Реферат: Sport is an Essential Part of Life
The Olympic Games have a very long history. They began in 777 BC in Greece and took place every four years nearly twelve centuries at Olympia. They included many different kinds of sports: running, boxing, wrestling, etc. All the cities in Greece sent their best athletes to Olympia to compete in the Games. For the period of the Games all the wars stopped. So the Olympic Games became the symbol of peace and friendship.
The Games were for men only. Greek women were forbidden not only to participate but also to watch the Olympics.
In 1896 the first modern Olympic Games took place. Of course, the competitions were held in Greece to symbolize the continuation of the centuries-old tradition. The initiator of these Games was a French Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
In 1896 the International Olympic Committee was set up. It is formed by the representatives of all countries which take part in the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee decides upon the programme of the Games, the number of the participants and the city-host for the Games. Over one hundred and fifty countries are represented in the International Olympic Committee now. Besides, each country has its National Olympic Committee.
Since 1936 the opening ceremony is celebrated by lighting a flame, which is called “The Olympic Flame”. The Olympic emblem is five interlinked rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Any national flag contains at least one of these colours.
The ancient Greeks had no winter sports. Only in 1924 the first Winter Olympic Games were held in France. Now they are being held regularly. Summer and Winter Games are held separately. There are always several cities wishing to host the games. The most suitable is selected by the International Committee. After that the city of the Games starts preparations for the competitions, constructs new sports facilities, stadiums, hotels, press centres. Thousands of athletes, journalists and guests come to the Games, and it takes great efforts to arrange everything. There is always an interesting cultural programme of concerts, exhibitions, festivals, etc. for each Games.
Russia joined the Olympic movement in 1952. Since then it has won a lot of gold, silver and bronze medals. In 1980 Moscow hosted the Twenty-Second Olympic Games. The world knows glorious names of our Olympic champions such as Lydia Skoblikova, Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov, Alexey Yagudin.
2004 is an Olympic year. The 28-th Summer Olympiad will take place in Greece in the city of Athens. Russian athletes are getting ready to take part in it. We hope that they will be a success and win many Olympic medals. We are sure that many new names will be added to the list of our Olympic champions.
Sport and Healthy Way of Life .
To be healthy is very important. You can work, learn and have fun only when you are healthy. Health is the man’s greatest wealth. Of course, you can inherit some problems from your parents. But you can always keep your health if you want to.
We are healthy when all parts of our bodies and of our minds work together properly. We cannot be happy unless we feel well.
The ancient Greeks knew the value of good health. They even named one goddess Hygenia, which means goddess of health. The Romans spoke of a health in a proverb:” A healthy mind in a healthy body”. The body does a great deal to take care of itself, but it is possible to help the body to work at its best.
The human body is much more complicated than any machine. No machine can do all the things the body can do. No machine will work for 70 years or more, day and night, requiring only air, water, food and a few simple rules.
The first rule of healthy way of life is to have normal weight, not to be overweight. One of the ways to keep normal weight is to regulate your diet. A person needs vitamins and fibre. One must eat fruit and vegetables every day. Too much food makes you fat. Fat and sugar give a lot of energy. If the energy is not used it becomes fat in your body. If you eat sweet, fat food, even from time to time, you have to exercise regularly. Physical exercises help people keep fit, have a good gait and figure. They also help you lose weight and work out energy. It is not good to be as thin as a stick, but extra weight can cause serious problems, such as heart problems and diabetics.
There are a lot of advertisements both on TV and in newspapers of different pills and drops which can help you become slim and slender in two weeks. But all those pills cannot work a miracle.
Bad habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and using drugs, can ruin your health. Regular sports help people to avoid these bad habits. What exercises are better? Swimming, jogging, basketball, football, table tennis, skiing or morning exercises? It’s upon a person to choose.
As for me. I eat what I want and as much as I want, and I don’t care how much to eat, because I go in for sport every day and use a lot of energy training and competing.
Conclusion.
“Sport means life.” These are the words of a well-known French scientist and the sponsor of the first modern Olympic Games Pier de Kuberten. It’s difficult to argue with it. Sport has become an essential part of our life. It has great effect on our health and creative work for many long years. Sport is one of means of bringing up a healthy and harmonious person. It is also a means of uniting people in the name of friendship and peace.
L iterature.
1. Выборова Г.Е. Пособие к базовому курсу. Москва: Аст-Пресс, 1998.
2. Банкевич Л.В. Спорт. Москва-С-Петербург, 1990.
3. Могильный Н.В. Олимпийский факел. Очерки из истории спорта. Минск: Беларусь, 1999.
4. UlvaFrench. London. BlueGuide. London: a&c Black, 1991.
5. A Book of Britain. С-Петербург: Просвещение, 2001.
6. Sport. English. No.8 Первоесентября 2.2004.Page 21-26.