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Passage One

    The history of the Winter Games, however, has been even more troubled than that of the Summer Games. Until 1924 all the winter sports competitions, held every four years from 1901 to 1917 and again in 1922, had been in the Scandinavian countries － Sweden, Norway and Finland. The sportsmen of these countries believed that the Winter Games could only be held in the Scandinavian way. Coubertin, himself, was against a separate Winter Olympics as he felt that they would cause trouble within the Olympic movement.

    However, as winter holidays in the Alps became more and more popular, so did the idea of a truly international Winter Games. The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix in 1924, though they were only recognized by the International Olympic Committee as "Olympic" two years later in 1926. Although there were many arguments before them, the first Games were a success, but the problems did not end there. In 1935, it was decided by the IOC that ski teachers could not compete in the Olympics because they were professionals. This caused a big argument between the IOC and the International Ski Federation, who agreed with the ski teachers and, as the two organizations could come to an end very soon after their beginning. However, war came and with it an end to the discussions. When the war was finally over, the Winter Games were started up again, as before, in St Moritz in 1948 and the crisis had passed.

    (261 words)

1. Before 1924, all the winter sports competitions were held in ________.( D )

(a) Asia

(b) Africa

(c) Latin America

(d) Europe

2. Coubertin didn't want to have a separate Winter Olympics because ________.( D )

(a) the Winter Games could only be held in the Scandinavian way

(b) the Winter Games could only be held in the Scandinavian countries

(c) there had been more trouble in the Winter Games

(d) he was worried about the future of the Olympic movement

3. The first Winter Olympics were held in ________.( C )

(a) 1901

(b) 1922

(c) 1924

(d) 1926

4. The crises over the qualifications for competitors taking part in the Winter Games ended because ________.( C )

(a) the IOC made a final decision

(b) the IOC and the International Ski Federation reached an agreement

(c) war broke out and stopped the Games

(d) the two organizations could not find a solution       

5. The above passage mainly discusses ________.( C )

(a) the birth of the Winter Olympics

(b) the problems of the Winter Olympics

(c) the history of the Winter Olympics

(d) the necessity for a separate Winter Olympics                      TOP 

Passage Two

    At the 1908 Olympics in London the Marathon race was held on a very hot day. The race started at Windsor Castle, one of the homes of the Royal Family, so that the Royal children could see the runners leave. The race was planned to continue for 26 miles 385 yards (42 195 meters), now the accepted distance for this race, into Central London.

    Because of the great heat, however, many runners had to give up before they could finish the race. Towards the end, the large crowd waited with great excitement for the South African, Charles Hefferon, to come into the stadium first. They were surprised, however, when the first man to appear was the small Italian, Pietri Dorando. Dorando was by now extremely tired and weak and, as he was running round the stadium towards the finishing line, he fell to the ground, unable to continue.   Doctors rushed to help him and he soon got to his feet and continued, with loud cheers from the crowd. As he came close to the line he had to be helped again, this time by a journalist, but finally he finished the race. He was not, of course, allowed to receive the gold medal because he had had help during the race. Afterwards, Dorando argued unsuccessfully that he had not asked for this help. But the medal was given to an American, Hayes, who had finished second. However, Dorando later received a special gold cup from Queen Alexandra for his courage.

    (248 words)

6. The problem with the Marathon race at the 1908 Olympics in London was ________.( B )

(a) the distance to be covered

(b) the hot weather

(c) the route of the race

(d) the destination of the race

7. The accepted distance for the Marathon race was about ________.( B )

(a) 50 km

(b) 40 km

(c) 30 km

(d) 20 km

8. The one who first finished the Marathon race turned out to be ________.( B )

(a) Hefferon

(b) Dorando

(c) Hayes

(d) Alexandra

9. Dorando later received a special gold cup because of his ________.( C )

(a) top speed

(b) fair play

(c) great courage

(d) successful argument

10. A good title for the passage is ________.( A )

(a) Dorando, Hero of the Olympics

(b) Dorando, the Fastest Runner

(c) A Marathon Race Held on a Hot Day

(d) Who Was the First Runner?                                         TOP

Passage Three

    As he began working out for the '96 Olympics in Atlanta in October 1995, Chad Carvin felt " a little sluggish." Over the next two months his freestyle times － once America's best － got slower and slower. As his dream to join the Olympic team dissolved, Carvin sank into depression. One afternoon, he sat alone in his apartment and swallowed sleeping pills “by the handful,” he recalls. "Swimming was my life," Carvin adds. "And if I couldn't swim, I felt I had nothing to live for."

    Rushed to a medical center in Tucson 15 hours after he had taken nearly 60 pills, Carvin had his stomach pumped. Two days later the cause of his fatigue was discovered. Doctors diagnosed a rare heart virus that had attacked Carvin’s left ventricle, sapping half his heart’s pumping power. Oxygen deprivation － not lack of motivation, as Carvin had feared － had attacked his swimming career.

    Once the real problem was identified, Carvin was put on a drug therapy of ACE inhibitors that increase blood flow to the heart, and he was ordered to slow down to "a granny's pace," as his mother puts it, for 90 days. The enforced inactivity was tough on the lifelong athlete. He slept 15 hours a day, played video games and spent long hours walking on a beach with his brother. When Chad returned to classes in Tucson, he even got a disabled sticker for his car to cut down on walking distances.

    But by last March his heart had become normal, and he was given the okay to resume training. At his first major meet, the U.S. Swimming Nationals in February, he won three freestyle races and the 400 individual medley. Today Carvin, 23, is back in the pool and － as he trains for the World Championships in Perth, Australia, next January － swimming faster than ever.

    (306 words)

 11. When Carvin began to prepare for the '96 Olympics, the problem he had was ________.( C )

(a) depression

(b) insomnia

(c) sluggishness

(d) lack of experience

12. Carvin wanted to kill himself because ________.( D )

(a) he thought he had a fatal illness

(b) he was rejected by the Olympic team

(c) he could no longer swim fast

(d) he felt he had no purpose for life now

13. The cause of Carvin's illness was ________.( A )

(a) lack of energy for his heart

(b) less motivation

(c) powerful heart pumping

(d) perpetual fatigue

14. As soon as the real problem was clear, Carvin was ordered to ________.( C )

(a) lie in bed all the time

(b) run long hours a day

(c) have enforced inactivity

(d) use a car for the disabled

15. A good title for the passage is ________.( C )

(a) A Fight with Illness

(b) The Real Cause of Fatigue

(c) Back in the Fast Lane

(d) Enforced Inactivity and Success                                  TOP