RISING TO THE

CHALLENGE

472  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

 7
How does sport
help people
overcome personal
challenges? 

  A player beats the defense to score during the ice

sledge hockey final at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic
Winter Games.

Unit Launch 473
Focus on Reading

Text Structure: Chronological Order

The goal of narrative nonfiction is to tell about the life of a real person or
about something that really happened. Events are usually told in the order
that they happened, or in chronological order.

How It Works
When you read biographies, histories, and other nonfiction narratives, the
chronological order helps you keep track of events and ideas.
• Like other nonfiction, narrative nonfiction may include elements such as
facts, statistics, and references to experts and other reliable sources.
• Some narrative nonfiction is as entertaining as a fictional story. The
difference is that nonfiction is about real people, places, and events.
• Authors who write in chronological order use dates and time words to
organize events in sequence.
Study this example of narrative nonfiction and watch for clues to help you
follow the chronological order.

‘Eddie the Eagle’ Edwards

An Unlikely Start
Michael Eddie Edwards, best known as ‘Eddie the Eagle’, is a British skier.
Facts, dates, and
As a young man, Edwards was determined to compete at the Olympics. His real people
sport was downhill skiing until he failed to qualify for the 1984 Olympics. Then
Edwards decided to try another sport—ski jumping—in which there were no
other British competitors. Despite several accidents during training, Edwards
jumped a British record distance in competition in 1986. Soon after he learned
that he would represent Great Britain at the World Championships.
Calgary, 1988
Eddie was the UK’s sole participant at the World Championships, which
earned him a place to compete at the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary,
Canada in 1988. His clumsy manner and lack of success endeared him to
people all around the world. However, some people felt that ‘Eddie the Eagle’
was making the sport of ski jumping look silly. At the end of the Games, sports
Reliable source
reporter Malcolm Folley commented, "In future, competitors should be required
to meet qualifying standards, before they are allowed to enter." Nevertheless, in
the years that followed, Edwards remained the people’s champion.
Academic Vocabulary
• goal (gōl) noun
A goal is a purpose or what you
want to happen.

474  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

Practice Together
Read this passage aloud. As you read, listen for clues that show elements
of narrative nonfiction.

Mental Stamina

O n April 23, 2010, at 27 years old, Elham Al Qasimi became the

first Emirati woman to ski to the North Pole.
Until she resigned from her job to focus on her North Pole
expedition, Elham was an investment manager. Before the
expedition, Elham went through an intensive period of training to
build up her strength. She set out on April 17 and made history in a
hurry, arriving at 90 degrees North at about 4 p.m. U.A.E. time on
April 23, four days ahead of schedule.
"My joints were hurting from the constant grinding—eight hours
a day with barely any breaks—but the mental challenge was the
most important part of it," Elham told CNN.

Try It!
Read this passage aloud. How is it organized? What clues tell you this?

The History of Curling

How it Began

C urling, one of the world’s oldest team sports, originated in the

16th century in Scotland. Back then, games were played on
frozen lakes. The earliest–known curling stones date from 1511.
In curling, players use a stick to slide stones across the ice
towards a target area. In the 1600s, stones with handles were
introduced. The game requires strategy and teamwork, rather like
chess on ice. Curling gets its name from the way the stone leaves
the stick: it curls across the ice.

An Olympic Sport
Men’s curling was included in the Winter Olympics in 1924, but
then was dropped. Although demonstration events were included,
it was not until 1998 that it became an official Olympic sport again,
with both men’s and women’s events.

Focus on Reading 475
Focus on Vocabulary

Use Context Clues: Multiple-Meaning Words

Many English words have multiple, or more than one, meaning. The meaning
depends upon the situation , or how the word is used in a sentence.
EXAMPLE When winter comes, Hilal cannot wait to go and practice ski
archery. He lifts his bow and shoots his arrow towards the
target.

