Complete the passage below using the correct form of the verb in

brackets (present perfect or simple past)

The Olympic Games

The original Olympic Games (1.begin) ___________________ around 800 BC in Ancient

Greece, and (2. continue) ___________________until they (3be)
___________________abolished by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in AD 393. The first
modern Olympics (4.take place) ___________________in Athens in 1896, and since then, more
than a dozen different countries (5.stage) ___________________the Summer Olympics. The
cities of Athens, Paris, London, Berlin and Los Angeles (6.stage) ___________________the
Olympics twice.
In 1956, Australia (7. become) ___________________the first country outside Europe and
America to stage the Olympics, while Mexico (8.be) ___________________the first Latin
American country to stage the Olympics, in 1968.
Many of the greatest athletes in the world (9. take part) ___________________in the Olympic
Games, but no one (10. equal) ___________________the achievements of the great Finnish
athlete, Paavo Nurmi, who between 1920 and 1928 (11.win) ___________________nine
gold and three silver medals.
The Olympic Games (12.see) ___________________many tragedies and triumphs. For
example, in the marathon of 1908, the little Italian, Dorando Pietri (13collapse)
___________________five times in the last part of the race, but (14.come)
___________________first - only to be disqualified because spectators (15. help)
___________________him over the finishing line. And in 1936, the famous black
American
athlete Jesse Owens (16. break) ___________________six world records in a single
day!
From the first modern Olympics in Athens, when only fourteen countries (17participate)
_______________, the Olympics (18grow) ___________________to include over 140 countries.
Gold, silver and bronze medals (19go) ___________________to over 8,000 men and women.