花式英语

Marriages allowed on Feb 2  

soon-to-be brides and grooms准新娘新郎 

civil affairs authorities 民政部门 

odd奇数 

backward or forward正着说反着说 

netizens网民 

overtime加班 

marriage license结婚证 

newlyweds新人  

Many soon-to-be brides and grooms in China are calling for civil affairs authorities to work one extra day on Feb 2, a Sunday, so they can tie the knot on the special day, a perfectly symmetric date. The date, which is written as 20200202 on the Chinese calendar, is the same when read backward or forward. Besides, Chinese people often like to get married on an even date as they believe that good things come in pairs. Therefore, the date has been labeled "the best day to get a marriage license" by netizens. In response, civil affairs authorities in 12 cities, including Xi&`&an, Chengdu, and Wuhan, said they would work overtime to register newlyweds. 

新闻来源：ChinaDaily

Olympic Athletes in Tokyo to Sleep on Environment-Friendly Cardboard Beds 东京奥运会为运动员准备了纸板床

In an effort to be 为了 

cardboard beds纸版床

observers观察员 

question质疑 

strong结实，坚强 

housing住宿 

stand up to承受

In an effort to be more environment friendly, organizers of this summer&`&s Tokyo Olympics have built cardboard beds for the athletes to sleep on. Some observers have questioned whether such beds will be strong enough to hold some of the heavier Olympic competitors. But Takashi Kitajima, who is in charge of the athletes&`& housing for the event, told The Associated Press he is not worried about any beds breaking. "Those beds can stand up to 200 kilograms," he said. Kitajima added that the cardboard beds were made to be even stronger than wooden beds. However, he did say there could be a problem if some athletes get too excited celebrating their gold-medal success. "Of course, wood and cardboard would each break if you jumped on them," Kitajima said. 

 新闻来源:VOA News