When you see a word that doesn’t make sense in the situation , it probably
has more than one meaning. bow (bow)
1 v., to bend your head or
How the Strategy Works body forward. Faisal
When you read a word that has more than one possible meaning, use context bowed to the audience
clues to help you figure out which meaning fits best in that situation . Use a at the end of his poetry
dictionary to help you check meanings and also verify pronunciation and part recital.
of speech. Some words are pronounced more than one way depending on
their meaning. bow (bō)

EXAMPLE When winter comes, Hilal cannot wait to go and practice ski 2 n., a knot in string
archery. He lifts his bow and shoots his arrow toward the or ribbon used as a
target. decoration or to tie
shoes. She tied her
1. Think about the topic of the text where the word appears. shoelaces in a bow.
2. Look in the same sentence for clues to the word’s meaning. 3 n., A device for shooting
3. Next, look for clues in the sentences that come before and after. arrows. He raised his
4. Check a dictionary to find the meaning that makes the most sense. bow and aimed at the
deer.
Use the strategy to figure out the meaning of each underlined word.
Strategy in Action

M y father loves to go and watch a hockey match. He always roots

for his favorite team and hates it when they lose. He must be
the White Bears’ number one fan as he always sits in the front row in
“ Iplants.
think roots are parts of
But that makes no
sense. The topic is hockey.
the stands. The context says the father
roots for the same team and
 REMEMBER  You can use both context clues and a dictionary to figure out hates it when they lose. Roots
the meanings of multiple-meaning words.
must mean something like
hoping a team will win.”

Academic Vocabulary
• situation (si-chū-wā-shun) noun
Situation is the context in
which a word is used.

476  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

Practice Together
Read this passage aloud. Look at each underlined word. Use context clues
to figure out the word’s meaning.

First
Climb of
the Year
Brand new walking boots waiting to
go on their first hike. 

The date is fixed at long last! We are about to go for our first
mountain climb of the year. I can’t wait! My mother has made sure
I have plenty of snacks such as almonds and dates to take with me as
I’m always so hungry on these trips. We get the chance to pick new
mountain boots as well. My equipment is ready—and I mustn’t forget
my watch!
Mind you, I have been preparing all summer at the Ski Dubai
climbing wall and making sure I do the right kinds of exercises.
I don’t want to make the same mistakes as last year when I lost my
ice pick in the snow. It was quite scary as my right foot slipped on
the ice and I had nothing to hold onto. I can still remember my father
shouting at me “Watch out! You are going to trip!”

Try It!
Read this passage aloud. What is the meaning of each underlined word?
How do you know?

Hockey Fans

W atching the national hockey

team play is so exciting for our
family. I think we are the biggest fans
of hockey in the whole of the U.A.E.
We have watched every match that
has been shown on TV. I do hope
they beat the competition in their
next game. I really want them to get
 The U.A.E. national hockey team
through to the next heat. in action.

Focus on Vocabulary 477
 HISTORY ARTICLE

SELECTION 1 OVERVIEW

Olympic Build Background Connect Across

Dreams
the Curriculum
Language & Vocabulary Study
Grammar Use Multiple-Meaning
Express Opinions Words Across Content
Use Complete Sentences Areas
Literary Analysis
Prepare to Read Analyze Language
Learn Key Vocabulary Language and
Text Structure: Grammar
Chronological Order Express Opinions
Writing and
Read and Write Grammar
Introduce the Genre Write Complete Sentences
History Article
Focus On Reading
Text Structure:
Chronological Order
Apply the
Focus Strategy
Make Inferences
Critical Thinking
Reading Fluency
Use Appropriate Phrasing
Vocabulary Review
Write About the
Guiding Question

Build Background
Connect
KWL Chart What do you know about the Winter
Olympics? What do you want to know? Make
a KWL Chart. In the K column, list what you
know. In the W column, list what you want to
know. You’ll use the L column to write what you
learned from the selection.
KWL Chart
The Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is one of the
most watched sporting events in the world. It
enables sportsmen and women to compete,
reach their potential and even overcome
personal challenges.

