THE OPENING CEREMONY

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1103.

Text 6 A

Step 2. Reading Practice

Task 1.Before you read Text A say what you already know about the Olympic Games.

Task 2. Read the text and find the answers to the questions:

1.What do the Olympic Games consist of?

2.Where have the Olympics been normally held?

3. How do the athletes march into the stadium at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games?

4. Who lights the Olympic Flame?

5. Why were the modern Olympic Games organized?

6. What does the Olympic symbol represent?

7. What is the Olympic motto?

Since ancient times the Olympic Games have been playing an important role in encouraging people to take up sports and recreation. The Olympic Games bring together thousands of the world's finest athletes to compete against one another. No other sports event attracts so much attention. Several million people attend the games, and hundreds of millions throughout the world watch them on television.

The Olympic Games consist of the Summer Games and Winter Games. The Summer Games are held in a major city, and the Winter Games are held in a winter resort. The Olympics have normally been held every four years, with both the Summer Games and Winter Games taking place the same year. Since 1994 the Summer Games and Winter Games are held on a four-year cycle two years apart.

Colourful ceremonies combine with athletic competition to create the special feeling of excitement that surrounds the Olympics. The opening ceremony is particularly impressive. The athletes of Greece march into the stadium first in honour of the original Olympics held in ancient Greece. The other athletes follow in al­phabetical order by country depending on the spelling of each na­tion's name in the language of the host country. The athletes of the host country enter last.

The head of state of the host country declares the games open. The Olympic flag is raised, trumpets play, and cannons boom ¹in salute. Hundreds of doves are released into the air ² as a symbol of peace.

The most dramatic moment of the opening ceremony is the light­ing of the Olympic flame. Runners in cross-country relays bring a lighted torch from the valley of Olympia, Greece, where the ancient Olympics were held. Thousands of runners take part in the journey, which starts four weeks before the opening of the Games. They re­present Greece and each country that lies between Greece and the host nation. Planes and ships transport the torch across mountains and seas. The final runner carries the torch into the stadium, cir­cles the track, and lights the Olympic flame. The flame is kept burning until the end of the Games. This custom started in 1936 .

The modern Olympics were organized to encourage world peace and friendship and to promote amateur athletics. The Olympic sym­bol consists of five interlocking rings that represent the conti­nents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South Ame­rica. The rings are blue, black ,red, yellow and green. The flag of every nation competing in the Games has at least one of these colours. The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

Belarusians have been taking part in the Olympic Games as an independent team since 1994.

Notes:

¹…trumpets play and cannons boom – …звучат фанфары, гремят пушки.

^2.Hundreds of doves are released into the air… – В воздух выпускают сотни голубей…

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Vocabulary and Speech Exercises

Task 3. Before reading Text 6 B learn the Olympic sports:

Summer Games

Archery - стрельба из лука

Athletics - легкая атлетика

Badminton - бадминтон

Baseball - бейсбол

Basketball - баскетбол

Beach volleyball - пляжный волейбол

Boxing - бокс

Canoeing - гребля на каноэ

Cycling - велоспорт

Equestrian - конный спорт

Fencing - фехтование

Football - футбол

Gymnastics - гимнастика

Handball - гандбол

Judo - дзюдо

Modern pentathlon - современное пятиборье

Rowing – гребля (академическая)

Shooting - стрельба

Softball - софтбол

Swimming - плавание

Table tennis - настольный теннис

Tennis - большой теннис

Volleyball - волейбол

Water polo - водное поло

Weightlifting - тяжелая атлетика

Wrestling - борьба

Yachting - парусный спорт

Winter Games

Biathlon - биатлон

Bobsleigh - бобслей

Curling - керлинг

Figure skating - фигурное катание

Ice hockey - хоккей

Luge - санный спорт

Alpine skiing - горнолыжный спорт

Freestyle skiing - фристайл

Nordic skiing – северное двоеборье

Snowboard - сноуборд

Skeleton - скелетон

Speed skating – конькобежный спорт

Short track – шорт трек

Task 4. Complete the sentences below by writing the correct sport words from the list above:

1. Five sports that need ice are ___,____,____,_____ and ________ .

2.Seven sports that take place on a snowy hillside are ____,____,____,_____,_____,_____ and ________ .

3. Eleven sports played with a ball are ________ , ________ , ________ , ________ , ________ , ________ ,__________, __________, __________, ________,_______.

4. Three sports involving boats are ________ , ________ and ________ .

5. Two sports where horses are also athletes are ________ and ________ .

6. Four sports where athletes shoot at a target are ________ , ________ , ________ ,___________.

7. Running, jumping and throwing events are ________ events.

8. A sport where athletes do twists and turns on bars and rings is ________ .

9.Three Olympic sports involving man to man combat are ________ ,________ and_________.

Task 5. Learn these words and word combinations:

1. male a мужской

ant. female a женский

e.g. For many years the Olympic Games were for male contestants and spectators only.

2. footrace n бег

e.g. The only event in the first 13 Olympiads was a footrace of about 180 metres.

3. conquer v завоевать

e.g. The Roman Empire conquered Greece during the 100's B.C.

4. earthquake n землетрясение

5. landslide n оползень

6. destroy v разрушить

7. ruin (s) n руины

e.g. An earthquake and a landslide destroyed the Stadium of Olympia in the A.D.500's

and buried its ruins.

8. convene v созывать

9. proclaim v объявлять

e.g. The International Congress convened in Sorbonne in June 1894 proclaimed the

re-establishment of the Games.

1. draft v, n разработать проект, проект

1. Olympic Charter Олимпийская Хартия

e.g. Pierre de Coubertin drafted an Olympic Charter.

1. interlace v переплетаться
2. background n фон

14. hoist v воодружать

e.g. The Olympic flag with five interlaced rings on a white background was hoisted for the first time in 1920.

15 oath n клятва

e.g. For the first time the Olympic oath ran out in 1920 in Antwerp.

16. abide (by) (abode, abidden) v оставаться верным

17. sportsmanship n 1. спортивное мастерство

2. порядочность, стойкость

e.g. Athletes promise to take part in the Olympic Games respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship.

18. scene n место

e.g. The Olympic Games have been the scene of numerous individual achievements.

19.olive wreath оливковый венок

e.g. The earliest winner of olive wreath was Coraibos of Olis.

20.device n устройство

21.propel v приводить в движение

e.g. Chionis of Sparta probably propelled himself with a special device.

Task 6. Read the text to know the history of the Olympic Games.