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Sport is full of wonderful moments, but perhaps nothing is as exciting as the finish of the marathon. It is the
longest, hardest race of all. The name "marathon" comes from a village in Greece. A famous battle was fought
there in the year 490 B.C. When the Greeks had beaten the Persians, a soldier ran all the way from Marathon to
Athens-more than 40 kilometers-to tell people the good news. When the modern Olympic Games were stared in
1896, the organisers (组织者) knew this story. The marathon has been a race since then.
In the ancient world the Olympics were held every 4 years. They were an important part of
life. In the modern Games we try to copy their ideas. The finest sportsmen in the world are collected in one
place-or at least, the finest "amateure" are. An amateur is someone who does not earn any money from sport. It
is often difficult to say who is an amateur and who is not. It is true that Olympic athletes (运动员) do not earn
large amounts of money like professional sportsmen. But Olympic athletes are often students or teachers for a
sport. They have to spend a lot of time training. Their governments pay for their training, travel and "pocket
money", because they want them to win. Some people think that this changes the Olympics. They feel that the
Games are now a political marathon.
1. The word "marathon" was first used for a _____.
[ ]
A. battle
B. story
C. place
D. race
2. The marathon race was run in 1896 because ______.
[ ]
A. there was such a race at the ancient Olympic Games.
B. the distance was once run by a famous Greek soldier.
C. the Olympic games were held at Marathon in 1896.
D. the longest race has always been called a "marathon".
3. Modern Olympic Games are held _______ years.
[ ]
A. every
B. every 4
C. 3
D. every 3
4. An amateur is someone who earns _______ money from sports.
[ ]
A. a lot of
B. little
C. no
D. some
5. Olympics are becoming a political marathon because _____.
[ ]
A. the governments pay the players to win
B. players spend a lot of time training
C. players get pocket money
D. the governments train the players