Sample Three

　　Directions:

　　You are going to read a text about Olympic Games, followed by a list of explanations. Choose the best explanation from the list A-F for each numbered subheading (41-45). There is one extra explanation which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

　　Olympic Games (modern), international sports competition, held every four years at a different site, in which athletes from different nations compete against each other in a variety of sports. There are two types of Olympics, the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. Through 1992 they were held in the same year, but beginning in 1994 they were rescheduled so that they are held in alternate even�瞡umbered years.

　　(41) Modern Olympic Games�瞗rom past to present

　　The modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece, in 1896, two years after French educator and thinker Pierre de Coubertin proposed that the Olympic Games of ancient Greece be revived to promote a more peaceful world.

　　(42) International Olympic Committee

　　The Olympic Games are administered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.

　　(43) Awarding the Games

　　In order to host the Olympics, a city must submit a proposal to the IOC. After all proposals have been submitted, the IOC votes.

　　(44) Athletes and eligibility

　　Although the Olympic Charter, the official constitution of the Olympic movement, proclaims that the Olympics are contests among individuals and not among nations, the IOC assigns to the various NOCs the task of selecting national Olympic teams.

　　(45) Ceremonies

　　The Olympic Games have always included a number of ceremonies, many of which emphasize the themes of international friendship and peaceful cooperation.

　　[A] Although they were founded as part of a vision of world peace, once the modern Olympic Games became a truly important international event they also became a stage for political disputes. The most controversial Olympics were the Berlin Games of 1936.

　　[B] From the start of the modern Olympic Games, male amateur athletes of every race, religion, and nationality have been eligible to participate. Although Coubertin opposed the participation of women in the Olympics and no women competed in 1896, a few female golfers and tennis players were allowed to participate in the 1900 Games. Female swimmers and divers were admitted to the 1912 Games, and female gymnasts and track�瞐nd�瞗ield athletes first competed at the 1928 Games. Women’s Olympic sports have grown significantly since then, and currently women account for approximately half of the members of teams.

　　[C] Typically the Games are awarded several years in advance, allowing the winning city time to prepare for the Games. In selecting the site of the Olympic Games, the IOC considers a number of factors, chief among them which city has, or promises to build, the best facilities, and which organizing committee seems most likely to stage the Games effectively. The IOC also considers which parts of the world have not yet hosted the Games.

　　[D] The program for the 1896 Games, including only summer events (the Winter Olympics were not established until 1924), included about 300 athletes from fewer than 15 countries competing in 43 events in nine different sports. In contrast, the program 100 years later for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, included more than 10,000 athletes from more than 190 countries competing in 271 events in 29 different sports.

　　[E] IOC members are officially considered to be representatives from the IOC to their own nations, not delegates from their own countries to the IOC. Most members are elected to the IOC after serving on the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of their own countries.

　　[F] The opening ceremony has always included the parade of nations, in which the teams from each nation enter the main stadium as part of a procession. The Greek team always enters first, to commemorate the ancient origins of the modern Games, and the team of the host nation always enters last. The opening ceremony has evolved over the years into a complex extravaganza, with music, speeches, and pageantry. It is eagerly anticipated and well attended.