展现时机：伦敦奥运开幕式即将登台Showtime: London gets set to stage Olympic opening ceremony

     Few shows can claim such an audience. As the dramatic spectacle of the Olympics Games opening ceremony in London unfolds Friday night, millions of people around the world will be glued to their television sets.

很少有节目能够吸引如此多观众。随着戏剧性的奥运会开幕式星期五晚上在伦敦拉开序幕，全世界数以百万计的人们守在他们的电视机前。

     Some tens of thousands more are lucky enough to have a seat inside the Olympic Stadium, the centerpiece of the Olympic Park in east London.

数万名观众足够幸运，能够得到伦敦东部奥林匹克公园中心的体育场内的一个座位。

     Dubbed Isles of Wonder, it promises to be quite a show -- but then it needs to be.

《群岛奇迹》据说是 一项非凡的表演，后来证实它确实是这样的。

     The opening ceremony, attended not only by thousands of athletes but also Queen Elizabeth II and more than 100 visiting heads of state and foreign dignitaries, sets the scene for the Games to come.

参加开幕式的不仅包括成千上万名运动员，也包括英国女王伊丽莎白二世和100多个国家首领和外国贵宾，他们一起迎接奥运会的到来。

     And the organizers of the London Games are well aware they have a tough act to follow after the Beijing extravaganza four years ago, which featured thousands of drummers, acrobats, martial artists and dancers performing under a light display at the soaring "Bird's Nest" Stadium.

而伦敦奥组委深知他们要付出艰难的行动以赶上四年前北京的那场体育盛宴。它呈现了一幅成千上万的鼓手，杂技表演，武术表演和舞者在灯光下的“鸟巢”体育场的表演画面。

     So what can those watching the ceremony this time around expect to see?

那么。此时此刻正在观看奥运会的人们期望看到的是什么呢？

     Some details have been released already, but many more remain a closely guarded secret.

有的细节已经揭晓，但是更多细节仍是一个严守的秘密。

     Keeping a secret this big isn't easy, though, when there are thousands of performers and technicians involved, not to mention the audiences for two dress rehearsals this week.

保守这个大秘密并不是件易事，但是，当成千上万的表演者和技术人员都参与了，更不用说本周两个节目彩排的观众了。

     A Twitter hashtag“#”save the surprise, started by Olympic organizers to appeal to those in the know not to spoil the show for others, has been embraced by many, although not all.

     Giant screens also displayed the message within the stadium during the rehearsals. Those who opted not to play along have incurred the social-media wrath of many who do want to "save the surprise."

大屏幕上也显示着彩排期间体育场内的信息。那些选择不一起玩的人，引起了许多想要“保留惊喜”的社会媒体的愤怒。

     What the organizers have revealed already is that the show, masterminded by artistic director Danny Boyle, best known for the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionare," draws its inspiration from Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

主办方已经透露，节目是由最有名的奥斯卡获奖影片《贫民窟的百万富翁》的艺术总监丹尼·博伊尔策划的，他的灵感来自莎士比亚的《暴风雨》。

     It will begin at 9 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET) with the tolling of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, cast by the nearby Whitechapel Foundry.

节目将在伦敦当地时间晚上九点（欧洲时间下午四点）开始。

     The show's opening scene -- dubbed "Green and Pleasant," after a line from poet William Blake's Jerusalem -- will then unfurl, presenting an idyllic view of the British countryside.

伦敦奥运会开幕式文艺表演的首章《田园牧歌》带领观众通过时光隧道，这一灵感来自威廉布莱克的一句诗，向人们展示了一幅英国乡村田园生活的画面。

     The elaborate set will comprise rolling hills, fields and rivers, complete with picnicking families, sport being played on a village green and real farmyard animals.

这幅精美的画面有绵延的丘陵，初夏明媚阳光中，农家小屋炊烟袅袅，周围流水潺潺，羊群、牛群缓步草坪，水车缓缓翻滚。人们或田间劳作、或屋后游戏比赛、或享受惬意的野餐。

     These will include ducks, geese, 12 horses, three cows, 70 sheep and three sheepdogs to keep them in line.

