短文

The Summer Youth Olympic Games were held in Nanjing in 2014. The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international sports event also organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years. The first summer version was held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010 while the first winter version was held in Austria from 13 to 22 January 2012. The age limitation of the athletes is 14 to 18. These Games will also feature cultural exchange programs and opportunities for athlete to show their competence. (90 words)

What? When? Where? Why?

Task 2. Read the following passage and complete the questions below.

The first Olympic Games at Olympia were held in 776 BC. They were held every four years from 776 BC. In ancient Greece games were designed to show worship(崇拜)for the gods and heroes. They were also held as part of religious ceremonies (宗教仪式) to honor dead heroes. But from the beginning, the games at Olympia served to strengthen the Greek sense of national unity(统一). So every four years thousands of soldiers stopped all wars and crowded to a small sanctuary(圣殿) in northwestern Greece for five days in the late summer，and they did so for only one reason, that is, to watch the Olympic Games. The athletes competed not for victory or material(物质的) goods but only for the honor of being Olympic competitors. However, only free men who spoke Greek could compete instead of athletes from any country and the games were usually held at Olympia instead of moving around to different places every time.

The ancient Olympics had a rich variety of games. Many of these games are the ancestors(前身) of our modern Olympic Games. Some of the games in which the young men competed were : running, jumping and wrestling and so on. Slaves were not allowed to take part in the games, nor were women. After about the year 393 AD the Olympic Games stopped. For centuries there were no Olympic Games. But they were not forgotten.

(232 words). I. Answer the following questions:

1. when did the ancient Olympic Games start?

2. Why did soldiers stop war and crowd to a small sanctuary?

3. Who could not compete in the Games?

4. Can your show some of the games of the Ancient Olympics?

II. Complete the following sentences:

1. The Ancient Olympic Games were held to:

①__________________________________________________________________ ②__________________________________________________________________ ③__________________________________________________________________ 2. Athletes competed not for ___________________but for_________________________. 3. Only free men who___________________________________could compete and the

Games were usually held at Olympia instead of _______________________________.

Task III. Read the following passage and complete the questions below

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. They were held in Greece—the country in which the Games were born. In the Games about 300 athletes from just twelve countries participated. After that more and more countries joined in the Games. Besides athletes, many participants were tourists who happened to be in Greece at the time. Since 1896, the games have been held every four years except during the interruption of the two World Wars.

Nowadays The games have grown enormously in scale(规模) and are now held in different cities all over the world. There are two main sets of Games—the Winter and the Summer Olympics and both are held every four years. In 2000, over 10,000 athletes from 227 countries went to Sydney, Australia, for the 27th Olympic Games! There were 300 different events in the Games. Horse-riding, hammer throw and shooting were some of the more unusual events.

In the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Chinese team got 28 gold medals. Following the history-making success, China won another great competition in 2001 which was not for a medal. It was the competition between countries to host the Olympic Games. In 2008, the 29th Olympic Games was held in our capital—Beijing. It was not only a great honor to be chosen but also a great responsibility. To make it the best ever, the capital city had made several big changes ahead. New buildings and sports fields were built. More trees were planted and new roads were constructed. The people of Beijing, and of the whole nation, got prepared to light the Olympic torch to welcome athletes and sports fans from all over the world. There is no doubt that countries compete against each other for the honor to hold the games. London enjoyed the opportunity in 2012.

The Olympic motto is\" Faster, Higher, Stronger\". It means that every athlete should try to run faster, jump higher and throw further. (327 words) I. Answer the following questions:

1. When did the modern Olympic Games start?

2. How often did it take place?

3. What is the Olympic Motto?

II. Complete the following sentences:

1. The Modern Olympic Games differs from the Ancient Olympic Games in its scale ① ② ③

2. The two things that China were successful in were

①__________________________________________________________________ ②__________________________________________________________________ 3. What did China do to make the 2008 Olympics best ever

①__________________________________________________________________ ②__________________________________________________________________

Task IV. Read the following news and complete the tasks below.

In 2016, athletes from around the world will compete for gold medals in the Summer Olympics. Even though the games are three years away, Brazil’s people already feel like winners.

The nation was selected to host this important sporting event in October 2009. It will be the first Olympics held in South America.

The games will take place in Rio de Janeiro. The city beat out three other sites, Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago, to host the event. When the International Olympic Committee chose Rio de Janeiro, cheering people gathered on the city’s streets. “This is good news for Rio and for the whole country,” says the former president Sueli Ferreira.

The Olympics are expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors and to create more than 2 million jobs. Brazilian officials have already started to prepare for the coming Games.

People hope that hosting the games will improve the economy and people’s life in Brazil. (155 words)

Answer the following questions:

1.When and where will the next Olympic Games be held?

2.Why is it good For Brazil to hold the 2016 Olympic Games?

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Post reading: choose one of the following topic to write about.

1. What did you know about the Olympic Games in this period? Today I learned…

2.Why do countries compete against each other to win the opportunity

to hold the Olympic Games? As far as I know…