WHAT I KNOW WHAT I WANT WHAT I

TO KNOW LEARNED
Skiing has been When was the
part of the Winter first Winter
Olympics for a Olympics
very long time. Games?
 The women’s snowboard cross
event at the Winter Olympics.

478  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

Language & Grammar 1 TRY OUT LANGUAGE
2 LEARN GRAMMAR
3 APPLY ON YOUR OWN
CD

Express Opinions
Look at the photograph and listen to the announcers.
What do they have to say?

PICTURE PROMPT

First Announcer: This is it! The Men’s Hockey Final. The

event we have all been waiting for. There are our two teams
coming out now, onto the arena—just 1 hour and 40 minutes
between them and a trophy.
Second Announcer: And what a lead up it has been so far,
Said. Last year’s cup winners are expected to take the trophy, but
were nearly beaten in the semi-final by an inexperienced team. I
don’t think they are as good as people say they are, Said.
First Announcer: In my opinion, the whole of this event has
been quite dramatic. I believe that the home team will be able to
pull it off at the last moment.

Language & Grammar 479

 Language and Grammar, continued 1 TRY OUT LANGUAGE
2 LEARN GRAMMAR
3 APPLY ON YOUR OWN

Use Complete Sentences

A complete sentence expresses a complete thought. It has a subject
and a predicate .
• The subject is whom or what the sentence is about. Often the subject is
a noun.
EXAMPLES The goaltender moves forward and stops the puck crossing
the line.

The puck glides across the ice over to the opposite team.

• The predicate often tells what the subject does. The most important word
in the predicate is the verb.
EXAMPLES The referee blows on his whistle.

The linesman announces a penalty.

A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate . In most

statements, the subject comes before the verb.
• Mixing short, but complete, simple sentences with longer sentences
is very effective. Short sentences speed reading. They also help with
comprehension.
EXAMPLES The referee yells “Face Off!”

The player shoots the puck at the net.

Practice Together
Put the words in order to make a complete thought.
Say the complete sentence.
1. play / we / hockey / every Saturday / .
2. comes / my father / to / every game / .
3. into / many pieces / my stick / broke / .
4. had to leave / I / the rink / .

Try It!
Put the words in order to make a complete
thought. Write the sentence on a card.
Say the complete sentence.
5. plays / Hamid / my team / on / .
6. won / our team / last year / the
championship / .
7. after school / we / practice / .
8. a lot / have / we / of fun / .

The players always do their best.

 

480  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

 1 TRY OUT LANGUAGE
2 LEARN GRAMMAR
3 APPLY ON YOUR OWN

Explore Views
EXPRESS OPINIONS
Everyone has opinions. The sportscasters had some. Those opinions
were about an ice hockey game and its players. We know that ice hockey is
a popular sport, but is it the most popular sport with students your age?
What’s your opinion?

To get started, gather your opinions and reasons for them in a list like
this one.
My Opinions Reasons
In my opinion football is more The reason I think that is that nearly every school in the
popular than hockey. U.A.E has its own football pitch but not a hockey rink.

Now express your opinions to a group about what sport is the most popular
with students your age. Take turns.

H OW TO EXPRESS OPINIONS In my opinion, I disagree

badminton is the most with you because lots
1. Tell what you think about something.
popular sport with of kids our age have never
Use words like I think, I believe, and In
kids our age. heard of it!
my opinion.
2. Give reasons for your opinion or details to
explain why you feel as you do about the subject.
3. If you share an opinion with someone else, say, I agree
with about  . If you have a different opinion, say,
I disagree with because  .

USE COMPLETE SENTENCES

When you express your opinions, you need to put your thoughts and
ideas into complete sentences. This helps others better understand
what you want them to know. Make sure each sentence has a subject
and a predicate.

EXAMPLE In my opinion, hockey is the most exciting sport .

subject predicate

Language & Grammar 481

Prepare to Read

Learn Key Vocabulary Rating Scale

1 = I have never seen
Study the Words Use the steps below. this word before.
1. Pronounce the word. Say it aloud several times. Spell it. 2 = I am not sure of the
word’s meaning.
2. Rate your word knowledge.
3 = I know this word
3. Study the example. Tell more about the word. and can teach the
word’s meaning to
4. Practice it. Make the word your own. someone else.

Key Words
amateur (am-u-tur) adjective champion (cham-pē-un) compete (kum-pēt) verb
page 487 noun page 489 page 491

An amateur athlete is someone who A champion is a winner. This person When you compete, you take part in
takes part in a sport and is not paid. became a champion by winning a a contest. The riders compete to win
Many amateur skiers have become golf tournament. the race.
national champions. Related Word: competition

fan (fan) noun feat (fēt) noun page 489 hopeful (hōp-ful) noun page
page 489 488

A fan is someone who supports a A feat means something that is A hopeful is someone who wants
particular team or person. Fans go difficult, needing a lot of skill to to win something. Several Winter
to games to cheer for their team. achieve it. The Etihad Towers are an Olympic hopefuls have emerged in
amazing feat of engineering. the Emirates.

pastime (pas-tīm) noun popularity (pahp-yu-la-ri-tē) Practice the Words Make an Example
page 493 noun page 490
Chart for each Key Word. Share you
chart with a partner.
Example from
Noun Definition
My Life
hopeful someone who Zahra Lari
wants to win is an Olympic
something hopeful.
A pastime is an activity that you Popularity means the amount of
often do for fun. What’s this family’s people that enjoy something. Skating
favorite pastime? has grown in popularity since the ice Example Chart
rink opened.

482  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

 Reading Strategies
• Plan
• Monitor
• Visualize
Text Structure: Chronological Order • Determine Importance
How Is Writing Organized? Most writing about events in history is organized by • Ask Questions
chronological order, the order in which events happened. • Make Connections
• Make Inferences 
History articles and texts are often divided into sections. Each section gives When the author does not say
information about specific events or time periods and shows how they relate to something directly, use what
you know to figure out what
other events or to history as a whole. Dates and time order words help to organize the author means.
this sequence. • Synthesize
As you read the passage, look for time order words to help you identify the
sequence of events.

Look Into the Text

A Change of Name
More than 10,000 spectators watched the athletes perform in Chamonix
in 1924. The IOC considered the “International Winter Sports Week” such a
success that in 1925 it decided to stage the Winter Olympic Games as a regular
event. Thereafter, the gathering at Chamonix was retrospectively declared to
have been the very first Winter Olympics.
Branching Out
Four years after Chamonix, the second Winter Olympic Games were held
at a ski resort in Switzerland. Despite bad weather hampering the events,
the 1928 Games featured the debut of an unusual and daring sport: skeleton
sledding.

Time Line

Practice Together 1924

First Winter Games
in Chamonix is a
Make a Time Line  A Time Line shows the most important events by date. It also success
provides an overview of history. This Time Line shows an event from “Play Ball!”
Reread the passage above, and add to the Time Line.

Academic Vocabulary
• sequence (sē-kwents) noun
The sequence of events is the
order in which the events happen.

Prepare to Read 483
History Article
A history article is nonfiction. It tells about real
events that happened in the past. Many history
articles present information in chronological, or
time, order. As you read, look for time words
and dates that tell you the order in which the
events happened. Use this information to help
you make inferences about the relationships
between events.

Look Into the Text

From Zero to Hero

Two of the most unusual
Olympians took part in these very
first games. Being only 12 years old
at the time, Sonja Henie from Norway
was not a strong hopeful in the figure
skating event. The tiny girl stumbled
and fell on the ice. However, in later
Games, 1928, 1932, and 1936, she
went on to capture three gold medals,
setting an Olympic record that has
been nearly impossible to match
since.
I can infer
that Sonja
did not win a
medal in the
first Winter
Olympic
Games.

484  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

Olympic
Dreams
The Winter Games have been appealing to hopefuls around
the world for nearly 100 years. So get ready for the thrills,
spills, and chills of sports on ice and snow. The Winter
Olympics are a place where dreams can come true.
A REFLECTION ON
PAST WINTER GAMES

 Winter Olympic
Medalists from South
Korea, Canada, and
Italy celebrate on the
podium.

With as many as 3,000 athletes competing in almost 100 different

events, the Winter Olympic Games these days bears little resemblance
to the first Olympic Games held at the beginning of the last century.
Over this time we have seen the best athletes in their field gathering to
compete in a whole range of events. We have also seen the most unlikely
sportsmen and women taking part as well as countries not usually known
for their winter sports tradition. They may not have won medals, but with
determination and courage they have overcome the odds to become true
Olympians. Theirs are the winning stories.

In Other Words
bears little resemblance  does not
look like
gathering meeting
overcome the odds  succeed when
success is unlikely

486  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

   The front page of a magazine about the
Winter Sports Festival in Chamonix in 1924
Frozen Beginnings
The first Winter Games were held in
Chamonix in France on January 25, 1924. In
the heart of the alpine village, 258 amateur
athletes gathered for the ceremonial opening
of the first ever “International Sports Week”,
a frozen athletic festival organized by the
International Olympic Committee. As a
municipal band led the athletes on a parade
from Chamonix’s town hall to the outdoor
skating rink for the Opening Ceremony, a
Key Vocabulary
amateur adj., people
taking part in a sport and
are unpaid
One of the original bob sleds used in
Chamonix in 1924 can still be seen today
in the Museum in Chamonix in France.  
gloriously cold breeze fluttered the flags of
the 16 participating countries and a sense of
excitement swept through the village.
The three venues for the competition—a
19-turn bobsled track, a ski jump, and a
stadium featuring the world’s largest ice
sheet (composed of two hockey rinks, two
figure skating rinks, a 400-meter speed
skating track, and an adjacent curling rink)
were finally ready.
Look Into the Text
In Other Words 1. Inference  Which countries are
In the heart of at the center of “countries not usually known for
fluttered  moved gently their winter sports tradition”?
adjacent nearby 2. Mood  What is the mood of
the description of the Opening
Ceremony? Which words and
phrases cause this mood?
Olympic Dreams 487
From Zero to Hero
Two of the most unusual Olympians took
part in these very first games. Being only
12 years old at the time, Sonja Henie from
Norway was not a strong hopeful in the
figure skating event. The tiny girl stumbled
and fell on the ice. However, in later Games,
in 1928, 1932, and 1936, she went on to
capture three gold medals in a row, setting
an Olympic record that has been nearly
impossible to match since.
The second such competitor was
ski-jumper Anders Haugen, who—whilst   Sonja Henie from Norway, Chamonix 1924

not being particularly unusual at the time

—became the oldest Olympian ever to have
received a medal. A scoring error in 1924
was only corrected in 1975 and Anders
finally received his bronze at the age of 83—
50 years after the date on which he should
have received it!
A Change of Name
More than 10,000 spectators watched
the athletes perform in Chamonix. The IOC
considered the “International Winter Sports
Week” such a success that in 1925 it decided
to stage the Olympic Winter Games as a
regular event. Thereafter, the gathering at
Chamonix was retrospectively declared to
have been the very first Winter Olympics.

Key Vocabulary In Other Words

hopeful n., a person wanting stumbled fell
to be successful capture win

488  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

Branching Out In 1960 the United States were chosen once
Four years after Chamonix, the second again to host the Winter Olympics in Squaw
Winter Olympic Games were held at a ski resort Valley. A frenzy of building work took place
in Switzerland. Despite bad weather hampering to accommodate the two million spectators.
the events, the 1928 Games featured the debut of For the first time American television carried
an unusual and daring sport—skeleton sledding. live coverage for millions of fans who could
Competitors raced headfirst on sleds down the not attend the Games in person. The opening
infamous 1,213-kilometer long Cresta Run. and closing ceremonies were made even
The worldwide economic depression cast a more spectacular as Walt Disney himself was
shadow over the third Winter Olympics which responsible for their design.
were held in Lake Placid, USA in 1932. This time
fewer countries attended, of some 250 athletes
over half of them were from Canada and the
United States. Eddie Eagan was one of those
athletes. Despite being already an Olympic
boxing champion—which required a different
set of skills – he entered the bobsled event.
He had only taken up this sport three weeks
before the competition itself. In fact, he is the
only Olympian ever to have won a medal in both
the Summer and Winter Games. To recognize
this incredible feat, Eagan was one of the first
athletes inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of
Fame in 1983.
  A man rides a toboggan on the Cresta Run

Look Into the Text

Key Vocabulary
champion n., first place winner
feat n., something that is
difficult
fans n., people who like and
watch certain sports
In Other Words 1. Explain  In your own words, explain why
debut  first Sonja Henie and Anders Haugen were
cast a shadow  spoilt unusual competitors.?
2. Cause and effect  Why did the
taken up  started
frenzy  uncontrolled amount International Olympic Committee
change the name of the International
Sports Festival.
3. Inference  Why did the economic
depression affect the winter Olympics?

Olympic Dreams 489
Despite the Odds Some of you have even soared like an eagle.”
As the Winter Games grew in popularity Even today, many people would consider
and new sports were added, more and more ‘Eddie the Eagle’ to be the true winner of the
people wanted to participate. The Winter Winter Olympic Games of 1988.
Games in 1988 in Calgary, Canada saw two
of the most unlikely competitors ever to
have taken part.
Michael Edwards, who is best known
as ‘Eddie the Eagle’, was the first British
ski jumper in 60 years to represent Great
Britain in the Winter Olympics. This fact
alone did not make him stand out. Many
factors made people discount Eddie as a
potential Olympian: his weight, his poor
eyesight, his lack of financial backing, and
his fear of heights! Totally self-funded, but
determined to become an Olympian, Eddie
wore thick glasses under his goggles that   Eddie the Eagle’s 90m jump at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics

regularly misted up due to the high altitude.

Appearing in a borrowed pair of boots that
were too big for him and a ski suit that was
too small, he competed in the 70-meter and
90-meter ski jump. He finished last in both.
At the closing ceremony, the President of
the Organizing Committee, Frank King,  Eddie The Eagle at
a Press Conference
singled out Edwards when he addressed the after his jump in
1988
competitors: “You have broken world records
and you have established personal bests.

Key Vocabulary In Other Words

popularity n., the amount backing support
of people that like goggles  ski glasses
something misted up  filled up with water
soared  flew up high very quickly

490  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

 The Heat Is On
At the same Winter Games in 1988
Jamaica entered a bobsled team. They were
predicted to be the weakest team in the
whole tournament as they represented a
tropical nation in a winter sport. Alongside
this disadvantage, the team had very little
experience going down a bobsled track,
and had to borrow spare sleds from other
countries to compete. They crashed and
failed to finish that race in 1988, but,
nevertheless, the crowd recognized them as
heroes. Since then, Jamaica has competed in
every Winter Olympics, although not always
in bobsled.

  The Jamaican bobsled

team at the Winter
Olympics 1988

Look Into the Text

Key Vocabulary In Other Words 1. Paraphrase Describe in your own words
compete v., to take part in spare extra ‘Eddie the Eagle’s’ success at the
Games.
a race
2. Context clues  How was Eddie the
Eagle “singled out” by the President of
the Organizing Committee?
3. Theme How do the sections “Despite
the Odds” and “the Heat is On” relate
to the theme of “Olympic Dreams”?

Olympic Dreams 491
 The cooperative spirit often present
at the Olympics was seen again in the
1998 Winter Games in Japan. The winner
of the cross-country ski race, Bjorn
Daehlie, warmly greeted Philip Boit, an
inexperienced Kenyan cross-country skier,
as he crossed the finishing line in last
position. Philip had previously been used to
running—not skiing!—in the Kenyan hills, a
place too warm for snow.
In more recent times we have seen
Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe compete
for Mexico in the downhill skiing. As well
as being from a nation with no tradition
of snow sports, like the Jamaican bobsled
team, he has also been one of the oldest
competitors to have taken part. At the age
of 55 he was officially the second oldest
competitor ever to have qualified for
the finals at Sochi in Russia in 2014. His
ambition was to keep the tradition of skiers
from hot countries participating in the
games alive.

