问答题

Directions: In this section, there is’ a short passage with 3 questions. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions on the Answer Sheet.

These are the words written around the Olympic flame, burning in the latest ultramodern stadium, the latest venue of one of the most outstanding spectacles in the world. Each day thousands in their seats in the stadium and millions in their chairs at home watch excitedly as men and women from almost every nation in the world attempt to run faster, jump higher and longer, lift heavier and heavier and throw further and further. They are all competing for that ultimate prize: an Olympic gold medal. Some only just fail by hundredths of a second or fractions of a millimeter but are content with silver or bronze. Most are extremely happy just to be there and in so doing agree with the other proverb of the Games which says that it is not winning that is important but taking part.

However, things change as the Olympics reach the end of the 20th century and look forward to the 21st. It seems as if this second ideal is no longer a realistic one for our competitive world. Much as we are happy to see the medals won, especially if they are won by our compatriots, it is not enough. What the crowd badly wants to see is records being broken. We all want to witness that moment in history when something is achieved for the very first time.

Even though we pretend that the Olympics are still the last preserve of the amateur ideal, we know that to be a world-class athlete now is a full-time activity, it is not only the intensive training given to potential champions by the superpowers, but many athletes are paid now. Since 1982, the International Olympic Committee has allowed money from advertising to be kept by the competitor until he or she retires and even used for training purposes and expenses.

Are we pushing the athletes too hard? Can we expect the athletes to live up to the ideal of the Games without the help of modern science and technology? Indeed, how much further can the human body go? Records continue to be broken but increasingly by smaller and smaller margins. Will we reach the stage of seeing someone run the fastest, jump the highest and throw the furthest that is humanly possible to do? Is it too late to go back to the pure ideals of the ancient Games or is it just another part of our life that is increasingly dominated by technology?

问答题 What does the expression “the Olympic flame” imply?

【正确答案】It implies that the spirit of Olympic Games influences thousands of people in the world.

【答案解析】原文第一段提到奥运圣火燃烧在尖端的体育馆里，上千人参与其中，受“更高更快更强” 的思想所感染，可以推断出flame就是奥林匹克精神的象征，它以热度感染了千万人的心和行动。

问答题 Why did the author say that “things changed as the Olympics reach the end of the 20th century and look forward to the 21st” ?

【正确答案】People constantly expect and use technology and other methods to break Olympic Games records instead of preserving the amateur ideal.

【答案解析】文章第二段倒数第二句话“What the crowd badly wants to see is records being broken. ” 提到人们急切地想看到破纪录，又在下文提到运动员变为全职工作，他们更多地接触科技、商业等现象，所以the last preserve of the amateur ideal已经变了味道。

问答题 According to the passage, what is the author’ s attitude about pushing the athletes too hard?

【正确答案】The author disapproves it and wants to go back to pure ideals of ancient Games.

【答案解析】在原文最后一段，作者对于人们当前的做法和未来的发展提出了质疑和担忧，文章最后一句“Is it too late to go back to the pure ideals of the ancient Games or is it just another part of our life that is increasingly dominated by technology?” 看出作者认为应该回归运动比赛的初心，而不是让奥林匹克愈发地被科技统治。