Ex 2. Find the following words in the passage and select the meaning you think is most likely to correspond among the choices given:

1. Waived (line 5)

1. Accepted

2. Shaken

3. Abolished

4. Displayed

2. Excelled in (line 14)

1. Was best overall at

2. Chose between

3. Was excessive in

4. Was restricted to

3. Sacred (line 19)

1. Picturesque

2. Of religious significance

3. Frightened

4. Carved with a knife

4. Rewarded (line 22)

1. Paid

2. Prized

3. Gifted

4. Valued

5. Pagan (line 28)

1. Evil

2. Irreligious

3. Heathen

4. Pageant-like

6. Institution (line 30)

1. Museum

2. Custom

3. School

4. Building

7. Facilities (line 37)

1. Opportunities

2. Buildings and equipment

3. Entertainments

4. Faculties

8. Initiated (line 42)

1. Run

2. Continued

3. Begun

4. Accepted into adulthood

9. Conception (line 48)

1. Birth

2. Beginning

3. Idea

4. Instrument

10. Interlocking (line 48)

1. Linked

2. International

3. Doubled

4. Touching

Ex 3. Say whether or not the statement is similar in meaning to the sentence from the passage indicated by the line number in brackets:

1. We can ascertain when the Olympic Games first took place because official records date from 776 B.C. (lines 5-6)

2. Originally the only permitted competitors were those whose position in society was respected. (lines 9-10)

3. Because the ten-month period of training was so strenuous, competitors who did not achieve success felt that their efforts were wasted. (lines 22-23)

4. The intensive training gave all runners the strength to withstand even the strain of the great races. (lines 23-25)

5. As there is a greater of sport nowadays, athletic events have lost their importance.(lines 39-40)

6. The Olympic torch burns throughout the Games to honour today the ancient Greek athletic ideas. (lines 45-46)

The Olympic Games Text 2

In 776 BC the first Olympic were held at the foot of Mount Olympus to honour the Greek’s chief God, Zeus. The Greeks emphasized physical fitness and strength in their education of youth. Therefore contests in running, jumping, discus and javelin throwing, boxing and horse and chariot racing were held in individual cities, and the winners competed every four years at Mount Olympus. Winners were greatly honoured by having olive wreaths placed on their heads and having poems sung about their deeds. Originally these were held as games of friendship, and any wars in progress were halted to allow the games take place.

The Greeks attached so much importance to these games that they calculated time in four-year cycles called “Olympiada”.

In 394 AD the Games were abolished and were not renewed until many centuries later.

Renewal of the Games came in 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens sue to the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Te first Olympiad was held in Athens and followed the pattern set by the ancient Olympic Games. Some events, like marathon race, have been added, and the inclusion of women, and also the series of winter sports. Otherwise, the framework elaborated for the first Games, has stood the test of time. The modern Games have maintained the original ideal of amateurism.

In 1896 the International Olympic Committee was set up. It is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement, formed by the representatives of participant countries. The IOC makes the ultimate decision as to the program of the Games, the number of participants and as to where the Games of the next Olympiad are to be held. The Games are allocated to a city, not to a country. Over 150 countries are represented in the IOC at present.

Much importance is attached to opening ceremony. At the opening of the Games the International Olympic Committee appears as host. The national anthem of the host country is played, and all the participants march past the Lodge of Honour. The Head of the host country declares the Games open, then the Olympic flag is lit that will burn till the end of the Games. The Olympic torch has been carried from Olympia by torch bearers, one for each kilometer, about 340 in all.

The Olympic flag has five coloured interlaced rings, representing the five parts for the world, on a white background. The motto of the Olympic Games is “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

Russia joined the Olympic movement in 1952. Since then, Soviet sportsmen and sportswomen have collected a great lot of gold, silver and bronze medals, not to mention the numerous Olympic and world records they have broken. In 1980 Moscow hosted the 22 Olympic Games.

The importance of the Olympic Games was well expressed by Coubertin: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”

Ex 1. Choose the synonym:

Waive Excel Garland Sacred Reward Make it worthwhile Lengthy Strain Pagan Revive Intervals Expenses Feature Celebrated Ignite Victor Interlocking

interlaced winner light abolish wreath surpass/be superior to smb long heathen rewarding, valuable expenditure renew –re-establish outstanding holy award stress characteristic cycles

Ex 2. Put the events in the right order:

- International Olympic Committee makes the ultimate decision as to the program of the Games, the number of participants and the host-city.

-Opening ceremony:

- The national anthem of the host country is played.

- All the participants march past the Lodge of Honour.

-The Games are declared open by the Head of the host country.

-The Olympic flag is raised.

-The Olympic hymn is sung.

-Arrival of a torch carried by a succession of runners (one for each km, 340) to the stadium.

-The torch is lit and burns until the end of the games.

