Post-Text work.

Task 1. Find the sentences in which it is told about women’s participance in the Olympic Games.

Task 2. Make up a program of the conducting the Olympic Games using the kinds of sport given below”

endurance race, a race of a half mile, chariot racing, swimming, discus throw, hammer throw, shot put, javelin throw, long jump, high jump, boxing, wrestling, pentathlon, gymnastics, football, basketball, ice hockey.

Task 3. Say why the Olympic Games were stopped.

Task 4. Make up a summary of the history of the Olympic Games, using the following plan.

1. The Olympic Games are the oldest competition.

2. The first program of the Games.

3. The opening ceremony of the Games.

4. The participants of the Games.

5. The earliest recorded Olympic champions.

6. The role of the Roman Emperor Theodosius in these Games.

7. The revival of the Games.

УЭ-2

Text b modern olympic games

On June 23, 1894, a meeting held in a lecture hall of the Sorbonne University, in Paris, unanimously approved. a suggestion that the ancient Olympic Games should be revived in modern form.

The initiative which brought about the modern Olympic revival came from the French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, whose educational theories about the value of harmonizing physical with mental development' were similar to the Greek concept. Troubled by the growing commercialism of nineteenth-century sport, de Coubertin visualized the inauguration of an amateur championship for the world's sportsmen. Accordingly, at a congress in Paris of 13 nations over which he presided in 1894, it was resolved that "sports competitions should be held every fourth year on the lines of the Greek Olympic Games and every nation should be invited to participate".

Russia stood at the very cradle of the modern Olympic movement. General Alexei Butovsky, a representative of Russia, took part in the work of the Constituent Olympic Congress held in 1894 in the Sorbonne and he was one of the 14 delegates from 13 countries who were the first members of the International Olympic Committee.

Butovsky devoted his whole life to the physical education of young people. He strongly supported Pierre de Cou-bertin's endeavors. "The idea of international games is a splendid one", he wrote. "It meets an urgent need of mankind today, the need for the physical and moral revival of the younger generation". Analyzing the results of the First Olympics in his article entitled "The 1896 Olympic Games" Coubertin made special mention of Butovsky’s role in reviving the Olympic Games.

Of the 13 nations who attended the Paris conference and 21 others who sent written support, only 12 were represented in Athens, the scene of the 1st Olympic Games in 1896. The Pan-Athenaic Stadium of Herodis, a 2,000-year old ruin, was restored in white marble, but its elongated shape meant that the 400-metres circuit had excessively sharp turns.² The nine sports on the program were cycling, fencing, gymnastics, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, track-and-field athletics, weight-lifting and wrestling.

The 1st Athens Olympics were participated in by 285 athletes from 12 countries. The Greek shepherd Lewis who won the first modern marathon became a national hero — feted in restaurants and presented with free ser­vice in stores and barber shops.⁴ With its close links to Greek history, the marathon has always been the star event⁴ of successive Olympic meetings and, it retains this position today.

The first Olympic marathon of the modern era was won in the time of 2 hrs. 58 min. 50 sec. The 2nd Olympics opened the 20th century in Paris and the 3rd were held in St. Louis, United States, in 1904. The 4th were held in London in 1908 and the 5th in Stockholm in 1912.

Each successive Olympiad saw more nations and more athletes participating. The 6th Olympics, which were to have been held in Berlin, were cancelled because of the outbreak of World War I. The 7th Olympiad was held in Antwerp.

The 2nd Olympics were held in Paris, but were over­shadowed completely by a giant international exposition being held at the same time. The marathon race, which wound through the twisted streets of the old city, was won by a bakery delivery boy⁵ whom many still suspect of taking a short cut.⁶

The St. Louis Olympics were almost entirely an Ameri­can affair — only 66 foreign athletes participated. There was also a sensation in the marathon event when it was found that the winner had accepted a lift in an automobile' during the race.

It was the London Olympics of '908 which really put the Olympic Games on the international map for the first time. Again, the marathon was marked by an incident, when the winner collapsed just before finishing and was helped across the line by officials.⁸ He was disqualified and the man who came second was declared the winner. The marathon almost invariably is the most colorful event in the Games. In the Stockholm Olympics, a runner died after passing the finishing line.

When the 7th Olympics were held, Antwerp, the host city was still recovering from the effects of war. Neverthe­less, 2,600 athletes from 29 countries participated.

The 8th Olympiad was held in Paris, the 9th in Amster­dam, the 10th in Los Angeles, and the 11th in Berlin. The Berlin Olympiad was the biggest held before the war.

The 12th Olympics had been scheduled for Tokyo, but had to be suspended because of World War II. The 13th Olympics were similarly cancelled because of the war and it was not until 1948 that war-torn London played host⁹ to 4,500 athletes from 59 countries — about half the independent nations of the world at that time.

In 1952 the Helsinki Olympics had a special significance. Soviet athletes took part in the 15th Games.

The 16th Olympiad was held in Melbourne, the 17th in Rome, the 18th in Tokyo, the 19th in Mexico, the 20th in Munich, the 21st in Montreal, the 22nd in Moscow, the 23d in Seoul.

Task 1. Study the following vocabulary notes.

1. the value of harmonizing physical with mental development — цен­ность гармонического сочетания физического и умственного развития

2. the 400-metres circuit had excessively sharp turns — 400-метровый круг имел очень крутые повороты

3. feted in restaurants and presented with free service in stores and barber shops — которого бесплатно кормили в ресторанах и обслу­живали в лавках и парикмахерских

4. the star event — коронный вид

5. a bakery delivery boy — разносчик хлебобулочных изделий

6. whom many still suspect of taking a short cut — многие до сих пор предполагают, что он немного срезал дистанцию.

7. the winner had accepted a lift in an automobile — победитель неко­торое время ехал на машине

8. the winner collapsed just before finishing and was helped across the line by officials — победитель от усталости упал перед самым финишем, ему помогли пересечь финишную линию

9. London played host — Лондон гостеприимно принял