Questões de Inglês - Interpretação de texto | Reading comprehension para Concurso

The name comes from Olympia, a sacred place in Ancient Greece, where the first Ancient Olympic Games took place. The Games were a very important event for the Ancient Greeks and they took place every four years, from 776 BCE to at least 393 CE. The Games were very different from the ones we know now! They were essentially a religious festival, the athletes were mainly soldiers, and women were not allowed to compete. Married women were not even allowed to attend! Sports included boxing, wrestling and chariot racing. Athletes competed completely naked, and occasionally even died during combat sport competitions.

From Ancient Greece, we fast forward .................. the 1896 Olympics in Athens, which marked the beginning ................... a new era of the Games. The 1896 Olympic Games saw 280 athletes .................. 12 countries competing ................... 43 events, including the first marathon competition. By the time the Paris Olympics took place in 1924, there were around 3,000 athletes, including more than 100 women, from more than 44 different countries. This was also the year that the first Winter Olympics were held. The Paralympic Games first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960, with 400 athletes from 23 countries.

The ‘Olympic rings’ are a globally known symbol of the Olympic movement and were introduced in 1913. The colours of the five linked rings are, from left to right, blue, yellow, black, green and red, and they appear on a white background. They represent the union of five continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world.

        The transformation of Britain’s “ugliest” dog into a Hollywood star has been unexpected and “surreal”, her owner has said.

     Peggy is appearing alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the latest Marvel superhero film, Deadpool & Wolverine.

        The five-year-old pugese – a pug and Chinese crested cross – was cast as “Dogpool” after finding fame last year when she was crowned the ugliest pooch in a national contest.

        Recalling the past 18 months, Peggy’s owner Holly Middleton, from East Yorkshire, said: “Not in my wildest dreams did I

think anything like that would have ever happened”.

        “When we submitted her picture [to the ugly dog competition], I didn’t think it would get to the heights it did,” she added.

        “I didn’t think that’d be as big a deal as it was.”

        However, despite amassing “a massive fan base”, Mrs Middleton said Peggy was not displaying any “diva behaviour” at home.

        On the contrary, the usually “reserved and lazy” pugese had gained “a bit more confidence” from the trainer who was tasked with looking after her during production of Deadpool & Wolverine.

        “She’s still just plain old Peg”, said Mrs Middleton.

        The 37-year-old make-up artist said the family had missed Peggy when she was away filming.

        “It was really, really strange not to have her here”, her owner said. “I’ve got two boys and they missed her terribly.

        “We didn’t tell them where she was. Everything had to be kept quiet.

        “I’m glad she’s back. We missed her.”

        Watching Peggy making her debut at a premiere in New York and being held on the red carpet by Hollywood A-listers was

“surreal”, Mrs Middleton said.

        “I loved it. Peggy looked really comfortable the entire time, as probably most people would being cuddled by Ryan Reynolds.

        “They seem to really, really love her and they’re so gentle with her, and you can see... they’re giving her kisses and giving

her little rubs on her head.

        “I just loved every second of it. I loved seeing her up there doing her thing.

        “She just looked so chilled and so happy.”

        Mrs Middleton said there were no plans at present for future film roles and Peggy was content with chilling at home.

        “First and foremost, she is a family pet”, she added. “There’s nothing she likes more than either cuddling with us on the

couch, or snuggling in her bed.”

        Despite Peggy’s global recognition, Mrs Middleton said she was “the same as every other dog that gets walked in the

village” – though she “absolutely loves” attention and had become accustomed to turning people’s heads.

        “When I read comments online, they’re all very positive and very much in favour of Peggy, saying how beautiful she is.

        “Before all of this, just the way she looks she would get attention, but it was usually people sort of nudging each other and

whispering, ‘Oh, what’s wrong with that dog’.

        “So since everything’s happened, the public perception of Peggy, and whether she’s beautiful, ugly, or whatever has definitely changed for the better.”