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HORRIBLE toilets. Stagnant puddles buzzing with dengue-spreading mosquitoes. Collapsing masonry. Lax security. A terrorist attack. India’s preparations for the 72-nation Commonwealth games, which are scheduled to open in Delhi on October 3rd, have not won favourable reviews. “Commonfilth”, was one of the kinder British tabloid headlines. At best—assuming that the organisers make a last-minute dash to spruce things up—the Delhi games will be remembered as a shambles. The contrast with China’s practically flawless hosting of the Olympic games in 2008 could hardly be starker. Many people will draw the wrong lesson from this.
A big sporting event, some people believe, tells you something important about the nation that hosts it. Efficient countries build tip-top stadiums and make the shuttle buses run on time. That India cannot seem to do any of these things suggests that it will always be a second-rate power.
Or does it? Despite the headlines, India is doing rather well. Its economy is expected to expand by 8.5% this year. It has a long way to go before it is as rich as China—the Chinese economy is four times bigger—but its growth rate could overtake China’s by 2013, if not before (see article). Some economists think India will grow faster than any other large country over the next 25 years. Rapid growth in a country of 1.2 billion people is exciting, to put it mildly.

A. 어휘
HORRIBLE 무서운, 극히 불쾌한. Stagnant 고여 있는.
puddles 웅덩이. buzzing 윙윙거리는. dengue 뎅그열(열대성 전염병).
Collapsing 崩壞(붕괴)하는. masonry 石造(석조) 건축, 석조물.
Lax 느슨한, 解弛(해이)된. security 治安(치안), 안보.
the Commonwealth 英聯邦(영연방). filth 汚物(오물), 불결.
assuming=though we assume 가정한다 하더라도.
spruce up 깔끔하게 하다. shambles 아수라장, 도살장.
flawless 흠이 없는, 완전한. hosting 개최. stark 뚜렷한, 완전한, 엄격한, 경직된.
tip-top 최상의. power 强國(강국).
to put it mildly 온건하게 표현하더라도.