Almost three thousand years ago in ancient Greece, athletes tested their skill in sports at games called the Olympics. Every four years athletes would travel to the arena at Olympia to run, jump, box, wrestle, or race their chariots. Enemies would stop battles to allow the contestants to travel safely. During the games, thousands of people watched and cheered for the athletes. The winners were the strongest, the fastest, and the bravest athletes of their time.
Every four years, during the Summer Games, swimmers race against each other. Divers dive off high boards. Gymnasts perform their routines. Runners run short races, long races and relays. They also run marathons.
All the teams play their matches. They play soccer, water polo, volleyball and basketball. The equestrians ride their horses. Boxers, wrestlers, sharpshooters, tennis players and cyclists all train hard for the Olympics.
The Olympic flag is raised at the Olympic Games. It has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre. The rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red. Each ring represents a region of the world and is connected to its neighbour to symbolise the friendship of the Olympic Games.
A gold medal is given to the winner of each event. The second-place winner gets a silver medal. The athlete or team that comes third wins a bronze medal. The national anthem of the gold-medal winner’s country is played while the athletes are given their medals and flowers.
The most recent Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.
A) Vocabulary
Please make sentences with the words below. Your sentences should demonstrate that you understand the meaning of the word.
Athlete – a person who is excellent in sports and other forms of physical exercise
Chariot – a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses
Contestant – a person who takes part in a contest
Marathon – a long-distance running race
Equestrian – relating to horse riding
To interlace (verb) – to cross together, to interweave
B) Discussion Points:
Please look up the Olympics on the Internet.
- Where and when were the first modern Olympics held? Please find out three or four facts about these games.
- Where and when will the next Olympics be held? Name ten Olympic sporting events that are not mentioned in the text above.
- The text above is about the Summer Olympics. Have you heard of any other kind of Olympics? Please discuss.
- Have you watched the Olympics on television? What sport, game or event is the most exciting to watch?
- Do you play competitive sports?
C)
A person who swims is a swimmer.
A person who dives is a ___.
A person who plays basketball is a ___.
A person who drives is a ___.
A person who cooks is a ____.
A person who acts is an ____.
A person who teaches is a ____.
A person who inspects is an____.
A person who supervises is a ____.
A person who studies is a ____.
A person who performs magic tricks is a ____.
Audio courtesy Tara Kriplani: