Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.

    Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.

    The modern Olympic games have many foot races and field sports programs. The longest race in the games is called marathon.

    Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch(火炬) through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner,  When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.

    The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.

1.Before 1896 French schools didn't teach ______.  

A. match                      B. history             C. sports                                  D. physics

2.Baron Pierre de Coubertin ________.

A. was the first man to start the Olympics                       

B. helped start the modern Olympics

C. believed that sports were less important than studies  

D. failed to began the modern Olympics

3.According to this passage, the third modern Olympics should have been held________.

A. 1914           B. 1904              C. 1896                           D. 1908

4.Marathon in the passage is________.

A. a foot race             B. a jumping contest    C. a field sport                  D. a boxing match

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The Olympics do not begin until the basin of oil catches the fire.                                       

B. The torch is carried from runner to runner through many countries.

C. Runners who carry the torch can be men or women.                      

D. After the start of the Olympics, the Olympic flame is put out.

In the old days, the Olympic Games were religious（宗教的）activities. Greece held the first Olympic Games in the eighth century B.C. The Games lasted just for one day and there were only races. Only men could be in the races. Women had no right（权利）to take part in the Olympic Games until 1912.

The Olympic Games were stopped in the fourth century. Then they started again in Athens in 1896. This was the beginning（开始）of the modern Olympics. Since then, the Olympics Games have been held every four years. The Olympic rings are a symbol of the Olympic Games. There are five rings, and they stand for the five parts of the world. The colors of the rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red. You can find at least one of these colors in the flag of each country in the world.

The IOC（国际奥委会）makes rules for the games, so all the athletes have the same chance to win. Winning in the Olympics is a great honor. An athlete who wins at the Olympics is the best in the world. “Faster, higher, stronger”is the motto of the Olympics.

任务型阅读：根据短文内容填写下列空格。

The motto of the modern Olympics is “_______”.

The motto of the modern Olympics is “_______”.

A．Fast, high, strong                        B．Faster, higher, stronger

C．Faster, high, strong                      D．Faster, high, stronger