Learning English.

I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

Sam, would you describe yourself

as 'sporty'?

Well, I do like to go running and

I might watch some sport on TV.

Would you watch sport like bandy,

skeleton or perhaps luge?

Ah, you're talking about quite

specialised sports, played on ice

or snow, and that's because it's

almost time for the Winter Olympics.

Yes, you're right.

The 2022 Winter

Olympics starts in Beijing on the

4th February.

This event will mark

the return of the Olympics to Beijing

for the first time in 14 years,

having previously hosted

the 2008 Summer Games.

That means Beijing will become the first

city in the world to have hosted both the

Winter and Summer Games.

But these latest

Games are not without controversy -

that's disagreement or argument about

something people have

strong feelings about.

More about that later - but as usual,

I have a question or you, Sam.

The Winter Olympics have not been

around as long as the Summer Olympics,

so do you know when the first

Winter event took place?

Was it in:

a) 1904 b) 1924, or c) 1934?

Well, as they are relatively new,

I'll go for c) 1934.

OK, Sam, we'll find out if that's

right later in the programme.

Now,

this latest Winter Olympics are

scheduled to include a record 109

events over 15 disciplines in seven

sports - biathlon, bobsledding, curling,

ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing.

A discipline in this context is a

particular way of doing a sport.

The BBC's China correspondent,

Stephen McDonell, went to a recent

test event for the Olympics and

explained what the organisers

are hoping for.

In the mountains outside Beijing,

the test events are in full swing.

(The) Games organisers will be hoping

(that) despite the coronavirus headaches,

despite the alleged human rights abuses,

despite the allegations from a former

Chinese Olympian - a tennis star at that -

involving a senior government official -

they can still produce a

memorable Winter Olympics.

So that was Stephen McDonell at a

test event which he described as

being in full swing - so, at its

highest level or activity - its

busiest.

And he mentioned the

controversy surrounding the games.

Yes, he mentioned the coronavirus

headache not an actual headache

but something that causes a lot

of problems.

Covid-19 certainly

makes it difficult to plan a huge

event like this, particularly

managing people who are travelling

from all parts of the world.

On top of this, China is accused

of human rights abuses against

the Uighur Muslims.

And there

is the controversy around the

tennis player, Peng Shuai.

But despite the issues facing

the game's organisers, they

want to put on an event that

is hard to forget, for good

reasons - Stephen used

the word 'memorable'.

Well, seeing athletes hurtle

down an icy track at 130 kilometres

an hour on what looks like a

tea tray, is certainly unforgettable.

This is what they

call 'the skeleton'.

Let's hear more about the

preparations for the games from

the BBC's Stephen McDonell.

The games will be held in a

freezing, mostly dry area - a

mountain of snow making is

required, but this can make for

quick, dynamic runs.

The athletes

we spoke to said these sites will

make for high-quality competition -

for everyone here,

the clock is now ticking.

So, despite this being a winter event,

held in a cold place, enormous

quantities of artificial snow

have to be made.

Stephen McDonell

describes this as a mountain of

snow - not a real mountain - but

a large amount of it.

But some athletes say this type

of snow is good for speed, and

changing and developing -

or dynamic - conditions.

They

hope it will be

a 'high-quality' competition.

Let's hope so, and it's not long

until it starts - and for the

athletes the clock is ticking,

meaning time is

running out to prepare.

And our time is running out too,

so Neil, what's the answer to

the question you asked me?

Oh yes, I asked you when the

first Winter Olympics took place?

And I said 1934.

Which was...

I'm afraid to say,

Sam, the wrong answer.

The first

Winter Olympic Games took place

in 1924 and were held in

Chamonix in the French Alps.

The Beijing Winter Olympics is

the 24th games.

And the

Paralympic Games will take

place a month later in the

city, between 4th and

13th March 2022.

Looks like I need to brush

up on my Winter Olympics

knowledge but not before

we recap some of the vocabulary

we've mentioned, starting

with controversy - disagreement

or argument about something

people have strong

feelings about.

We talked about something being

in full swing - so, at its

highest level of activity.

And a headache is, metaphorically,

something that causes you

a lot of problems.

A mountain is not only a very

high hill - used

metaphorically it means a

large amount of something.

Something continually changing

and developing can be

described as dynamic.

And finally, the clock is

ticking, means time is

running out to prepare

for or complete something.

Well, the clock is no longer

ticking for us because

our six minutes are up!

Goodbye for now!

Bye bye!