The World Expo that begins May 1 promises to be nothing less than a coming-out party for Shanghai, China's commercial and financial capital. Following the lead of Beijing for the Olympics, Shanghai, which has already changed so much in the past three decades, has staged a spare-no-expense makeover.

　　将于5月1日开幕的上海世界博览会有望成为上海首次在国际舞台重大亮相的盛会。作为中国的商业和金融之都，上海在近30年已发生了巨大的变化。而仿效北京为奥运会所做的种种努力，上海也不惜工本，大兴土木。