现代奥林匹克之父

蒋建平

奥运会已成为普天同庆的体育盛会，奥林匹克运动也吸引了202个国家和地区的积极参与。但是你知道现代奥运会是如何产生的吗？

难词探意

1. recreational /?rekri?e???nl/ adj. 娱乐的;消遣的

2. excavation /?eksk??ve??n/ n. 发掘;挖掘

3. prosperous /?pr?sp?r?s/ adj. 繁荣的

4. revival /r??va?vl/ n. 复兴

5. arrangement /??re?nd?m?nt/ n. 安排;筹备

6. establish /??st?bl??/ v. 建立;创立

Pierre de Coubertin was born in Paris， France on January 1st， 1863. After attending school he studied Political Science and developed a keen interest in both History and Education. In his spare time he played sports such as rowing， tennis and cycling.

In 1889 he went on a tour of Canada and America with a view to discovering the methods of education used in schools and colleges in those countries. In 1890， he visited England again and was introduced to Dr. William Penny Brookes. He agreed with Brookes ideas that sport should be a part of education rather than just a recreational activity.

At around this time excavations around Olympia found artefacts that suggested that ancient Olympia was a prosperous place. Pierre de Coubertin began to dream of a revival of the ancient Olympics and in 1892 he put the proposal to the Paris Sports Society he had founded earlier. Unfortunately the proposal was not well?received.

Pierre de Coubertin was not put off and in 1894 invited athletes and sports people from nine different countries to attend a sports conference. He suggested his ideas for a revival of the Olympic Games and this time the idea was warmly received. It was decided that a modern Olympic Games should be held every four years and that each Games should take place in a different country. It was unanimously（全體一致地） agreed that the first modern Olympic Games should be held in Olympia， Greece.

A group called the International Olympic Committee was formed in 1894 to oversee the arrangements and organisation. Pierre de Coubertin was unanimously elected President of the committee， a position he held for 29 years before retiring.

Pierre de Coubertin was instrumental in establishing many of the Olympic traditions that continue to this day—the five rings， the Olympic flag， the oath and motto. He produced many writings on the subject of sport and education—one of his most famous quotes is “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part， just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

Pierre de Coubertin， father of the modern Olympic Games， died of a heart attack in 1937. According to his wishes his heart was buried in Olympia.

ReadingCheck

1. Why did Coubertin go to Canada and America？

A. To learn about their educational methods.

B. To discover how sports were taught in school.

C. To propose the revival of the ancient Olympics.

D. To exchange ideas with Dr. William Penny Brookes.

2. How is the passage organized？

A. In order of time.

B. In order of space.

C. In order of importance.

D. In order of location.

3. What can we know about Pierre de Coubertin from paragraph 3？

A. He was discouraged as his proposal was turned down.

B. His proposal was thought highly of by people.

C. He discovered artefacts around Olympia.

D. He established the Paris Sports Society.

Sentence for writing

It was decided that a modern Olympic Games should be held every four years and that each Games should take place in a different country. 经决定，现代奥林匹克运动会每四年举行一次，每次应在不同的國家举行。

【信息提取】本句是一个复合句。It是形式主语，真正的主语是由and连接的两个that引导的句子。take place意为“举行;发生”，是不及物动词短语，不能用于被动语态。

【句式仿写】据报道中国已经研制出了一种药来预防这种疾病。