When the Olympic Flame arrives in Salt Lake City, Utah, to inaugurate the 2002 Winter Games, it will have traveled roughly 22,500 kilometers through more than 40 states. For many people in Salt Lake City, though, the most difficult journey was completed in 1995. That was when their city was selected as the site of the 19th Winter Games.

The selection was a culmination of three decades of effort. During this time, Salt Lake City had been chosen to represent the United States three times. It lost out twice to Japanese cities, and once to Innsbruck, Austria.

More than a million people are expected to descend on Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games. This is a far cry from 1924, when the Winter Games were not much more than a tack-on to the (Summer) Olympics.

The Winter Olympic Games became official in 1928. They have been held every four years since, with the exceptions of 1940 and 1944. By 1988, the Winter Games had become so popular that IOC officials decided to hold the Winter and Summer Games in different years.

This year, 2,345 men and women from 80 nations will compete for medals in events ranging from figure skating to snowboarding. The most popular event, though, is expected to be the spectacle of the opening ceremonies when an estimated 3.5 billion people will tune in.

1. culmination n. 全盛

2. far cry phr. 遥远的距离，大不同的事物

3. spectacle n. 奇观

4. tune in phr.v. 收看（电视转播的）频道

到奥运圣火抵达犹他州的盐湖城为2002年的冬季奥运会揭幕的时候，它将已经穿过了40多个州，横跨大约22, 500公里。然而，对于盐湖城的许多居民来说，最艰难的一段旅程，在1995年就已经走完了。那一年，盐湖城当选为第十九届冬季奥运会的主会场。

这次当选是30年来努力的结果。30年来，盐湖城三次代表美国争取主办权，其中两次败给了日本的城市，一次败给了奥地利的因斯布鲁克。

预计将会有一百多万人涌入盐湖城观看2002年的冬季奥运会。和1924年的冬运会相比，可以说是天壤之别，那个时候，冬运会不过是（夏季）奥运会的附属品而已。

1928年，冬季奥运会正式开始举行。从那以后，除了1940年和1944年（因二次世界大战）停办之外，冬运会每4年举办一届。到1988年，冬季奥运会受到了普遍的欢迎，国际奥委会于是决定（自1994年起）将冬运会和夏季奥运会分别在不同的年份举办。

今年，来自80个国家的2345位男女运动员将角逐花样滑冰、滑板滑雪等项目的奖牌。然而，最受瞩目的一项应该是开幕式的壮观场景，估计届时将有35亿观众收看电视转播节目。