English World-- Sports in Olympics

Athletics (field)奥运项目——田赛（选自《英语世界》2012年第5期）This article is part of a series produced by the British Council to help you learn English and enjoy the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.Find out more about the different jumping and throwing events at the Olympics.QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSSo I see that on the athletics programme they have field events—that sounds like a pic nic!If they were in a “field” maybe but here it means the events that take place in the area inside the running track.The jumps and throws?Yes, there are four jumping and four throwing events for both men and women. The jumps are the high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault.And the throws?Javelin, discus, shot put and hammer throw.But anyone can jump or throw!Exactly! At the Ancient Olympics the most important event was the pentathlon, and three of the five events were field athletics events—the long jump, and the ja-velin and discus throws, as well as a running race and wrestling. The winner would be crowned Victor Ludorum, “the winner of the games.”Wow! So field athletics is big time?Yes! Some of the biggest stars in Olympic history have been field athletes. Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis were both long jumpers, for example.Not so many famous throwers, though?That‟s true, but many deserve to be. And don‟t forget Dick Fosbury.Who?Dick Fosbury. He revolutionised the high jump with a new style—the Fosbury flop.Doesn‟t“flop”mean a failure? That doesn‟t sound very successful!But it was, and is! He won the gold medal in Mexico City in 1968. Since then it’s the style that all jumpers use.Anyone else?How about Sergei Bubka—the greatest pole vaulter of all time? He broke the world record 35 times!Speaking of pole vault ing, I know a joke. Two ath letes meet in the Olympic village.“Are you a pole vaulter?”one asks.“No, I‟m German, but how did you know that my name was Wal ter?”RULES FOR ATHLETICS FIELDThe rules of athletics field events are simple: the athlete who jumps the longest or highest, or throws the furthest, is the winner.In the vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault):• An athlete must clear (go over) the bar without knocking it down.• An athlete is eliminated if she has three failures at the same height.• An athlete can pass her attempt.• The bar is raised (made higher) after all athletes have either cleared, passed or failed their attempts at a height.• When one athlete remains, she can choose how much to raise the bar.• If two athletes have cleared the same height, there is a “tie”. The winner is the ath lete who has needed the fewest attempts to jump the highest height, and then, by the total number of failures at all heights.In the horizontal jumps (long jump and triple jump) and all throwing events:• All jumps and throws must be made from behind a line.• All jumps and throws must land in a specified area.• Crossing the line or landing outside the specified area makes the jump or throw invalid.• Each athlete gets thr ee attempts. The top eight athletes then get three more attempts.ACTIVITYChoose the correct answer to each of the following questions and statements.1. How many field events take place in the area inside the running track?A. All of themB. Only the jumping eventsC. Only the throwing events2. How many athletics men‟s field events are there in total?A. 4B. 8C. 163. How many events did the Victor Ludorum compete in at the Ancient Olympics?A. 3B. 5C. 84. How many events in the pentathlon at the Ancient Olym pics were not field events?A. 2B. 3C. 55. How many famous throwers are mentioned?A. NoneB. 1C. 4（Answers: 1. A; 2. B; 3. B; 4. A; 5. A ）Marathon奥运项目——马拉松（选自《英语世界》2012年第8期）This article is part of a series produced by the British Council to help you learn English and enjoy the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.What do you know about one of the most famous events in the Olympics?QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSIsn’t there an ancient Greek legend about Pheidippides and the marathon? Was he a Greek god of speed or victory?No, that was Nike. The legend says Pheidippides was the Greek messenger who ran all the way from Marathon to Athens to tell people that Athens had defeated the great Persian army.Did he get a reward?No, actually he dropped dead as soon as he delivered the news. It was a distance of 26 miles (41 km), after all…… so that’s the distance of the modern marathon!Err, no. No, it’s 42.195 km or 26 miles and 385 yards.Why the difference?Well, one story is that in the 1908 London Olympics, the Royal Box—where the King sat—couldn’t be opposite the finishing line. So they extended the race a bit.That’s not fair—it’s already long enough!Exactly. The winner, Dorando Pietri from Italy, was so exhausted that people helped him across the finishing line. Johnny Hayes (US) was made the winner.Isn’t that illegal?It is, and he was disqualified but you can see why some people might want some help.Help?Yes, in 1900, American Fred Lorz used a car for part of the race, ran for the last part and crossed the winning line first. The organisers found out and made another American, Thomas Hicks, the winner.Who is the best Olympic marathon runner, then?Difficult to say, but perhaps the most amazing was Emil Zatopek from Czechoslovakia. In 1952 he won the 10,000 m gold in a new Olympic record time, then won the 5,000 m in another Olympic record time. Then he ran his first ever marathon…… and he won that too, in a new Olympic record timeYes! How did you know?Lucky guess.RULES FOR THE MARATHON• The marathon is a road race over 26 miles and 385 yards or 42.195 km. The course must be quite flat, with a maximum of one metre up or down per kilometre.