新视界大学英语综合的教程2unit2.pptVIP

Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;Warming up;;Skimming;;Skimming;Skimming;Skimming;Skimming;Sport in ancient Greece and China 1 What do Greece and China have in common with each other, in both ancient and modern times? The two nations are separated by nearly 8,000 kilometres of mountains and desert, and in the past, there were no relations and hardly any communication between them. Yet both bear comparison with each other in the role of sport in their societies. ; 2 It is true that in the ancient period, the Silk Road served as a channel of trade and cultural exchange between the East and West, which may have allowed an awareness of the ancient Olympic movement to pass from Greece to China. Yet sport appears to play a more fundamental and deeply-rooted role in national culture and socio-political life in all social communities at all times.;3 In fact, the origins of the Olympic Games can be found in the frequent conflicts between the city-states of Greece. Every four years, it was agreed that the Olympic Games would act as a temporary ceasefire. But once the Games were over, fighting would resume.;4 Yet historical research and studies in sociology suggest that sport is not simply a substitute for conflict. It seems that wherever there are human activities, there is sport. One reason for this is the need to keep fit for both survival and for amusement. From the time humans began to make tools from stone, they knew that greater physical strength would allow them to use the tools with greater efficiency. ;Running, swimming, jumping and throwing were not simply skills which needed to be developed to catch more game and fish. They were enjoyable as well. In due course, these same skills were called into play not just in the Olympic Games but also in the sporting events which were held in China and elsewhere. For example, the skill of shooting with a bow and arrow appears in the myths of