Factory Surroundings Get Attention for Olympic 'Big Air' Event
2022-02-09
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1An old steel-making center in Beijing is getting new life as a place for shopping, eating and working.
2Now, it is also being shown on televisions during this year's Winter Olympics.
3The center has large cooling towers and smokestacks, which are big industrial structures for dealing with pollution and heat.
4This month, however, they are being seen with the Olympic ski jumping competition known as "Big Air."
5In the competition, the skiers slide down a 64-meter high, 164-meter-long ramp to gain speed before they jump into the air and do tricks.
6As they rise, television cameras show them with the factory in the background.
7Some people watching used social media to say the images made them wonder if the Olympics were being held in Springfield, the home of the Simpsons family.
8In the cartoon, Homer Simpson worked at a nuclear power center.
9China closed the Shougang steel factory before the 2008 Summer Olympics to reduce air pollution.
10Since then, the factory has been turned into a place where people work, eat and walk on grassy areas.
11The old parts of the factory are still there.
12But many of the spaces have been turned into offices.
13Alex Hall is an American freestyle skier.
14He said: "The crazy smokestack things in the back are pretty cool."
15"Big Air" skiing is new for this Olympics.
16The snowboard version of the event happened for the first time four years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
17The event usually takes place in mountain ski areas or in temporary places inside sports stadiums.
18But the Shougang ramp is a permanent structure.
19Other Big Air events around the world are made using materials that are easy to take down when the event ends.
20Chinese officials hope that Beijing will be a place for future competitions.
21The competitors like the ramp because the structure is secure.
22When they compete on temporary ramps, they do not feel as safe.
23Some of them said the city ramp is just as good as the ones in the mountains.
24They are able to do their usual tricks without worrying about running out of space.
25American skier Nick Goepper compared the place to something you would see in a video game.
26American-born skier Eileen Gu won gold competing for China in the event on Tuesday.
27She said permanent ski jumps are a good idea for the sport.
28She called it "fantastic," or really good, and noted that it feels like being on a glacier although it is in the city.
29Skier Kirsty Muir of Great Britain called the place "amazing" and "cool."
30Antoine Adelisse of France said he was a little sad to be at the top of the jump and not see mountains.
31However, he liked how it looked at night with the bright lights.
32There is a question about how many cities will able to build a structure like the one in China.
33The ramp in Beijing is built into a larger seating area that can be used for concerts and other performances.
34Goepper said more competition places like the one in Shougang would help the sport find new fans since more people can see the event in cities.
35Zhang Li designed the ramp and said it is supposed to look like a ribbon floating in the air.
36In the first week of the Olympics, the skiers will use the location.
37Next week, snowboarders will use it.
1An old steel-making center in Beijing is getting new life as a place for shopping, eating and working. Now, it is also being shown on televisions during this year's Winter Olympics. 2The center has large cooling towers and smokestacks, which are big industrial structures for dealing with pollution and heat. This month, however, they are being seen with the Olympic ski jumping competition known as "Big Air." 3In the competition, the skiers slide down a 64-meter high, 164-meter-long ramp to gain speed before they jump into the air and do tricks. As they rise, television cameras show them with the factory in the background. 4Some people watching used social media to say the images made them wonder if the Olympics were being held in Springfield, the home of the Simpsons family. In the cartoon, Homer Simpson worked at a nuclear power center. 5China closed the Shougang steel factory before the 2008 Summer Olympics to reduce air pollution. Since then, the factory has been turned into a place where people work, eat and walk on grassy areas. The old parts of the factory are still there. But many of the spaces have been turned into offices. 6Alex Hall is an American freestyle skier. He said: "The crazy smokestack things in the back are pretty cool." 7"Big Air" skiing is new for this Olympics. The snowboard version of the event happened for the first time four years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The event usually takes place in mountain ski areas or in temporary places inside sports stadiums. But the Shougang ramp is a permanent structure. Other Big Air events around the world are made using materials that are easy to take down when the event ends. Chinese officials hope that Beijing will be a place for future competitions. 8The competitors like the ramp because the structure is secure. When they compete on temporary ramps, they do not feel as safe. 9Some of them said the city ramp is just as good as the ones in the mountains. They are able to do their usual tricks without worrying about running out of space. 10American skier Nick Goepper compared the place to something you would see in a video game. American-born skier Eileen Gu won gold competing for China in the event on Tuesday. She said permanent ski jumps are a good idea for the sport. 11She called it "fantastic," or really good, and noted that it feels like being on a glacier although it is in the city. 12Skier Kirsty Muir of Great Britain called the place "amazing" and "cool." 13Antoine Adelisse of France said he was a little sad to be at the top of the jump and not see mountains. However, he liked how it looked at night with the bright lights. 14There is a question about how many cities will able to build a structure like the one in China. The ramp in Beijing is built into a larger seating area that can be used for concerts and other performances. 15Goepper said more competition places like the one in Shougang would help the sport find new fans since more people can see the event in cities. 16Zhang Li designed the ramp and said it is supposed to look like a ribbon floating in the air. 17In the first week of the Olympics, the skiers will use the location. Next week, snowboarders will use it. 18Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by Reuters and the Associated Press. 19Have you seen the Big Air location? What do you think? Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 20Words in This Story 21ramp - n. a path that is high at one end and low at the other 22trick - n. a skillful action that someone performs for others 23cartoon - n. a film or television show made by photographing a series of drawings : an animated film or television show 24crazy - adj. very strange or unusual 25cool - adj. appealing in a way approved of mainly by young people 26stadium - n. a very large usually roofless building that has a large open area surrounded by many seats and that is used for sports events 27glacier - n. a very large area of ice that slowly moves down a mountain 28amazing -adj. causing great surprise or wonder 29ribbon - n. a thin, long piece of something