InancientGreecetherewerefourmajorathleticmeetingsandtheOlympianmeetingplayedthemostimportantpartinthelivesofthepeople.Astimepassed,theOlympianmeetinggraduallylostitslocalcharacterandbecamefirstanationaleventandtheninternational.NooneknowsexactlyhowfarbacktheOlympicGamesgobutsomeofficialrecordsdatefrom776BC.
TheGamestookplaceeveryfouryearsontheplainbyMountOlympus.ThousandsofpeoplecamefromallpartsoftheGreekworldtowatchthegames.Thewinnerofthefootracehadthegreathonourofgivinghisnametotheyearofhishistory.
Afteralonghistoryofalmost1200yearstheGameswerestoppedforreligious(宗教的)reasons.Itwasthendecidedin1896tostarttheOlympicGamesagain.ThemeetingwasheldinAthensand311athletesfrom13countriestookpartinitbuttheideaofsuchaninternationalmeetingattractedtheworld'sattention.Afterthe1908LondonOlympicsmanynationssenttheirbestathletes.AlthoughtheGameshavebeentimeandagainthreatenedbysomeunfavourablepoliticaleventstheGameshavetakenplaceeveryfouryears.
NowadaystheGamesareheldindifferentcountriesinturn.Asthebiggestinternationalgatheringofanykindintheworldathletesfromdifferentcountriesplaygamestogetherandthisprovidesthemwithgoodchancestolearntolivetogether.ThefriendlyfeelingsintheOlympicVillagemakepeoplethinkoftheworldasonebigfamily.TheOlympicGameswashostedinBeijingin2008itisbelievedthattheGameswasawonderoftheworld.
9.ThefirstoldOlympicGamestookplace_____.
A.athousandyearsago B.intheseventhcenturyAD
C.before700BC D.inmoderntimes
10.ThecontinuityoftheOlympicGameswasoncebrokenbecauseof____.
A.religiousreasons B.wars C.politicalevents D.BothAandB.
11.TheOlympicGamesmeetingfinallyformed_____.
A.alocalevent B.anationalevent C.aninternationalevent D.anofficialevent
12.Thefriendlyfeelingsbetweentwocountriesarestrengthenedbecause___.
A.athletescomefromdifferentcountries B.theyenablepeopletoknoweachotherbetter