During the Olympic Games, people from all over the world come together in the peace and friendship. Some of these people complete for medals. Several million people attend the games, and millions of other people watch them on television.
Why do we have the Olympic Games? How did they begin? The first Olympic Games that we have records of were in Greece in 776 B.C. The games lasted one day. The only event in the first thirteen Olympic Games was a race. Men ran the length or the stadium (about 192 meters). Then, longer running races were added. Through the years, a few other kinds of events, like the long jump, were also added. During this time, the games were for men only, and women could not even watch them. In the year 393, a Roman emperor ended the Olympic Game because the quality of the games became very low. The Olympics did not take place again for 1500 years!
In 1984, Pierre de Coubertin of France helped from the International Olympic Committee, and the modern Olympic Games began. In1896, the games were held again in Athens, Greece. The Greeks built a new stadium for the competition. Three hundred and eleven athletes from thirteen countries competed in many events. The winners became national heroes.
After 1896, the games were held every four years during the summer in different cities around the world. In 1900, the Olympics were in Paris, France, and women competed for the first time. In 1908, in London, England, the first gold medals were given to winning athletes. Before that time, the winners received only silver and bronze medals. The Olympic flag was first introduced in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. The flag has five rings on it. The rings represent the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South American. Each ring is a different color – blue, yellow, black, green, or red – because the flag of each of the countries that compete in the games has at least one of these colors in it.
The Olympic Winter games began in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Athletes competed in winter events such as skiing, ice skating, and ice hockey. Today, the Winter Games take places every four years. The Summer Games also take place every four years, but not in the same year as the winter events. Both the Summer Games and the Winter Games must have at least fifteen events, and they cannot last more than sixteen days.
Until recently, Olympic competitors could not be professional athletes. All of the athletes in the Olympic Games were amateurs. Today, however, many of the Olympic athletes are professional who play their sports for money during the year. Some people disagree with this idea. They believe that the Olympic game are for amateur athletes, not paid professionals. Other people think that any one can play in the Olympic Games. No matter who the athletes are, millions of people throughout the world enjoy watching the greatest athletic competitions, the Summer Game and the Winter Games of the Olympics.
X (the three main ideas of the Reading) or O (not the three main ideas of the Reading
...... 1. The Olympic Games began in Greece with only one event.
......[O] 2. The winter Games and the Summer Games each have at least fifteen events.
...... 3. The Olympics have changed a lot since they began.
...... 4. Skiing is a winter event.
......[X] 5. The Olympic Games bring people together in peace.
A Sea Turtles are some of the oldest species in the world. The earliest sea turtles appeared over 200 million years ago. Today, however, sea turtle are in trouble. Their populations are getting smaller due to human activities and climate change.
B In Australia, conservationists are studying the effects of climate change on sea turtles. They believe global warming may affect sea turtles in several ways. First, warming temperatures lead to rising sea levels. As sea levels rise, beach areas become flooded. Sea turtles lay their eggs in the beach sand. Flooding can destroy sea turtle nests and the eggs inside them.
C Global warming also raises the temperature of sand around a sea turtle’s nest. The temperature of the nest affects the sex of the turtle’s eggs. Warmer temperatures (above 84 degrees Fahrenheit, or 29 degrees Celsius) produce mostly females. Cooler temperatures produce more males. So, as global temperature rise, more female babies will be born. Scientists predict that in 50 years almost all sea turtle babies in northern Australia will be female.
D To survive these changes, sea turtles will need to adapt. But adapting is difficult because the environmental changes are happening quickly. In addition, sea turtles are more at risk from other dangers, especially ones related to human activities. For example, some populations are getting smaller because of predators brought in by humans. As conservationist Mariana Fuentes says, ‘We can’t be sure if sea turtles will adapt on their own.’ They may need our help to survive.
E One of Fuentes’s projects is at Turtle Camp, a beach in northern Australia. Here, Fuentes helps to protect turtles that are laying eggs. She works with a team of rangers and researchers. Together, they prevent predators such as wild pigs and dogs from eating the turtles’ eggs. Without the rangers’ help, the turtles were losing up to 90% of their eggs. Now there are fewer predators, so the turtles can safely lay their eggs.
Write the letter of the correct paragraph (A-E) from the reading next to its main idea.
...... 1. Seaturtles may need help to survive climate change and other dangers.
......[E] 2. Fuentes help to protect the areas where sea turtles lay their eggs.
......[A] 3. Sea turtles are old species, but they are now in trouble.
