When the event that stands as a living legacy of Britain’s imperial past was on its knees, it was the place once known as the empire’s second city that came to the rescue.(当英联邦运动会陷入困境时，格拉斯哥挺身而出。) The 2026 Commonwealth Games, a sporting jamboree(盛大的聚会；狂欢活动) of the countries that once made up the empire (plus some others), found itself without a host after the Australian state of Victoria backed out(退出；食言) because of soaring costs(飙升的成本). Glasgow, the host city in 2014, saved the day.
当那个作为大英帝国殖民遗产现实的赛事摇摇欲坠时，正是那个曾被称为帝国第二城市的格拉斯哥挺身而出。2026年英联邦运动会——这个由曾组成帝国的国家（加上其他一些国家）参加的体育盛会——在澳大利亚维多利亚州因成本飙升而退出后，发现自己没有主办城市。2014年的主办城市格拉斯哥力挽狂澜。
But after these slimmed-down games(精简版运动会), which open on July 23rd, Glasgow itself will need saving. It looks tired. The pink livery(涂装；制式色彩) on a tower block welcoming people to the 2014 games has faded. Roadworks clog the streets(堵塞街道). Blocks of flats lie half-built(半建成的) after investors pulled out(撤出；退出) amid rent-control fears(对租金管制的担忧). The international airport still lacks a rail link to the centre. In March the city lost a listed Victorian building in a blaze that started in a vape shop(电子烟商店).
但在这些缩水版运动会（将于7月23日开幕）之后，格拉斯哥自身需要拯救。这座城市看起来疲惫不堪。一座塔楼上迎接2014年运动会的粉色涂装已经褪色。道路施工堵塞街道。公寓楼因投资者在租金管制担忧下撤资而半途而废。国际机场仍缺乏通往市中心的铁路连接。今年3月，一场始于电子烟商店的大火摧毁了一座受保护的维多利亚时代建筑。
The challenges facing a post-industrial city(后工业城市) such as Glasgow are not unique. Others are coping better(应对得更好). Manchester has trams and a large chunk of(很大一部分) the BBC. The average cost of a home there has grown twice as fast as in Glasgow since 2004.
格拉斯哥这样后工业城市面临的挑战并非独一无二。其他城市应对得更好。曼彻斯特有有轨电车和BBC的很大一部分。自2004年以来，那里的平均房价增长速度是格拉斯哥的两倍。