Prince Hubertus
von Hohenlohe
at the Winter
Olympics in Sochi,
2014.   

In Other Words
qualified  succeeded in getting into
a competition

492  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

 Taking the Snow Inside
In many respects Prince Hubertus
von Hohenlohe should not be unduly
concerned about being the one of the few
modern representatives of hot countries. As
technological advances in making artificial
snow become increasingly refined, indoor
snow centers in hot countries are gaining in
popularity. Here, people can escape from the
  Ski Dubai, the U.A.E.’s first indoor snow center
soaring temperatures outside and cool off
whilst practicing their favorite pastime.
There are many Olympic hopefuls from
countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the
U.A.E. Take the Emirati figure skater Zahra
Lari, who can launch into dizzying spins
and double axel jumps. “I spend hours on-ice
training each day and also hours off-ice
training each day,” she says. “I have dreams
and I have set goals for myself. If I reach
these goals, then I will be jumping for joy,   Zahra Lari, a young Olympic hopeful from the U.A.E.

but if I don’t, it won’t be for lack of trying.”

Undisputedly, Northern hemisphere
countries such as Norway have always
been in the lead and have produced
the highest number of gold medalists.
However, the most inspiring Winter
Olympians aren’t always the ones who win
all the gold medals. For those from diverse
backgrounds or unlikely countries, the Winter
Olympics are about more than medals and glory.

Look Into the Text

Key Vocabulary In Other Words Science background
pastime n., an activity unduly concerned Artificial snow is snow
worrying more than is that is made by forcing
that you do for fun
necessary water and pressurized
refined  improved air through a “snow gun”,
undisputedly  without also known as a “snow
question cannon”, on ski slopes.
As well as being used in
indoor ski centers it is
also used at ski resorts to
supplement natural snow.
1. Cause and effect  What is the reason
that there are growing numbers of Winter
Olympic hopefuls from hot countries?
2. Compare and contrast  What do ‘Eddie
the Eagle’ and Prince Hubertus von
Hohenlohe have in common? What is
different about them?
3. Inference  Why is it that the “Winter
Olympics are about more than medals
and glory”? What else are they about for
competitors?
Olympic Dreams 493
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

WINTER OLYMPICS
HISTORY TIMELINE

1924
Chamonix, France. The first Winter
Sports Festival was held with 258
athletes from 16 nations including
Italy, Great Britain, and Canada
participating.
1928
Switzerland. This time, 464 athletes
from 25 nations participated. Skeleton
sledding was introduced as an Olympic
sport.

1925
The International Olympic Committee
renamed the Winter Sports Festival of
1924 as the Winter Olympics.
1936
Bavaria, Germany. 28 nations
participated with 646 athletes
present. Sonia Henie won her third
and last gold medal as an ice skater.

494  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

2014
Sochi, Russia. Twelve new events
1988 were added including snowboard
slopestyle and luge team relay. Over
1988 Calgary, Canada. 57 nations 90 countries participate including
participated and 1423 athletes Tonga, Zimbabwe, and Thailand.
were present, including the
Jamaican bobsled team.

1998
Nagano, Japan. 72 nations participated with 2176
1960 athletes. Snowboarding was introduced and curling
Squaw Valley, California. The Winter Olympics restored as an official sport the first time since 1924.
were televised for the first time; 30 nations
were present, including Lebanon and Turkey,
with 665 athletes in total.

Look Into the Text

1. Sequence  When were the first
Winter Games? What happened
just after that event on the time
line?
2. Conclusions  What does the time
line tell you about the countries
participating in the Winter
Olympics?

Olympic Dreams 495


Eddie Eagle
POEM

the
by Driek van Wissen

  Critical Viewing: Details  Which details in the

painting remind you of the poem?

