.开始时有菲尔普斯，他已经跻身史上最伟大的奥运选手之列，是所有运动项目中最杰出最受欢迎的当代运动员之一，这对游泳运动员来说史无前例。Just about the time Phelps left thepool;菲尔普斯刚刚离开泳池的时候，a Jamaican jet zoomed over thetrack.一道牙买加闪电照亮了田径赛场。The sprints are supposed to bedecided by blinks of an eye, not by Bolt's speed so astonishingthat, like the spectators, the competitors can only marvel at theworld's and history's fastest man.短跑的胜负往往决定于瞬息之间，而博尔特的速度是如此惊人，观众和他的对手只能惊异地目送全世界有史以来最快的人跨过终点。
More nations, 204, participated herethan in any Games before;有204个国家和地区参赛，这数量超过历届，and more won medals, 87, than everbefore as well.87个代表团获得奖牌，这也是超越历届。But beyond the medal podium, theOlympics remain a human panorama, with many also ran finishes andfirst-round eliminations, nonetheless representing epic personalstories, only appreciated by the participants themselves and theirfamilies, friends and countrymen.当然，在领奖台之外，奥林匹克依然是展现人生的舞台，舞台上很多人早早离场，但这已然书就了个人壮丽的诗篇，并被他们自己，他们的家人，朋友，以及国人所传唱。These Games began with Zhang Yimou'sstunning Opening Ceremony, so boldly conceived and brilliantlyexecuted, that it set a standard for such occasions unlikely to beequaled.张艺谋美伦美幻的开幕式拉开了本届奥运的帷幕，大胆的构思和绝妙的制作为同类演出设下了难以企及的标杆。And tonight, with more theatricaltouches, the curtain came down.而在今晚更显精巧的笔触之中，大幕落下。So the people of the world came toBeijing, and the people of China extended their hands.而世界人民已来到了北京，中国人民张开了双臂。You don't have to speak a word ofMandarin to understand that.不必同文同种，我们感受相同。
I've been fortunate to be involvedwith many Olympics, and in many ways, this's been the mostmemorable.能够参与多届奥运我感到荣幸，而就很多方面而言，本届奥运最值得记忆。In no small part, due to the effortsof the small army of people who worked tirelessly to bring theseGames home to you.正是在一些人不知疲倦的工作和一丝不苟的努力下，才带来了这精彩的赛事转播。For these colleagues, I will alwayshave enormous professional regard and personal gratitude.对于这些同事，我永远致以职业的敬意和个人的感谢。The names of these talented men andwomen accompany this final montage of the images of China andOlympic moments - moments we hope resonate with you as they havewith us.这些天才们的名字将出现在接下来的最后一段视频剪辑之中，这段展现了中国和奥运时刻的剪辑引发了我们的共鸣，希望它也能引发你们的共鸣。Good night - this one - last timefrom China.我在中国向您最后一次道声晚安！
