Worksheet 1. Read The Article About The Ancient Olympic Games. Then Review The Glossary and Complete The Exercises That Follow It
Worksheet 1. Read The Article About The Ancient Olympic Games. Then Review The Glossary and Complete The Exercises That Follow It
Vocabulary Worksheets
Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition
Chapter 11: The Passive Worksheet 1. Reading: The Ancient Olympic Games Read the article about the ancient Olympic Games. Then review the glossary and complete the exercises that follow it.
1According 2(a
to legend, the ancient Olympic Games were founded by Heracles, a son of Zeus
Greek god). The first real Olympic Games for which we have written records were held in BCE. These original Olympic Games were held on the plains of Olympia in Greece.
3776 4At
the first Olympic Games, there was only one event: a sprint race, called the stadion race. word stadium is derived from this foot race. The race was 192 meters (210 yards) in and was won by a baker from a neighboring area. This first Olympic champion was the equivalent of todays gold medal: a wreath of olive branches, which was placed
5The
6length
7awarded 8on
his head. The olive tree of ancient Greece was not an ordinary tree; it was considered so to be for an athlete to be crowned with an olive wreath was a holy honor.
9sacred, 10Over
the years, more races and more events were added, including wrestling, boxing, and events (events with horses and people, such as chariot races and horse races).
11equestrian 12In
addition to the olive wreaths, winners received palm branches and woolen ribbons as Winners of the Games were honored throughout Greece and were hailed as heroes in hometowns.
13prizes. 14their
15Unlike
the Modern Olympic Games, only young men who spoke Greek were allowed to in the ancient Games. Women were not permitted to compete, and married were not even allowed to attend the Games.
Games were "international" in the sense that they included athletes from the various city-states. Eventually, participants came from the Greek colonies as well, so that the of the games extended to the far shores of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
19Greek 20range
21Every four years, for 1,170 years, the Greeks held the Olympics, which continued to grow and change. The original 22Games had been dedicated to the god Zeus. But now a new kind of civilization, which did not accept the Greek 23gods, was brought into the area by the Byzantine empire. Its emperor wanted to eliminate influences that were 24different from his, so he abolished the Games in 393 CE.
Worksheet 1 (page 2)
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6 7 8 25The
Vocabulary Worksheets
Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition
26century 271896
28event,
29millions.
Glossary
Line 1 Line 3 Line 3 Line 4 Line 7
Zeus
776 BCE in the year 776, Before the Common Era. CE is an abbreviation for the Common Era. on the plains of Olympia on the flat grounds of Olympia, a part of Greece
Common Era, or the year 1, in the current Gregorian Calendar. The year 2008 is the 2008th year of
Line 12 woolen material made from the hair of sheep Line 19 city-states independent states that consist
a sprint race a very short race in which the runners are exceptionally quick a wreath of olive branches a circle made of the branches of an olive tree
of a city and the surrounding country area, especially in the past. Line 24 Byzantine Empire the eastern part of the Roman Empire
Line 27 393 CE 393 in the Common Era. This means 393 years after the year 1 in the Gregorian calendar.
Comprehension practice Decide whether each sentence is true or false, according to the reading. Circle T if the sentence is true and F if the sentence is false.
1. The first Olympic Games took place in Greece. 2. There were five different events in the first Games. 3. Swimming was one of the sports at the early Olympic Games. 4. The winners of the early Games received gold medals. 5. People valued olive tress very highly in those days. 6. Women did not participate in the early Olympic Games. 7. People from all over the world took part in the ancient games. 8. The Olympic Games have been taking place continuously since they first began. 9. A hurricane destroyed the original site of the Olympic Games. T/F T/F T/F T/F T/F T/F T/F T/F T/F
9 10
Copyright Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt for classroom use.