496  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge



Down the steep slope they all swooshed swiftly down

And in the air they did their level best
To fly the greatest distance from the nest,
With matching talent sought to hold their own.

5 But one of them was different from the rest:

Unsure of life and limb he stood aloft,
He saw the piste below so white and soft
And, ruffled, hesitated in distress

Till this unsightly eaglet also curled,

With pebble glasses icing up his world,
His wooden frame into a crouching heap

And, taking off with blind ungainly leap,

With flailing arms flopped from his flapping flight
10 And conquered yet again his fear of heights.

Look Into the Text

In Other Words
swooshed  moving quickly through the air
ruffled  upset, no longer smooth or neat as in feathers on a bird
unsightly  ugly
pebble glasses  glasses with round and very thick lenses
ungainly  clumsy
flailing  limbs moving energetically in an uncontrolled way
flapping   the movement of a birds wings when flyingh it
1. Figurative language  Who and what is
the poet describing when he says “they
did their level best to fly the greatest
distance from the nest”?
2. Inference Who “hesitated in distress”?
Why?
3. Mood How does the poem make you
feel? What words does the speaker use
to make you feel this way?

Olympic Dreams 497
POEM

Joke’s on Me
by Reason FACT FILE

Uphill skiing FAQ

What is it?
“Uphilling” is also known as
“skinning” or “ski touring”
involves hiking up the mountain
on skis.
Do I need any special gear?
Yes, sticky coverings for the
bottom of your skis and special
bindings that release from the
heel.
Why do people do it?
It sounds like very hard work!
It is the best way to access the
mountain’s untouched snow and
Wanted: uphill ski runner avoid queues on the chair lifts.
Who are they kidding?
I took in a video my brother'd made
of me going down our long hill.

He'd fixed it to run backward,

so I really looked good –
One minor problem, I was
backing up the hill.

It was a good joke;

It got a good laugh from the boss.
Next time, I'll be smart
and ski down the hill backward.

Look Into the Text

In Other Words 1. Tone What is the tone of Joke's
on Me? What words and language
kidding joking cause this tone?
backing up reversing
2. Character What kind of person is
bindings  a device that fixes your the speaker in the poem? What
boot to the ski does she do that tells you that?

498  Unit 7  Rising to the Challenge

Connect Reading and Writing Vocabulary
amateur
champion
CRITICAL THINKING compete
1. SUM IT UP  Compare Time Lines 4. Compare Compare how “Eddie The fans
with a partner and then use them to Eagle” and “Joke’s On Me” both feat
summarize the article. deal with the subject of skiing in a hopefuls
humorous way.
pastime
First Winter Games popularity
1924 in Chamonix is a
success. READING FLUENCY
Phrasing  Read the passage on page
656 to a partner. Assess your fluency.
1. I did not pause/sometimes paused/
Time Line always paused for punctuation.
2. Make Judgments  Explain to a partner 2. What I did best in my reading
which of the Olympic hopefuls you was  .
read about you think were the most
successful. Use details from the text READING STRATEGY
to support your ideas.
What strategy helped you
3. Explain Revisit your KWL Chart. In the
understand this selection?
L column, write what you learned about
Tell a partner about it.
the history of baseball. Discuss your
completed chart with your classmates.

VOCABULARY REVIEW
Oral Review  Read the paragraph to a partner. Add the vocabulary words.

Ice skating has been growing in in the U.A.E. since the opening of Dubai
Ice Rink in 2005. Many young people consider it to be their favorite . Zahra
Lari is already a national in ice skating. It is really an amazing
to have achieved this so young. She is aiming to in the next Olympics. In
fact, she is one of many Emirati Olympic . At the weekend there are several
and professional hockey teams who play matches at Dubai Ice Rink. Their
many go there to support their teams.

Written Review  Imagine that you are one of the Olympic hopefuls you read
about. Write a diary entry for the day before you compete at the Winter
Olympics. Use five vocabulary words.

WRITE ABOUT THE

Explore the Competition
How do winter sports help people overcome personal challenges?

Olympic Dreams 499