Meet the newest mascots

Mascots are great ambassadors for sporting events. You may remember the five cute “Fuwa” dolls from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Now, get ready to meet two new mascots.
吉祥物是体育赛事的出色大使。你或许还记得2008年北京奥运会那五个可爱的“福娃”。现在，一起来看看两个新吉祥物吧。

On Sept 17, a giant panda with a white helmet named “Bing Dwen Dwen”, and a red lantern baby called “Shuey Rhon Rhon”, were unveiled as the two mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
9月17日，2022年北京冬奥会和冬残奥会吉祥物揭晓：分别是戴着白色头盔的大熊猫“冰墩墩”以及红灯笼娃娃“雪容融”。

According to Xinhua News Agency, these two mascots strongly show Chinese culture.
据新华社报道，这两个吉祥物生动展现了中华文化。

The giant panda is regarded as a Chinese national treasure, and the red lantern is an important element of Chinese New Year celebrations. Meanwhile, the panda’s helmet represents modern society and its white color is indicative of the snow and ice of winter sports.
大熊猫被视为我国国宝，而红灯笼则是庆祝农历新年的一大重要元素。此外，熊猫的头盔还象征着现代社会，头盔雪白的颜色代表着冬季运动的冰雪。

“The two mascots combine elements of traditional Chinese culture and a modern international style, as well as emphasizing the characteristics of ice and snow sports,” Beijing 2022 Games executive president Chen Jining told Xinhua.
“两个吉祥物把中华文化元素、现代国际风格、冰雪运动特征融为一体，”北京2022年冬奥组委执行主席陈吉宁在接受新华社采访时表示。

If the images of these mascots show Chinese characteristics, their names express Chinese people’s understanding of the Olympic spirit.
如果说这两个吉祥物的形象体现了中国特征，那么它们的名字则表达了中国人民对于奥运精神的理解。

“Bing” and “Shuey” are equivalent to “ice” and “snow” in English. “Dwen Dwen” means “robust, lively” and “Rhon Rhon” has the dual meanings of “tolerance” and “integration”.
“冰”与“雪”与英文中的“ice”（冰）、“snow”（雪）二词对应。“墩墩”意喻敦厚、健康、活泼、可爱，而“容融”意为包容与融合。

“They are designed to express ... the Olympic spirit, encompassing traits such as passion, perseverance, friendship and mutual understanding, to actively engage the public,” Chen told Xinhua.
“吉祥物的设计诠释了顽强拼搏、团结友谊、理解包容的奥林匹克精神，以及对公众的盛情邀约，”陈吉宁在接受新华社采访时表示。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二763期