【正文】 den appl es. She said, ― Throw an aple in front of Atl anta when she is running past. When she stops to pick it up, you wil l be abl e to run past her and win.‖ Hipomenes took the appl es and went to the King. H e said, ―I want to mary Atlanta.‖ The King was sad to see another man die, but Hipomenes said, ― I wil marry her – or die!‖ So the race began. Three inspi ri ng stori es about the Olym pi c Gam es 1. The ki nd N orwegi an There is a crosscountry ski ing race which i s part of the Wi nter Ol ym pi cs. In 20xx a Canadian ski er, Sara Renner, was taking part i n the crosscountry final when her l eft pol e broke. This was a serious probl em as she needed the pole to hel p her travel quickly through the deep snow. Imm edi atel y Bjornar Hakensm oen , the coach of the N orwegi an team, gave her another pol e. So Renner was abl e to get a si lver m edal. H akensm oen sai d that he had onl y behaved as any god sportsm an shoul d, but Sara sai d that Hakensm oen had shown everybody the true meani ng of sport. 2. The Speci al Ol ym pi c athlete For athl ete Eri c Wi li am s gol d m edals are ni ce, but good sportsm anshi p i s m ore im portant. Eric has a low mental abil ity but this does not stop him from taki ng apart i n the Ol ympics. In 20xx Eric peted in running races and the l ong jump. H e said, ― I’ve been peting in the Special Olympics ever since I was at high school . It’s real ly a good experience. You get to meet diferent athletes and vol unteers and make al l kinds of friends. ― John Corbet, an anizer of the Special Olympics said, ― H e al ways does his best and has a wonderful time in the progress. He trul y appreciates al the peopl e around him who are trying to hel p, and he makes that appreciation known. ― Let’s hope Eric wi ns m ore m edal s i n the next Special Ol ym pi cs! 3. The stubborn Afri can In 1968 a Kenyan athl ete Ki p Kei no peted in the 1500 metres running race. At that tim e he was very il l and i n great pain. Although he had reached the standard for the final of the race he decided at fi rst not to take part. H owever, just before the race was going to start he changed hi s m ind. H e ran from hi s room and arri ved at the race track a few mi nutes before the race was about to begi n. Surprisingl y, he won the race, finishi ng wel l ahead of everyone el se and showing what true courage and perseverance can achi eve. It was no wonder that Ki p Kei no becam e the only Kenyan sportsm an ever to appear on the cover of the world fam ous sports m agazi ne Sports il lustrated. Unit 3 WHO AM I? O ver time I have changed qui te a l ot. I began as a calcul ati ng m achi ne in France in 1642. Although I was young I coul d simpli fy di ficult sum s. I devel oped very slowly and it took nearl y two hundred years before I was bui lt as an analyti cal m achi ne by Charl es Baggage. After I was programmed by an operator who used cards with hol es,I could ―thing‖l ogical y and produce an answer quicker than any person. At that tim e i t was consi dered a technological revoluti on and the start of my ―artifical intel igence‖. In 1936 my real father,Al an Turing,wrote a bok about how I could be made to work as a ―universal machine‖to solve any difficult mathematical then on,I grew rapidly both i n size and i n the 1940s I hd grownas large as a room , and I wonderes if I woul d growm ay e from anywhere i n the world. P: Wi nter Gam es? How can the runers enjoy peti ng i n wi nter? And what about the horses? L: O h no! There are no runi ng races or horse ri di ng events. Instead there are peti ti ons li ke ski ng and ice skating which need snow and ice. That’s why they’re cal ed the Winter Ol ympics. It’s in the Summer Ol ympics that you have the runni ng races, together wi th swimm ing, sai li ng and al the team sports. P: I see. Earli er you sai d that athl etes are i nvited from al over the worl d. Do you m ean the Greek world? O ur Greek ci ti es used to pete agai nst each other just for the honour of wi nni ng. N o other countri es could joi n i n, nor coul d sl aves or wom en! L: Nowadays any country can take part if thei r athletes are god enough. There are over 250 sports and each one has its own standard. Wom en are not onl y al owed, but pl ay a very im portant rol e in gym nasti cs, athleti cs, team sports and … P: Pl ease wait a mi nute! Al those events, al l those countries and even women taki ng part! Where are al l the athl etes housed? L: For each Ol ym pi cs, a special vil lage is buil t for them to li ve in, a m ai n reception bui l di ng, several stadi ums for peti ti ons, and a gym nasi um as wel l. P: That’s sounds very expansive. Does anyone want to host the O l ympic Gam es? L: As a mater of fact,every country wants the opportunity. It’s a great responsibility but al so a great honour to be chosen. There’s as much petitions among countries to host the Ol ympics as to win Ol ympic medal s. The 20xx O lym pics wil be hel d i n Bei ji ng. P: Oh yes! You m ust be very proud. L: Certai nl y. And after that the 20xx O lym pi cs wi l be hel d i n London. They have al ready started pl anni ng for i t. A new vil age for the athl etes and al the stadi um s wi l be bui lt to the east of London. New medals wil l be designed of course and … P: Di d you say m edals? So even the oli ve wreath has ben repl aced! Oh dear! Do you pete for prize m oney too? L: No, we don’t. It’s stil l al about being abl e to run faster, jumper higher and throw further. That’s the motto of the Ol ympics, you know—― Swifter, Higher and Stronger. ‖ P: Wel , that’s a god news. H ow interesting! Thank you so much for your time. The story of Atl anta Atl anta was a Greek pri nces. She was very beautiful and could run faster than any m an i n Greece. But she was not al owed to run and win gl ory for herself i n the Ol ympic Gam es. She was so angry that she sai d to her farther that she woul d not m ary anyone who cou