The sun sets over the Olympic park for the final time during London 2012. Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The Paralympic Games closed in a spectacular ceremony in the Olympic stadium, marking the end of an era for London 2012. The Games have been widely cited as the most successful in history, with many world records broken throughout the fortnight. Seb Coe, chairman of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, said last night: "We will never think of disability in the same way."殘奧會在奧林匹克體育場舉行的壯觀閉幕式中落下帷幕, 標誌著一個時代的結束。2012年倫敦奧運被廣泛視為歷史上最成功的一次，兩周內有許多世界紀錄被打破。倫敦奧運會和倫敦殘奧會主席, 科爾昨晚說: 「我們將永遠不會再以同樣的方式去看待殘疾和缺陷了。」
在一個重要歷史階段或一項重大活動告一段落時，我們可以使用短語 the end of an era 來表示，一個時代的結束。
We're going to be leaving university next week – it will be the end of an era.
The defending champion lost her title in the marathon, marking the end of an era for her athletics success.
Most people choose to download music nowadays. It's the end of an era for CDs.
表示一個新的，與以往不同的階段即將開始，可以使用the dawn of a new era, 一個新紀元的黎明。
We're getting a new manager next week and I've heard she wants to change everything – it's going to be the dawn of a new era in our office!
I finally decided to leave home and get a flat on my own – it's the dawn of a new era for me!