 这些动物包括10只鸭、9只鹅、12匹马、3头奶牛、70只山羊和3只牧羊犬。

     The national flower of each of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom will also be represented -- the rose of England, the Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil and flax from Northern Ireland -- organizers say.

举办方说，组成英国的四国国花也将在开幕式上展现，有英格兰玫瑰，苏格兰蓟，威尔士水仙，北爱尔兰亚麻。

     In case the heavens don't open for real, Boyle has lined up fake clouds to shade his pastoral scene.

为了以防天空真云不开，博伊尔准备好了假云来遮挡他的田园风光。

     It's expected that three more set-pieces will follow, including a special sequence celebrating the "best of British," featuring volunteer performers from the NHS, or National Health Service.

据预测，接下来还会有另外三幅图画，包括特别庆祝“美好英国”，描写的是志愿者在国家健康中心参加志愿活动。

     Then will follow the traditional elements of the ceremony, as required under the International Olympic Committee charter, the organizers say.

接下来是仪式的传统环节，按照国际奥委会章程规定执行。

    The Queen will be greeted at the entrance to the stadium by IOC president Jacques Rogge.

英女王伊丽莎白二世在丈夫爱丁堡公爵的陪伴下，与国际奥委会主席罗格一同步入会场。

     Then the athletes -- who, after all, are the real stars of the Olympic show -- enter the stadium, team by team in alphabetical order, apart from Greece, which enters first in recognition of its status as the birthplace of the Games, and Great Britain as the host nation, which enters last.

接下来入场的是运动员们，他们才是奥运会的真正明星。除了希腊以发源地的身份第一个入场，英国作为主办国最后一个入场外，其余的代表队均按字母表顺序依次入场。

     Each team delegation will be led in the parade by a visiting head of state or dignitary -- in the case of Team USA, by Michelle Obama, who has said the honor "is truly a dream come true."

每个代表队都由一个来访的国家首脑或要员带领进入列队中。美国队则是由米歇尔奥巴马领队，他说这一荣誉是“梦想的真正实现“。

     After speeches from Olympic officials -- including Sebastian Coe, head of the London organizing committee and himself a former gold medallist, the Queen will declare the Games open and the Olympic flag will be hoisted above the Stadium, to fly throughout the event.

奥林匹克官员，包括本身也是金牌得主的伦敦奥组会主席塞巴斯安.科,讲话完毕后，女王将宣布奥运会开幕，奥运会会旗在体育馆上空冉冉升起，会旗将悬挂至比赛结束。

    A participating athlete, judge and coach from Britain will then take an oath vowing to compete and judge according to the rules of their respective sport, one hand holding the flag and the other held aloft.

英国运动员、教练员、裁判员代表宣誓，承诺遵守规则竞争，一只手握住会旗，另一只手举着。

    The grand finale will see the Olympic torch enter the stadium, the last stage in a 70-day relay around the United Kingdom, and set the Olympic cauldron aflame, symbolizing the beginning of the Games.

压轴节目是奥运火炬进入体育场。伦敦奥运圣火经过在英国70天的传递，于27日晚来到“伦敦碗”。点燃奥运圣火标志着奥运会的开始。

     Who the final torchbearer will be has been the subject of much speculation.

谁会是最后一棒火炬手已经成为人们猜测的主题。

     One name mentioned has been that of footballer David Beckham, although he told CNN Tuesday that the honor should go to someone who has competed at the Games. Others speculate that a group of athletes could be involved.

一个被提到的名字是足球明星贝克汉姆，但是他星期二告诉中国新闻网记者说，这一荣誉应该属于参加过奥运会的人。

     Whoever it turns out to be will have the eyes of the world upon them as they wrap up a spectacle that, in the words of Boyle, aims to "be as unpredictable and inventive as the British people."

不管最终会是谁，他们都不吸引了世界的眼球，用博伊尔的话说，它的目标是“要像英国人一样富有不可预知性和创造性。”