The Winter Games Come to Canada(a)|温哥华与 2010 年冬季奥运

by Matthew Brown

Vancouver, the site of the 2010 Winter Games, is simply one of the world's best cities.

2010 年冬季奥运的主办城市温哥华是全世界最棒的城市之一。

This year, the Olympics are coming to North America again, and Canada is getting ready for the spotlight. Vancouver has been voted as one of the most livable cities in the world for more than a decade, most recently coming in tied for fourth place with Auckland, New Zealand, in 2009. Clearly, it's one of the world's best cities, with a lot more to offer than the Winter Olympic Games.

Vancouver is on the west coast of Canada, with a population of just over two million people living within the city, the suburbs, and the surrounding areas. Vancouver's charm comes from something hard to describe—the feeling of the city. Vancouver is relaxed and pleasant, famously well designed, and not cramped or overly busy. The ocean air keeps things from feeling polluted, and the streets are full of cyclists, in-line skaters, skateboarders, and joggers. There are large parks everywhere and paths that wind along the seawall of Stanley Park. It's a city for people who love the outdoors, the ocean, and exercise.

In terms of culture, there is no city quite like Vancouver. Although it's very much a Canadian city, countless immigrants have made western Canada their home. In fact, many Vancouverites have a first language that is not English—and a lot of those people are Chinese-speakers, including many Taiwanese. On top of that, Vancouver has been attracting Hollywood directors. As a result, there have been many "American-made" movies that were actually shot in Vancouver. One of the most recent was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. With all this character, who wouldn't want to live in Vancouver?

　　今年，奥林匹亚运动会将再度班师回北美洲举行，而加拿大已准备好担任众所瞩目的主角。过去 10 几年来，温哥华一直被票选为世界上最适合居住的城市之一，在 2009 年则同时和纽西兰的奥克兰并列第 4 名宝座。显然地，温哥华是世界上最宜人的城市之一，它的特色绝对不只有冬季奥运而已。

　　温哥华位于加拿大西岸，其市区、郊区和邻近区域内的人口加起来只有两百多万。温哥华的魅力难以言述，其实就是这个城市所带给人的感觉。温哥华的气氛悠闲怡人，以精良的都市设计闻名，也没有过度拥挤或繁忙的问题。海风的吹拂让人少有污染的感觉。街上到处都是骑单车、溜直排轮、玩滑板和慢跑的人。大公园四处林立，还有沿着史丹利公园内海堤的蜿蜒小径，最适合热爱户外、海洋和运动的人居住。

　　说到文化，温哥华的丰富内涵实在无人能及。虽然它是极典型的加拿大城市，但无数移民已把这加拿大西岸大城当作自己的家。事实上，许多温哥华人的母语并非英语，其中有许多说华语的人士，而台湾人亦不在少数。除此之外，温哥华也吸引许多好莱坞导演前来拍片，因此，目前有许多宣称是『美国制造』的电影，其实是在温哥华拍摄的。最近一部在当地拍摄的作品就是《X战警前传：金刚狼》。综观上述特色，谁不想定居在温哥华呢？