北京奧運會對中國文化的影響力不容忽視。2008年，全世界203個國家和地區的官員、運動員將來到中國，全世界觀看奧運會的觀眾將達到400億人次，這是個讓世界人民了解中國文化、理解中國文化的絕佳機會。但是在展示中國文化和經濟實力的同時，中國公民更要重視提高文明素質。

The success of Beijing's 2008 Olympic Games rests as much on showing good manners as on the quality of facilities and athletic performances, China's senior delegate to the International Olympic Committee said. "It's the rude bus passenger or a witness to an accident who fails to lend a hand that stands in our way of staging an impressive Olympiad," He Zhenliang said on Monday in Shanghai. "People are talking about showcasing our culture and the country's economic power through the extravaganza, but I think good manners should be put at the top of our agenda," He was quoted as saying by the Shanghai Daily newspaper on Tuesday. Beijing residents' brusque, sometimes crude, manners are frequently noted by visitors, and the city hopes to counter such impressions with a courtesy campaign aimed at discouraging widespread spitting, jaywalking and line-jumping. China has invested enormous national prestige in holding a successful Games, with many Chinese seeing in that a validation of their nation's rapid rise to global influence and acceptance. Along with improving public manners, He, the honorary president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said holding the Games could help China raise its generally low level of popular participation in sports, especially in schools. "The Olympiad can't provide a solution for all these problems once and for all, but at least it gives us an opportunity," he said. (Agencies)

Vocabulary:

jaywalking : 走路不遵守交通規則 line-jumping: 插隊，動詞形式即jump the line