1、X2U2-Sports Culture1The Olympic GamesEvery four years, thousands of highly trained and talented athletes gather together in thespirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play, ready to test their abilities against each other in thehope of being recognized as the best of the best. This is the Olympics
2、an extraordinarysporting event that was first celebrated about 3,000 years ago.SubheadingSubheading 1 1 _The ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BCE. During the early Games, onlyGreek men were allowed to participate. They competed in such events as boxing, running andthe long jump. The ancie
3、nt Olympic Games were held at Olympia in Greece every four yearsfor almost 12 centuries, until they eventually died out around the year 393. More than 1,500years later, however, the Games rose again. The modern Olympics were first held in 1896, inAthens. It was a Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, who
4、brought the Olympics back to life. Hisdream was that the Olympics would help people of different racial origins and from differentcultures live side by side in peace. For over a century, people from diverse backgrounds havemade joint efforts to help realize Coubertins dream.SubheadingSubheading 2 2
5、_Motivated by the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger”, many well-known athletes,both male and female, have devoted themselves to achieving sporting excellence and pushingthe boundaries of human achievement. One such Olympian was the boxer Cassius Clay. Hecame to public attention during the 1960
6、 Rome Olympics, when he won the light-heavyweightgold medal for the USA, demonstrating great talent and personality in the process. Afterwards,this young man proceeded to become the world heavyweight champion in 1964, and laterchanged his name to the one we all knowMuhammad Ali. He returned to the 1
7、996 AtlantaX2U2-Sports Culture2Olympic Games to light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony. By the time he died in2016, Ali had been recognized as one of the greatest boxers of all time.Another sportsperson that should be applauded is Jessica Ennis-Hill. Her story is aremarkable example of how
8、hard work and devotion can lead to sporting excellence. A formertrack and field athlete from the UK, she won an Olympic gold medal in her home country in2012. As if that were not enough, she returned to the Olympics and won a silver medal in 2016,just two years after giving birth to her first child.
9、 In an interview she revealed that the secret ofher consistent good performance was the training that she never missed.SubheadingSubheading 3 3 _The 2008 Beijing Olympics called on the whole world to join in the Olympic spirit and builda better future for humanity with the slogan “One World, One Dre
10、am”. In addition to hosting theOlympics for the first time, China also ranked first in the medal table. This success is trulyremarkable if you consider that just 24 years before, at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, XuHaifeng won our countrys first-ever gold medal. Since then the upward trend for Chine
11、se sporthas been unstoppable. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Liu Xiang became the first Asianto win the gold medal in the mens 110-metre hurdles, while at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games,the Chinese womens volleyball team won a hard-fought victory in the final. The year 2022 willbe another historic mo
12、ment for China, as Beijing won the election to host the Winter Olympics.The Olympic Games bring joy and excitement to people across the world. As Coubertinbelieved, “With the Olympic Games, each generation celebrates its advent, its joy of living, itsfaith in the future, its ambition and its will to
13、 ascend.”X2U2-Sports Culture3英文词性中文solidarityn.团结，齐心协力BCEabbr.公元前participatev.参加，参与competev.参加比赛；竞争racialadj.种族的；种族间的diverseadj.多种多样的，不同的jointadj.联合的，共同的n.关节；结合处motivatev.激励，激发；成为.的动机，是.的原因motton.格言，座右铭boundaryn.边界，分界线demonstratevt.表现，表露；证实，证明；示范，演示vi.游行示威afterwardsadv.以后，后来proceedv.接着做，继而做；继续从事(或进行
14、)；行进，前进flamen.火焰，火舌applaudv.称赞，赞许；鼓掌track and field田径运动consistentadj.一致的，始终如一的；连续的call on sb. to do sth.正式邀请某人做某事；请求某人做某事X2U2-Sports Culture4humanityn.(统称)人，人类，人性；人道，仁慈rankv.属于某等级，把.分等级；排列，使排成行n.地位，级别；等级；排，列；军衔trendn.趋势，趋向hurdlen.跨栏赛；栏架；障碍electionn.选举，推选；当选adventn.(重要事件、人物等的)到来，出现faithn.信心；宗教信仰ambit
15、ionn.追求的目标，夙愿；野心，胸心，壮志ascendv.上升，升高，登高identicaladj.完全同样的fellowadj.同伴的，同情况的，同类的n.同辈，同类；男人，家伙relayn.接力赛v.转发(信息，消息等)；播放，转播chestn.胸部；大箱子cheekn.面颊，脸颊half-marathonn.半程马拉松赛跑amateurn.业余运动员，业余爱好者；生手，外行adj.业余的anklen.踝，踝关节X2U2-Sports Culture5graduallyadv.逐渐地，逐步地sessionn.一段时间，一场；会议，开庭；学年limitn.限度，限制；极限，限量；界限v.限
16、制，限定；限量，减量marathonn.马拉松赛跑；马拉松式的活动(或工作)chairmann.(委员会的)委员长，主席；(会议的)主席，主持人constitutionn.体质，身体素质；宪法，章程pourv.倒，斟；倾倒，倒出；涌流，倾泻；下大雨walk on air欢天喜地，得意扬扬keep sth. in perspective正确客观地看待celebrityn.名人；名望opponentn.对手，竞争者；反对者humilityn.谦逊，谦虚gracen.高雅，文雅；优美；风度；体面dignityn.尊严；自尊；高贵bobsleighn.大雪橇(供两人或两人以上比赛用)unselfish
17、adj.无私的，忘我的idiomn.习语，成语find ones way into偶然来到，无意中处于leaguen.联赛；等级，级别opposingadj.对抗的；相反的X2U2-Sports Culture6netn.球网；网，网状物move the goalposts改变条件(或规则)insurancen.保险业；保险；保险费salesmann.售货员，推销员complainv.抱怨，投诉score an own goal进乌龙球；无意中做对自己不利的事unintentionallyadv.无意地，非故意地counciln.政务委员会，地方议会；市政服务机构；委员会backfirev.产
18、生事与愿违的不良(或危险)后果ballparkn.棒球场；变动范围in the ballpark差不多a ballpark estimate大致的估计venuen.活动场地curveballn.曲线球throw sb. a curveball给某人出难题handlev.处理，应付；控制，操纵n.把手，拉手；柄three strikes and you areout三振出局fistn.拳，拳头waistn.腰，腰部；(衣服的)腰部X2U2-Sports Culture7below the belt不公正的，伤人的crueladj.刻毒伤人的，残酷的remarkn.谈论，言论v.说起，评论toweln.毛巾，抹布，纸巾throw in the towel认输，承认失败literallyadv.真正地，确实地；按字面，字面上ironn.铁；熨斗
