[originaltext]W: Hello, Bill. You look very sad. What happened?M: Don’t mentio

W: Hello, Bill. You look very sad. What happened?
M: Don’t mention it. Our baseball team was beaten by Australia last night.
W: Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I know baseball is a traditional pastime in US. But you should not expect your team to win every time.
M: Sure, I know. But it was a matter of pride for the US baseball team to win ill the 1996 Olympic Games. How I wish they could win this time.
W: I also watched the live broadcast yesterday. It was a close game. They gave their best but luck was not on their side.
M: You are right. How about baseball in China? Is it also very popular?
W: I think it’s getting more and more popular now.
M: Yeah, when I first came to China a few years ago, I couldn’t find anything about the game on newspapers or in sport reports on TV.
W: I agree. I am a big baseball fan too, and I often go to the Internet to find out who has won and who has lost.
M: Right, as far as media coverage is concerned, I have seen a lot of changes in recent years in China.
W: Baseball in China is becoming an important sport now. I still remember several years ago when I went to the stadium to watch a game, there were only a few dozen spectators. But now at least thousands of fans show at every game.
M: Watching a baseball game in China now is almost like that in the US.
W: Well, even so, I believe baseball in China is not quite up to the level as other "advanced countries".
M: Given some time for good training, I think Chinese baseball teams will reach world-class.
W: Did the Chinese baseball team go to play at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games?
M: No, unfortunately the Chinese team lost in the Asian Championships, and therefore failed to be qualified for the Athens Games.
W: That’s too bad. But I am sure with intensive training in the next few years, the Chinese team no doubt will be qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.