...... 4. Warmer temperatures affect the sex of sea turtles.
...... 5. Climate change is causing problems for sea turtles.
Prince William is a member of the British royal family. He’s the Queen’s grandson and the eldest son of Charles and Diana. His brother’s name is Harry. Diana, their mother, isn’t alive now, but they have a stepmother, Camilla.
William’s wife is Kate Middleton. She’s originally from an ordinary family- but of course, she’s now the Duchess of Cambridge and part of the royal family! Kate has a brother, James, and a sister, Pippa. Their parents, Michael and Carole, have an online business.
In some ways, Kate and William are a normal couple. They have friends from university and they have hobbies and interests too. For example, William loves football and Kate likes photography. In the winter, they go skiing together.
In other ways, their lives are very different from their friends’ lives. William is the future King of the United Kingdom – and fifteen other countries too, including Canada and Australia. Kate and William have a lot of official duties. They help charities in the UK and Africa, they visit other countries and they meet important visitors to the UK.
The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby, St James’s Palace has confirmed. All the Members of the Royal Family and the duchess’s family, the Middletons, are delighted: “The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.”
The baby will be third in line to the throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William. A spokesman said the duchess has been admitted to KingEdwardVIIHospital in central London with acute morning sickness and is expected to stay for several days: “As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter.”
6. Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, says he and his wife “could not be happier” after the duchess gave birth to a baby boy, at 16:30, 22nd July 2013 UK time at St Mary’s Hospital, west London. William was present at St Mary’s for the birth. The young parents spent time with their son before telling the news to their families and the world. The Queen’s gynecologist Marcus Setchell, who led the team that delivered the baby, described the new arrival as “wonderful baby, beautiful baby”. A bulletin signed by him was taken by a royal aide from St Mary’s to the palace under police escort. The news has been since displayed on an easel in the forecourt of BuckinghamPalace in line with tradition. A Palace spokesman said the names of the baby would be announced in due course. A BuckinghamPalace spokesman said: “The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are delighted at the news.”
Read the text 'The Royal Family' again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
...... Camilla is William’s mother.
...... William’s wife if the Duchess of Cambridge.
...... Kate is one of two children.
...... James is William’s cousin.
...... William is a football fan.
...... The King or Queen of England is also the King or Queen of Australia.
...... William and Kate’s son will be first in line to the throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William.
...... Kate gave birth to a baby boy, at 4:30pm, 22nd July 2013 UK time at St Mary’s Hospital.
......[F] William was absent from St Mary’s for the birth.
...... Few people in England knew about Kate giving birth to a baby boy.
Read the text and decide if the following statements are T (TRUE) or F (FALSE)
We’re Living Faster, But Are We Living Better?
Not long ago people believed that in the future we would work less, have more free time, and be more relaxed. But sadly this has not happened. Today we work harder, work longer hours, and are more stressed than ten years ago. We walk faster, talk faster, and sleep less than previous generations. And although we are obsessed with machines which save us time, we have less free time than our parents and grandparents had. But what is this doing to our health? An American journalist James Gleick in a new book, Faster: the acceleration of just about everything, says that people who live in cities are suffering from ‘hurry sickness’ – we are always trying to do more things in less time. As a result, our lives are more stressful. He says that if we don’t slow down, we won’t live as long as our parents. For most people, faster doesn’t mean better.
1. ......[F] The writer wrote the article to encourage us to work more and relax less.
2. ......[F] People today are having a less stressful life than they did in the past.
3. ......[T] People are too busy to read newspapers.
Complete the conversation with words from the box. Use each word only once.
A Did you read the article on Erik Weihenmayer? Isn’t he a fascinating person?
B Yes, he really is! Imagine being blind and ......a mountain!
A Even for people who can see, climbing a mountain is very difficult.
B You know, I was really surprised to learn that he is also a teacher and a ......athlete.
A People like Erik really ......people all around the world. Did you know that he is not the only person with a disability who has done amazing things?
B Yes! I read about Helen Keller in school. She was blind, deaf, and could not speak. Helen Keller became famous because of all the ......she had in her lifetime.
A Right! But people who have disabilities are not the only people who face ......We all have difficulties in our lives. We face challenges at home, at work, at school, and in relationships.
B I agree. Do you think challenges are good for us?
A Yes, I do. I think if a person is not ......and has ......then he or she can overcome most of life’s challenges. I believe that challenges make us stronger.
B You are right! I think that people like Erik Weihenmayer and Helen Keller really ......others to be brave and face life’s challenges and never give up.
