9. The Olympic Games

Athletes in ancient Greece used to compete in the Olympic Games thousands of years ago. The man who ran the first marathon was Greek. Then about a hundred years ago the modern Games were founded. The person that founded them was French. It was Pierre de Coubertin. The city which held the first modern Olympic Games was Athens. Since that time the Olympic Games are held every four years. There are winter and summer Olympics. The country that held the first Winter Olympics was France. The last Olympic Games were held in 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. They were winter Olympics. The next Olympic Games will be this year in London, England. And they will be held in summer.

Before the Olympics start there is a tradition of carrying a torch. It's a special flame which is brought from Greece. It symbolizes the Games, of course, and they light it at the ceremony which opens the Games. It's a great honour for the person who lights it. An athlete who comes from the host country carries a special torch into the arena and lights the flame. In fact there are several runners who carry the flame. They bring the torch all the way from Greece and it mustn't go out. So they're athletes that comes from many different countries. They run one kilometer each. They take the flame on ships or even aeroplanes. They don't swim!

The Paralympics are Games which are held after the main Olympics. There are for people who have special problems (for example, they can’t walk, or they can’t see very well). Although there are other athletes who are more famous, these competitors are just as fit and strong as them. There are races which are held for people in wheelchairs. Tanni Grey-Thompson is a British athlete who won four Olympic gold medals in the same Games. She has become famous in Britain, and she is one of the athletes that have made the Paralympics popular. In the end of the Olympic Games best athletes usually receive medals.

10. Sights of London

London is the capital of England. It has got a lot of places of interest: beautiful green parks, for example, Hyde Park, old churches, for example, Westminster Abbey, famous places like Buckingham Palace where the queen and the royal family of England live.

The London Eye is in London, of course and it was designed by British architects. However, it wasn't made in Great Britain at all! The main parts of the Eye were built in Holland. Other parts were made in the Czech Republic, France, Germany and Italy. The parts were carried to Great Britain by ship. Then they were put together in London. It was opened to the public on February 1st 2000.

The Millennium Bridge is a new bridge across the River Thames in London. It was opened in 2000 by the Queen. However, it was closed again two days later because it was wobbling too much! Two years later, on February 22nd, it was opened again. Now it is used by thousands of people every day.

Piccadilly Circus is also one of the famous places in London, where a lot of tourists come every year. It is in the centre of London. It is an old place. In 1905 there were a lot of buildings in Piccadilly Circus. There were also lots of shops, restaurants and office blocks because Piccadilly Circus is in the centre of the city. In those days there wasn’t a lot of traffic in Piccadilly. There weren’t any zebra crossings or traffic lights and the traffic was very slow because Piccadilly is a roundabout. Also there were horse – drawn carriages and there weren’t many cars or buses. The buses were double – deckers with open tops. There are some open top buses now but they’re only for tourists to see the sights – and the rain. At present Piccadilly Circus is famous for its neon lights and the big wide screen. There are a lot of cafes, restaurants, some cinemas and a lot of people.