Athletics was a key part of ancient Greek life from the founding of the Olympic Games in 776 B．C. until the games in the late fourth century A．D. The games were held to honor the gods and during religious festivals. Athletic events such as running, jumping, discus throwing, javelin toss, boxing and wrestling are exceptionally well represented.
Zeus
Zeus was considered the most important of all the Olympic gods. He was originally worshipped as a god of climate change. He quickly became the god of fertility (多产) however, and was worshipped as the “farmer” (georgos)．As the possessor (ktisios), he offered a good harvest；as the father (pater), he protected the family and all who lived nearby. He was thus honored on the altar in the courtyard. As the brother (fratius), he protected blood relations. Before long, Zeus was worshipped as a Supreme Being who determined the fate of man and justly set the moral order of the world.
Hera
Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus and was worshipped all over Greece, but especially in the region of Argos. She was thus also called “Argeia”．She was considered the protector of marriage and the marital bond. Homer describes Hera as the most important female deity,_but also the official spouse (配偶) of the father of the gods.
Athena
The ancient Greeks believed that Athena was miraculously born out of the head of Zeus. In Homer's work, she is described as a warrior goddess wearing full armour. She was as important as Aris, the god of war.
Apollo
Apollo was the god of moral order and music, but his main capacity was to protect the art of divination (占卜)．He was worshipped by the farmers as the god of the harvest.
语篇解读：在古代奥运会中，人们从事体育活动的目的究竟是什么呢？原来和敬神以及宗教活动有关。
1．What can be learned from the text?
A．Fratius is closest in meaning to farmer in Greek.
B．Zeus was worshipped as a super man in the beginning.
C．Hera was the sister of Zeus.
D．Zeus claimed to be the most important of all the Olympic gods.
解析：选C 细节理解题。由文中第三段中首句“Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus ...”可知答案C正确。从第二段中可知其余答案与事实不符。
2．What does the underlined word “deity” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A．Spouse. B．God.
C．Sport event. D．Athlete.
解析：选B 词义猜测题。第一段以后的内容主要涉及古希腊神和他们的情况，因此推测该词的意义为“神”。句意：荷马把她描述为最为重要的女神。
3．It can be inferred from the text that ________.
A．after the late 4th century, athletic events were not always held to honor the gods
B．Homer must have been one of the Greek gods
C．Athena might be one of the daughters of Zeus
D．Hera was also called “Argeia” because she was born in Argos
解析：选A 推理判断题。由文中第一段内容可知，公元四世纪以前，很多体育活动是和敬神以及宗教节日有关系，因此判断以后情况发生变化。Homer是一位希腊诗人，因此B项错误。由第四段“...was miraculously born out of the head of Zeus”可知C项错误。由第三段“...but especially in the region of Argos. She was thus also called ‘Argeia’”可知D项错误。
4．Which of the following would be the best title of the text?
A．The history of the Olympic Games
B．Ancient Olympic Games — more on the Gods
C．Gods and their separate status
D．Athletic events in ancient Olympic Games
解析：选B 标题归纳题。文章第一段提出主题思想，尤其是最后两句“The games were held to honor the gods and during religious festivals. Athletic events such as ...”。
