Unit 2 Sporting Events Reading

Sun Yang won the 400 m and 1500 m freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Lin Dan won the championship of the final of the Men's singles badminton.

Ye Shiwen won gold medals in the 400 metres and 200 metres individual medley.

Zhang Jike won the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics.

How much do you know about the Olympic Games? Now let’s have a quiz to see who knows the most about the Olympic Games.

1. In what year were the ancient Olympic Games first held?

A. 1896

B. 1906

C. 776 BC

2. When and where were the first modern Olympic Games held?

A. In 1986 in Sydney.

B. In 1896 in Athens.

C. In 1698 in New York.

3. What do the five Olympic rings stand for?

A. Five continents （大陆，洲） .

B. Five well-known athletes.

C. Five important events.

4. How many gold medals did China win in the 2012 Olympic Games?

A. 16

B. 38

C. 36

5. Who is the founder of the modern Olympic Games?

A. Samaranch ( 萨马兰奇 ) 

B. Coubertin ( 顾拜旦 )  

C. Brundage ( 布伦戴奇 )

6. Who was China’s first medalist?

A. Li Ning   

B. Zhu Jianhua

C. Xu Haifeng

Reading a speech

Reading Strategy

Definition

of a speech

Ways to make

a good speech

a formal talkthat a persongives to an audience

1. tell an interesting story

2. use quotations ( 引用语）

3. present statistics

4. ask questions

The writer actually wants to _______by

asking the question “Do you know when

the ancient games began?”

A. get the right answer

B. get the audience interested in his topic

C. give you a chance to speak

D. show what he knows about the games

Read the speech quickly to get the answers

Fast Reading

What is the speech about?

What was Pierre de Coubertin’s hope when he brought the Olympic Games back to life?

What does the speaker wish for at the end of the speech?

The history and significance of the Olympic Games

What is the speech about?

What was Pierre de Coubertin’s hope when he brought the Olympic Games back to life?

He hoped that the Olympic Games would make it possible for people of all countries to live side by side in peace .

What does the speaker wish for at the end of the speech?

He wishes the Olympic movement a successful future to match its past glory .

Divide the whole passage into four parts according to the main idea

Reading for structures

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

(Paras. ____)

the topic of the speech

(Paras. ____ )

the history & significance of …

(Paras. _____ )

some famous sports stars and their great contributions

(Paras. ____ )the closure of the speech

1

2-4

5-8

9-10

Which of the following shows the right structure （结构） of the passage?

A B

C D

1 2 3

4

1 2

3 4

1

2

3 4

1

2 3

4

Get detailed information

Detailed reading

Part I

Detailed reading

The speaker of this passage , Mr. Johnson , a member of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) , will tell us about

________________________________ .

And he will

_____________________________________ with us .

the history and significance of the Olympic Games

share some interesting facts and stories

Part II

Detailed reading

history

The ancient games

The contemporary games

in 776BC

at Olympia in Greece

only men (unmarried / single women)

in 1896

in Athens

athletes from around the world

Pierre de Coubertin

He brought the Olympics back to life

His dream was that the Olympics would make it possible for people of all countries to live side by side in peace .

A Frenchman made great contributions to the Olympic Games . Who was he ?What did he do ?And what was his dream ?

Part III

Detailed reading

Six

Muhammad Ali

Michael Jordan

Zhang Ning

Xu Haifeng

Deng Yaping

Liu Xiang

Name

Nationality

Achievements:

Muhammad Ali

American

1. won the gold medal for America in the 1960 Rome Olympics

2. went on to win the 1st World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in 19643. returned to light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony in Atlanta in 1996

Name

Nationality

Achievements

Michael Jordan

American

1. helped the USA basketball team win the gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

2. won the 2nd Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

won 4 gold at the 1992 & 1996 Olympics

won the first gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

the 1st Asian to win the gold medal in men’s 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics

hung on to win the gold medal in the final match

Part Ⅳ

Detailed reading

Which of the following are the contributions that the Olympic athletes have made to the world?

A. They have brought joy to people across the world .

B. They have attempted to push the boundaries of human achievement .

C. They have achieved glorious achievements in the past few decades .

D. They have earned a lot of money

Consolidation

Fill in the blanks with proper words according to the text.

Topic The history and (1)______________of the Olympics

(2)_________of the games

The ancient games began in 776 BC in Greece

(3) ___________ the modern ones in 1896 in Athens.

(4)________

between the ancient and modern games

Only men were allowed to compete while today athletes across the world can take part (5)___________language they speak.The ancient games were held at the (6)__________ place, but countries and people can live (7) _____________together in the modern ones.

Some well-known athletes and their(8)

____________

Muhammad Ali won the gold medal in 1960 and His first World Heavyweight Championship in 1964Michael Jordan won the gold at the 1984 and 1992 Olympics. Chinese athletes have also played an important (9) ____________in the Olympic Games.

Conclusion The Olympics will have a successful future to (10) _________his glorious past.

significance

History

whileDifferences

whateversame

peacefully

achievementspart/role

match

Extension

What fine qualities do you think these athletes have in common?

1. They work very hard to achieve their aims.

2. They have passion/love for both sports and their countries.

3. They are not satisfied with the present and they struggle for better.

Which of the following proverbs( 谚语） best suits the athletes mentioned in this passage?

A. Life is made up of little things.B. It’s never too old to learn.C. Where there is a will, there is a way.D. Look before you leap, see before you go

1. Reread the text and try to find out at least 20 useful or important expressions .

2. Finish Part E on page 25.

Assignment