The Olympics Past and Present

The Olympics, Past and Present. Written by Catherine Follett and David Dreier.

奥林匹克运动会，从古至今。 作者：凯瑟琳·福莱特、戴维·德雷尔

to be the best in the world. Every two years, top athletes from around the world meet to play against each other in the Olympic Games. Hundreds of countries compete in this huge sporting contest. The winner of each Olympic event receives a gold medal. A silver medal is given for second place, and a bronze medal for third place. Did you ever wonder where the Olympic Games came from? The Olympic Games began almost 2 ,800 years ago in ancient Greece.

成为世界顶尖选手。 每两年，来自世界各地的顶尖运动员都会相聚奥林匹克运动会，同场竞技。 上百个国家都会参与这场盛大的体育赛事。 每个奥运项目的冠军都会获得一枚金牌。 亚军获得银牌，季军获得铜牌。 你有没有好奇过奥林匹克运动会起源于哪里呢？ 奥林匹克运动会最早起源于大约2800年前的古希腊。

the ancient Olympic Games. Long ago, Greece was divided into several regions called city -states. Each city -state had one main city. These city -states often fought wars against each other. In 776 BC, the people of Olympia Greece created the first Olympic Games. The best athletes from all the city -states gathered to compete against each other. The games honored Zeus, the king of all the Greek gods.

古代奥林匹克运动会。 很久很久以前，希腊被分成了好几个区域，叫做城邦。 每个城邦都有一座核心城市。 这些城邦之间经常爆发战争。 公元前776年，希腊奥林匹亚的人们创办了第一届奥林匹克运动会。 来自各个城邦的顶尖运动员聚在一起同场比拼。 这场盛会是为了纪念众神之王宙斯。

At first, the only events at the Olympics were races, but soon the games grew to include 14 different events. Most contests took place in a stadium, but the chariot races were held on a special racetrack. Some of the events were dangerous. Athletes were often hurt or even

最开始，奥运会只有赛跑这一个项目，不过很快盛会就扩展到了14个不同的项目。 大多数比赛都在体育场举办，而战车赛跑会在专门的赛道上进行。 有些项目十分危险。 运动员们经常受伤，甚至

The prize for first place was a simple olive branch, but the winners were honored throughout Greece. Olympic champions were often given money by their hometowns to celebrate their victories. The Olympic games brought the ancient Greeks together. Visitors to the games gathered at the hotel, swimming pool, and sauna in Olympia. The Olympic grounds also included a market and a bank. People often made business deals or held family reunions while they were in Olympia to see the games.

冠军的奖品只是一根普通的橄榄枝，但获胜者会得到全希腊人的敬重。 奥运冠军的家乡通常会给他们发奖金，庆祝他们夺冠。 奥林匹克运动会把古希腊人凝聚在了一起。 前来观赛的游客会聚集在奥林匹亚的旅馆、泳池和桑拿区。 奥运场地里还设有集市和银行。 人们来奥林匹亚看比赛的时候，还经常会谈生意或者举办家庭聚会。

For some people, the games had religious meaning as well. Many people visited the huge statue of the god Zeus in the temple in Olympia. Others enjoyed the procession or parade of all the athletes. And everyone came to a large feast. Most importantly for all Greeks, the Olympics were a time of peace. The city states agreed never to fight during the games. People felt safe to travel throughout Greece each time the Olympics were held.

对有些人来说，奥运会还带有宗教意义。 很多人会去奥林匹亚的神庙参观巨大的宙斯神像。 还有人喜欢看所有运动员共同参与的列队游行。 所有人最后都会参加一场盛大的宴会。 对所有希腊人来说，最重要的是，奥运会举办期间是和平时期。 各个城邦约定，奥运会期间绝不发动战争。 每当奥运会举办，人们可以安心在希腊各地通行。