英语听力精选进阶版 6122（在线收听）

Ancient Beginnings 古老的起源

To trace the origins of the modern Olympic Games we must travel back nearly 3,000 years in time to Ancient Greece, when young men proved their physical prowess and fighting skills by competing in sporting activities.

But the ancient Olympic Games were not solely about sporting endeavour; they were also used as an opportunity for the Greeks to honour their gods, particularly Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, whose massive statue stood in the Valley of Olympia.

Many of the sports practised by the Ancient Greeks still exist in an adapted form today, including wrestling, boxing, running, jumping and throwing contests.

But there are important differences. Modern day spectators would be astonished if the athletes competed naked like the Ancient Greeks did.

Combat sports could be much tougher in those days: boxers fought wearing leather gloves with pieces of metal attached to their knuckles. The Greeks also fought in an event called the ‘pankration’ in which no holds were barred and eye-gouging was permitted.

Although the Olympic Games fell into decline after Greece was conquered by the Roman Empire in 146BC, the spirit of the games did not die away altogether.

Interest in the games was revived in the 19th Century after a wealthy Greek philanthropist paid for the renovation of an ancient stadium in Athens. The result was the 1859 Olympic Games staged between just two countries: Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

International interest grew, and in 1894 a French aristocrat called Pierre de Coubertin hosted a congress at the Sorbonne University in Paris in order to suggest a new modern Olympic Games.

De Coubertin’s ideas were met with international approval and the first Olympic Games of the modern age took place in Athens in 1896.

Since then the Olympics have gone from strength to strength, with competitors from all over the world taking part, and billions more watching on television.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

trace the origins 追踪起源

physical prowess 体魄

fighting skills 搏斗技能

sporting endeavour 体育运动拼搏

honour their gods 祭神

adapted form 改变形式 （新形式）

astonished 惊讶的

naked 裸体的

leather gloves 皮手套

knuckles 指关节

no holds were barred 没有限制的，没有约束的

eye-gouging 挖出眼睛

fell into decline 开始衰败

conquered 征服

146BC 公元前146年

revived 恢复（比赛）

philanthropist 慈善家

renovation 维修翻新

aristocrat 贵族

hosted a congress 主持代表大会