Volunteer applicants² for Beijing Olympics smash competition record

申请成为北京奥运会志愿者的人数再创新高！到目前为止，已有超过56万人申请成为北京奥运会及残奥会志愿者。历时一年的志愿者招募活动，收到有史以来最强烈的社会反响。届时，将从中选拔出10万人作为北京奥运会志愿者。

More than 560,000 people have applied³ to be volunteers at the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, almost a year since recruitment began, the largest response in the history of the Games.

More than 310,000 are from Beijing and 6.5 percent are residents outside Chinese mainland, according to the latest statistics released by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG).

The majority of the applicants are aged⁴ below 36 with bachelor degrees or higher. 58 percent of the applicants are female.

A total of 100,000 Games-time volunteers will be chosen for the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics - about 70,000 for the Olympics and about 30,000 for the Paralympics, both exceeding the figures from the Athens Olympics, whose applicant¹ and volunteer numbers set a then-record high.

Around 160,000 volunteer applications were received before 2004Athens Olympic while 60,000 were finally offered volunteer positions.

Applicants who fail to make the final cut may be recruited as a "City Volunteer," who would be working at designated spots across the city to ensure the smooth progress of the Games and help overseas visitors to overcome the language barrier.

Applicants will be trained on Olympic-related knowledge, basic regulations and skills before they become qualified⁵ volunteers, according to the head of the Volunteer Department.

Vocabulary:

Games-time volunteers：赛时志愿者

language barrier：语言障碍