• Before the Olympics, there are many …trials‟ qualifying events, where runners must meet standards before they can enter the Olympic marathon.• After a five minute warning, the race starts.• Runners have a transponder or “chip” in their shoe which means t hat the exact time between the runner crossing the starting and finishing lines is measured electronically.• The race normally finishes in the Olympic stadium, but often starts outside.• On the route there are signs telling the runners how far they have run.• Every 5 km there are official refreshment stations where the runners can eat or drink. In between the refreshment stations there are drinking or sponging stations, where they can get water or a wet sponge.• If somebody helps a runner, or if a runne r leaves the course without permission, the runner is out of the race. They must also leave the race if one of the official medical team tells them to.ACTIVITYDecide if the following statements about the text are true or false.1. “Marathon” was the na me of a Greek god.2. Pheidippides died after his long run.3. The Royal Box was moved so the King could watch the end of the race.4. The 1908 marathon was the first one to be 26 miles 385 yards long.5. The winner of the 1908 marathon was American.6. Gold medallist Thomas Hicks crossed the winning line second.7. The organisers gave Fred Lorz the gold medal.8. Zatopek took three gold medals home in 1952.(Answers1. False; 2. True; 3. False; 4. True; 5. True; 6. True; 7. False; 8. True.) Fencing奥运项目——击剑（选自《英语世界》2012年第7期）This article is part of a series produced by the British Council to help you learn English and enjoy the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.It‟s one of the oldest Olympic sports but how much do you know about fencing?QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSFencing an Olympic sport? But isn‟t that what I have in my garden to keep out the dogs?Ha! The sport of fencing involves fighting with different types of swords. But, actually, the two meanings have the same origin—from the old French defens, meaning “defence”.Oh, yes, of course. People have been fighting with swords for a long time, haven‟t they?Yes, indeed. They discovered some carvings in Egypt showing sword fighting that date from about 1190 BC.Really? And when did it become a sport?In the 14th or 15th century. Both the Italians and the Germans say they invented fencing.For some reason I thought it was the French.That‟s not surprising because French has been the language of fencing since 1573.A man called Henri de Saint-Didier wrote a document that included most of the terms still used today.Such as?Well, touché, for example. It‟s French for …touched‟, and it‟s what a fencer says when he‟s been hit by his opponent‟s sword.I‟ve heard people say that in English, but they weren‟t talking about fencing.Yes, you can say it if someone makes a good point against you in an argument or discussion.Speaking of arguments, didn’t people used to decide arguments by having sword fights?Yes, and they were called duels. They were quite common. People sometimes even got killed.Oh! Maybe better to just do it as a sport, then.I agree. Fencing is one of the few sports to feature at every modern Olympic Games.And who‟s won the most medals?The French have won one more medal than the Italians in total but the Italians have won more gold medals. So there‟s no way of knowing who‟s the best.Yes, there is. They could have a duel!Touché!RULES FOR FENCING• There are ten events on the fencing programme: six for individuals and four for teams.• Three types of sword are used: foil, epée and sabre.• The foil is a light sword. You score a hit when the tip of your sword touches your opponent between the waist and the shoulders.• The epée is a heavier sword. You score a hit when the tip of your sword touches your opponent anywhere on the body.• The sabre is a light sword. You sco re a hit when the tip or edge of your sword touches your opponent anywhere above the waist except their hands or the back of their head.• In epée, both fencers can score at the same time. In foil and sabre, only one fencer can score a hit at a time.• Each bout lasts for three rounds of three minutes each, or until one fencer scores 15 hits.• An electric scoring system and a set of rules called “priority” are used to decide if a hit is valid.ACTIVITYDecide if the following statements about the text are true or false.1. The word “fencing” has two different meanings.2. Some old paintings of sword fighting were discovered in Egypt.3. The Italians invented the sport of fencing.4. Henri de Saint-Didier spoke French.5. People don‟t talk about fencing in English.6. Duels were dangerous.7. The Italians are the best at fencing.8. At the end of the conversation one of the speakers makes a good point.(Answers1. True; 2. False; 3. Don‟t know; 4. True; 5. False; 6. True; 7.Don‟t know; 8. True.)。