Introduction of Modern Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is held every four years at a different place. Athletes from different nations take part in a lot of sports. The Olympic Games is the world’s most important sports competition at present.

奥运会每四年在不同的地方举行一次。来自不同国家的运动员参加各种运动项目的比赛。奥运会是目前世界上最重要的体育运动竞赛。

The modern Olympic Games began in Greece in 1896. In 1894，79 men led by Baron，created the International Olympic Committee（IOC）in Paris. A week later，“Citius-Altius-Fortius”，meaning “Faster-Higher-Stronger”，is chosen as the official motto of the International Olympic Committee. Coubertin thought that the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part，just as the most important thing in life is not the success but the struggle. The necessary thing is not to have won but to have fought well.

现代奥运会于1896年起源于希腊。1894年，由皮埃尔・顾拜旦男爵领导的79人在巴黎创立了国际奥林匹克委员会。一周以后，“Citius-Altius-Fortius”被选为国际奥委会的官方格言，意思是“更快―更高―更强”。顾拜旦认为奥运会中最重要的事情不是获胜而是参与，正如生活中最重要的事情不是成功而是奋斗，最基本的事情不是获胜而是奋力拼搏。

The first Summer Olympic Games was hosted in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in 1896. 14 nations and 241 athletes competed in 43 events in nine different places.

1896年第一届夏季奥运会在雅典体育场举行。14个国家的241名运动员参加了在9个不同地点举行的43项比赛。

The Winter Olympics were created to play snow and ice sports that were impossible to hold during the Summer Games. Figure skating and ice hockey were played as Olympic events at the Summer Olympics. A winter sports week was held in 1924 in Chamonix，France. This event became the first Winter Olympic Games.

冬季奥运会是为了给不能在夏季奥运会上比赛的雪上和冰上运动而创办的。花样滑冰和冰上曲棍球在夏季奥运会上被作为奥运比赛项目。1924年，法国的夏蒙尼举行了一个冬季运动周，这次比赛成了第一届冬季奥运会。

In 1960，Sir Ludwig Guttmann brought 400 athletes to compete in the “Parallel Olympics” in Rome，which became known as the first Paralympics. Since then，the Paralympics have been held in every Olympic year. In 2001 the International Olympic Committee asked host cities to manage to play the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

1960年，路德维格・古特曼爵士带领400名运动员去罗马参加“平行奥运会”，“平行奥运会”成为第一次残奥会。自那以后，残奥会都会在每一个奥运会年举行一次。2001年，国际奥委会要求举办城市确保举办奥运会和残奥会。

In 2010，the Olympic Games were complemented by the Youth Games，which gives athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 the chance to compete. The First Youth Games were held in from 14~26 August 2010 in Singapore. The IOC allows 3，500 athletes and 875 officials to take part in at the Summer Youth Games，and 970 athletes and 580 officials at the Winter Youth Games.

2010年，奥运会举办了青少年奥运会。青少年奥运会为14至18岁的运动员提供比赛机会。2010年8月14日至26日，第一届夏季青少年奥运会在新加坡举行。奥委会允许3，500名运动员和875名官员参加夏季青少年奥运会，不过仅仅允许970名运动员和580名官员参加冬季青少年奥运会。

French and English are the official languages of the Olympic Games. The other language used at each Olympic Games is the language of the host country. Every announcement is spoken in these three languages，or the main two depending on whether the host country is an English or French speaking country.

法语和英语是奥运会的官方语言。在每一届奥运会使用的另外一种语言是东道主国家的语言。每次通知都使用这三种语言来，或者依据东道主国家是说英语的国家或者是说法语的国家而使用两门主要语言。

The Olympic Rings consist of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five continents（America，Africa，Asia，Australasia，Europe）. The colors of the rings are blue，yellow，black，green，and red. These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag.

奥运环由五个相互缠绕的环组成，它代表五大洲（美洲、非洲、亚洲、澳洲及欧洲）的团结。奥运环的颜色是蓝色、黄色、黑色、绿色和红色。之所以选这五种颜色，是因为每个国家的国旗上至少有其中的一种颜色。

The flag was used in 1914 but flown for the first time only at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp，Belgium. It has since been lifted during each celebration of the Games.

奥运会旗于1914年被使用，但是奥运会旗首次飘扬起来是在1920年的比利时安特卫普夏季奥运会。自那以后，在奥运会的每一次庆祝中，奥运会旗都要被升起。

Months before each Games，the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals. A female performer lights a torch. She then lights the torch of the first relay bearer，thus starting the Olympic torch relay that will carry the flame to the host city’s Olympic stadium，where it plays an important role in the opening ceremony.

每次奥运会的数个月之前，奥运圣火在一个能够反映古希腊奥运会惯例的仪式上在奥林匹亚被点燃。一个女性执行者点燃火炬。然后她点燃第一个火炬手的火炬，奥运会火炬传递由此开始。圣火将被带到举办城市的奥运会体育场，奥运圣火将在开幕式上起着重要作用。

The Olympic mascot，an animal or human figure representing the cultural heritage of the host country，was introduced in 1968. It has played an important part on the Games since the 1980 Summer Olympics.

奥运会吉祥物，于1968年被采用，代表东道主国家文化传统的一个动物或人物形象。自1980年夏季奥运会以来，奥运会吉祥物已经在奥运会中充当了一个重要角色。

［Notes］

1. athlete ［???夼ｌｉ?蘼ｔ］ n. 运动员

2. competition［?ｋ?蘅ｍｐｉ?ｔｉ?蘩?藜ｎ］ n. 比赛

3. motto ［?ｍ?蘅ｔ?藜ｕ］ n. 格言

4. figure skating 花样滑冰

5. ice hockey 冰上曲棍球

6. Paralympic Games 残疾人奥林匹克运动会

7. complement［?ｋ?蘅ｍｐｌｉｍ?藜ｎｔ］ vt. 补充

8. consist ［ｋ?藜ｎ?ｓｉｓｔ］ vi. 由…组成

9. intertwined ［?ｉｎｔ?藜?蘼?ｗａｉｎｄ］ adj. 缠绕的

10. mascot ［?ｍ?ｓｋ?藜ｔ］ n. 吉祥物

11. heritage ［?ｈｅｒｉｔｉｄ?廾］ n. 遗产