译林版牛津高中英语(必修4):Unit2 Sports events-Reading(1)

The Olympic Games

奥运会

Good afternoon, students and teachers.

下午好，同学们，老师们。

As a member of the International Olympic Committee¹, I am delighted to have been invited to your school to talk to you about the history and significance² of the Olympic Games.

作为国际奥委会的一名成员，我很高兴应邀前来贵校，跟大家谈谈奥运会的历史和重要性。

I'll share some interesting facts and stories with you, and then we'll have time for questions.

我将给大家讲些有趣的事情，然后留出一些时间回答大家的问题。

Do you know when the ancient Olympic Games began?

大家知道古代奥运会始于何时吗？

It was in the year 776 BC. They were held at Olympia in Greece every four years, for almost12 centuries, until AD 394.

是公元前776年。每四年在雅典奥林匹亚举行一次，持续了将近12个世纪，直到公元394年。

Some of the sports from the ancient Olympics are still seen today, such as the long jump, wrestling³ and running.

某些古代奥运会的比赛项目直到今天仍然保留着，比如跳远、摔跤和赛跑。

At the ancient Olympics, by tradition the athletes were all men and they had to compete wearing no clothes.

古代奥运会上，按照传统，所有运动员都是男性，他们必须裸体参赛。

Single women were allowed to take part in their own competition, at a separate⁴ festival in honour of Hera, the wife of the Greek⁵ god Zeus.

未婚女性可以参加她们自己的竞技比赛，比赛在一个专门纪念赫拉（希腊神话中众神之王宙斯的妻子）的节日举行。

Today, both male and female⁶ athletes from around the world can take part, no matter what nation they come from.

今天，来自世界各地的男女运动员都可以参赛，不管他们来自哪个国家。

1 committee   

n.委员会，全体委员

参考例句：

• We referred the matter back to the Finance Committee.我们把这事转回给财政委员会处理。
• I am going to speak out against the committee's decision.我打算直言反对委员会的决定。

2 significance   

n.意义，含义；重要性，重大

参考例句：

• This fact has little significance for us.这一事实对我们没有什么意义。
• This is a matter of great significance.这是一个具有重大意义的问题。

3 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。

4 separate   

n.分开，抽印本；adj.分开的，各自的，单独的；v.分开，隔开，分居

参考例句：

• Are they joined together or separate?它们是合在一起还是分开的？
• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering.洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。

5 Greek   

adj.希腊(人)的，希腊语的；n.希腊人；希腊语

参考例句：

• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。
• Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.δ是希腊字母中的第四个字母。

6 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。