Ex 3. Answer the questions:

1. In honor of whom were the Olympic games held in the past? How often? Where were they held?

2. Who was allowed to compete?

3. What events took place? How long did they last? Describe the sequence.

4. What is pentathlon?

5. What was the third day devoted to?

6. How were the winners rewarded? Did they have to train a lot? Was the 10-month training period worthwhile?

7. Why were they abolished? When were they renewed? Who was Baron Pierre de Coubertin?

8. Describe the opening and closing ceremony.

9. What are the symbols of the Olympics?

10. What is more important according to Coubertin: victory, participation, struggle?

Ex 4. Speak on the following topics:

The history and origin of Olympic Games.

The Olympic movements: its symbols and motto.

Pierre Coubertin is the founder of modern Olympic Games.

The opening ceremony of Olympic Games.

The Beijing Olympic Games

There is no (1) _________ that the Olympic Games, which begin on 8^th August in Beijing, China, will be one of the biggest sporting events in history. Around 3 million Chinese and foreign visitors are expected to arrive in the city during the games, and more than 10,000 athletes will be (2) _________ at a total of 37 different venues. By the time the closing ceremony takes place on 24^th August it is (3) _________ that between 3.5 and 4 billion people, out of the Earth’s total population of 6.7 billion, will have watched some part of the games on television.

This year’s Olympics consist of 28 different sports, some of which are divided into various different ‘disciplines’. Athletics, for example, consists of ‘track’ events such as (4) _________ races, and ‘field’ events such as pole-vaulting and javelin-throwing. Athletics is widely (5) _________ as the most glamorous part of the Olympics and probably gets the most international TV coverage, with hundreds of millions of viewers watching the finals of races such as the 100-metre sprint. The athletics events always take place in the largest (6) _________ , in this case the Beijing National Stadium, which has the nickname ‘the bird’s nest’ because of its unusual (7) _________ from the outside.

Other Olympic sports that attract large TV (8) _________ in many parts of the world include basketball, football and gymnastics, while sports such as canoeing and archery have smaller audiences.

All the different venues in Beijing have been ready for some time – unlike in many previous Olympics, when some of the (9) _________ work was only completed at the last minute. There are, however, concerns about the possibility of air pollution affecting the competitors.

As always, some countries are very likely to do well in certain events – such as the East African nations (particularly Kenya) in the long-distance running, and Brazil and Argentina in the men’s football. The United States finished top of the medals (10) _________ in the last Olympics in Athens in 2004 (with China in second place, Russia in third, Australia in fourth and Japan in fifth), and not many people would (11) _________ against their athletes repeating the achievement this year. However, it’s also the case that there are always some (12) _________ , such as when Argentina won the men’s basketball in Athens.

Exercise 1 Fill in the gaps in the text with the correct words from the table below. There are four extra words.

feared	journalists	venue	bet
winning	running	surprises	seen
table	disaster	competing	building
appearance	doubt	expected	audiences

Exercise 2 Below is the text, but it has been copied incorrectly and now contains twenty mistakes. Find and correct the mistakes.

There is no doubt that the Olympic Games, which beginning on 8^th August in Beijing, China, will be one of the biggest sporting events in the history. Around 3 million Chinese and foreign visitors are expected to arrive in the city during the games, and more than 10,000 athletes will be competing at a total of 37 different venewes. By the time the closing ceremony takes place on 24^th August it is expected that between 3.5 and 4 billion people, out of the Earth total population of 6.7 billion, will have watch some part of the games on television.

This year’s Olympics consist 28 different sports, some of which are divided to various different ‘disciplines’. Athletics, for example, consists of ‘track’ events such as running races, and ‘field’ events such as pole-vaulting and javelin-jumping. Athletics is widely seen as the most glamorous part of the Olympics and probably get the most international TV coverage, with hundreds of millions of viewers watching the finals of courses such as the 100-metre sprint. The athletics events always have place in the largest venue, in this case the Beijing National Stadium, which have the nickname ‘the bird’s nest’ because of its unusual appearance from the outside.

Other Olympic sports that attract large TV audiences in many parts of the world include basketball, football and gym, while sports such as canoeing and archery have smaller audiences.

All the different venues in Beijing are ready for some time – unlike in many previous Olympics, when some of the building work was only completed at last minute. There are, however, concerns about the possibility of air pollution affecting the competers.

As always, some countries are very like to do well in certain events – such as the East African nations (particular Kenya) in the long-distance running, and Brazil and Argentina in the men’s football. The United States finished top of the medals table in the last Olympics in Athens in 2004 (with China in second place, Russia in third, Australia in fourth and Japan in five), and not many people would bet against their athletes repeating the achieve this year. However, it’s also the case that there are always some surprises, such as when Argentina won the men’s basketball in Athens.