高一上朗读unit 08

THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Every four years athletes from all over the world take part in the Olympic Games.Both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held every four years.The Winter Olympic Games are usually held two years before the Summer Olympic Games.
The ancient Olympic Games began around the year 776 BC in Greece.Many of the sports were the same as they are now.Some of the games in which the young men competed were: running, jumping and wrestling¹.Women were not allowed to take part in the games.After about the year 393 AD the Olympic Games stopped.For centuries there were no Olympic Games.But they were not forgotten.
The first Olympic Games in modern times happened in 1896.They were held in Greece-the country in which the Games were born.In the Games there were 311 competitors² from just 13 countries. After that more and more countries joined in the Games.In 2000, over 10,000 athletes from nearly 200 countries went to Sydney, Australia, for the 27th Olympic Games!There are 300 different events in the Games.Horse-riding, hammer throw and shooting³ are some of the more unusual events.
The Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger".It means⁴ that every athlete should try to run faster, jump higher and throw further.They do their best to win medals. In the 1984 Olympic Games, Carl Lewis from the USA won four gold medals in track⁵ and field and became one of the best sportsmen⁶ in the 20th century.In Sydney the Chinese team got 28 gold medals, ranking third of all the competing countries.Many of the Chinese medals were won in diving and gymnastics⁷ and also in events such as weightlifting⁸ and shooting.
Following the history-making success in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, China won another great competition in 2001 which was not for a medal. It was the competition between countries to host the Olympic Games.In 2008, the 29th Olympic Games will be held in Beijing.To make it the best ever Games, the capital city will make several big changes.New buildings and sports venues⁹ will be built.More trees will be planted and new roads will be built.The people of Beijing, and of the whole country, will be preparing to light the Olympic torch¹⁰ to welcome athletes and sports fans all over the world.
YAO MING
Born: Sept. 12, 1980 in Shanghai, China
Height: 2.26m (7.5 feet)
Weight: 134 kg
Position: Centre
Club: the Houston Rockets
In his last season with the Shanghai Sharks, Chinese superstar¹¹ basketball player Yao Ming scored 32.4 points per game.Now the big man from China is helping¹² the Houston Rockets in the NBA.Yao Ming has more than just size: he also has great skill and speed and he is a team player.Yao Ming is the son of two great basketball players and learnt how to play one of the world's most popular games when he was young.Now, as one of the stars in the NBA, Yao Ming is working hard to live his dream and show the world that Chinese basketball players love this game too!

1 wrestling   

n.摔跤；摔角

参考例句：

• There is a wrestling match tonight.今晚有摔交比赛。
• He defaulted in the wrestling tournament.他在摔跤比赛中弃权了。

2 competitors   

竞争者( competitor的名词复数 )； 对手； 参赛者； 竞赛者

参考例句：

• We are now outselling all our competitors. 我们现在比所有竞争对手都卖得多。
• We are lagging far behind our European competitors in using new technology. 我们在使用新技术方面远远落后于我们的欧洲对手。

3 shooting   

n.射击，发射；猎场，狩猎场

参考例句：

• The soldiers began shooting away at the enemy positions.战士们开始朝敌人的阵地不断地射击。
• I was in the act of shooting him when I suddenly recognized him.我正要向他开枪时，突然认出了他。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 track   

n.轨道；足迹；痕迹；磁轨；途径；vt.循路而行；追踪；通过；用纤拉；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent.这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• The police are on his track.警察在跟踪他。

6 sportsmen   

运动员( sportsman的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He is one of this country's top professional sportsmen. 他是本国的顶级职业运动员之一。
• He is one of this country's top professional sportsmen. 他是本国的顶级职业运动员之一。

7 gymnastics   

n.体操

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is his favourite sport.体操是他最喜爱的运动。
• She does gymnastics at school.她在学校做体操锻炼。

8 weightlifting   

n.举重

参考例句：

• How many referees are there in a weightlifting competition?举重比赛有多少个裁判员？
• Is weightlifting an ancient sport?举重是一项古老的运动吗？

9 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

10 torch   

n.火炬

参考例句：

• They are looking for volunteers to carry the torch.他们正在寻找火炬传递的志愿者。
• A famous athlete held a torch and ran to the stadium.一个著名的运动员举着火炬跑到运动场。

11 superstar   

n.超级明星

参考例句：

• And he is a superstar.而且他还是一位超级明星。
• She has all the earmarks of a superstar.她具备超级明星的一切特征。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。