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Learning English - Words in the News
 
25 July, 2008 - Published 11:12 GMT
 
Scrum for last Olympic tickets
 
People waiting to get tickets for the Olympics

There have been chaotic scenes in Beijing as the last trance of tickets for the Olympic games went on sale. Police had to call in reinforcements to hold back surging crowds. Daniel Griffiths has this report.

Listen to the story

On a hot, smoggy morning, thousands of people from all over China queued to buy the remaining tickets for the Olympics. Many of them had waited for days - sleeping outside on mats or in deckchairs.

Tempers flared in the intense heat, with people shouting and surging forward. Police and other security personnel struggled to hold them back. Eight hundred and twenty thousand tickets are on sale across the country for events at all the Olympic venues.

Some people wanted tickets for certain events, but others I spoke to didn't seem to care what ticket they got, just as long as they had a chance to see the Olympic games in their own country.

Daniel Griffiths, BBC News, Beijing

Listen to the words

smoggy
heavy air pollution

remaining
last

deckchairs
a folding chair used outside (see picture above!)

Tempers flared
people got very angry

intense
very strong

surging
moving, pushing

struggled
used a lot of effort to

Olympic venues
buildings and areas where the Olympics are happening

certain events
one of a set of races or competitions e.g. The 200 metre event



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