The Olympic Games
　　In ancient Greece athletic festivals were very important and had strong religious associations. The Olympian athletic festival held every four years in honour of Zeus, king of the Olympic Gods, eventually lost its local character, became first a national event and then, after the rules against foreign competitors had been abolished, international. No one knows exactly how far back the Olympic games go, but some official records date from 776 B.C..
　　The games took place in August on the plain by Mount Olympus. Many thousands of spectators gathered from all parts of Greece. The exact sequence of events is uncertain, but events included boy's gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, horse racing and field events, though there were fewer sports involved than in the modern Olympic Games.
　　On the last day of the Games, all the winners were honoured by having a ring of holy olive leaves placed on their heads. Although Olympic winners received no prize money, they were, in fact, richly rewarded by their state authorities.
　　After an uninterrupted history of almost 1,200 years, the Games were suspended by the Romans in 394 A.D.. They continued for such a long time because people believed in the philosophy behind the Olympics: the idea that a healthy body produced a healthy mind, and that he spirit of competition in sports and games was preferable to the competition that caused wars. It was over 1,500 years before another such international athletic gathering took place in Athens in 1896.
　　Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. The host country provides vast facilities, including a stadium, swimming pools and living accommodation, but competing countries pay their own athletes' expenses.
　　The Olympics start with the arrival in the stadium of a torch, lighted on Mount OLympus by the sun's rays. It is carried by a succession of runners to the stadium. The torch symbolized the continuation of the ancient Greek athletic ideals, and it burns throughout the Games until the closing ceremony. The well-known Olympic flag, however, is a modern conception: the five interlocking rings symbolize the uniting of all five continents participating in the Games.

　　character n. 1.性格,品质,品德 2.特性,特色 3.人物,角色 4.符号,汉字
　　characteristic a. 特有的,典型的 n.特性,特征
　　[联想词]
　　trait n. 特征,特点,特性
　　abolish vt. 彻底废除,废止
　　[联想词]
　　erase vt. 1.擦掉,抹掉 2.清除
　　extinguish vt. 1.熄灭,扑灭 2.使消亡,使破灭
　　terminate v.停止,终止
　　revive vt. 使复苏 vi.恢复
　　spectator n.观众,旁观者
　　gymnastics n. 1.体操 2.训练 3.技巧,绝技
　　wrestle vt. 1.摔跤 2.使劲搬运 vi. 1.摔跤 2.使劲搬运 3.努力解决
　　olive n. 橄榄,橄榄树
　　authority n. 1.权力,管辖权2.官方,当局 3.当权者,行政管理机构 4.权威,专家
　　authoritative a. 1.权威性的,可信的 2.专断的,命令式的
　　authorize vt.授权,批准
　　arrogant a.傲慢的,自大的
　　authentic a. 1.真的,真正的 2.可信的,可靠的
　　suspend vt. 1.暂停,中止 2.悬挂,吊
　　suspension n. 1.暂停,中止 2.暂令停止参加 3.悬置机构 4.悬浮液 5.悬,挂,吊
　　succession n. 1.连续,接续 2.一连串,一系列 3.接替,继任
　　successor n.接替的人,继任者
　　[联想词]
　　serial n. 连续剧,连载故事 a.连续的
　　acccommodate vt. 1.容纳 2.向...提供住处 3.使适应,顺应
　　accommodation n.住处,膳宿
　　symbolize vt. 1.象征,标志 2.用符号代表
　　symbol n. 1.象征,标志2.符号
　　[联想词]
　　token n.1.标志,信物,纪念品 2.代价券
　　badge n. 1.徽章,证章 2.标记,标识 3.象征
　　conception n. 1.思想,观念,概念 2.构想,设想 3.怀孕