From the words listed below, choose the ones which best fit the space.
OLYMPIC SCANDAL
Scandal has haunted the Olympic Games in modern times. At the very first Games, an Englishman called Flack (01)............................ off briskly in front of the (02)............................ in the marathon. He was (03)............................ by his butler on a bicycle.. When they neared Athens, he (04)............................ the butler back to (05)............................ who was behind him. The butler went back about a mile but found nobody. He rode back to Flack and said, "There's nobody. You can win this thing on your head." Then soon after, (06)............................ ran one Greek, then another, and another, and another. They were full of running. Perhaps Flack took a long (07)............................ round?
At the next Marathon, in 1900, in Paris, the winner was a Frenchman who worked as a baker's roundsman. It was (08)............................ suspected that he was able to take numerous short (09)............................ because of his experience delivering bread in the area.
Four years later, the Games were held in St Louis, in the USA. This (10)............................ suspicions were proved, and the scandal great. The American runner who finished first in the marathon was discovered to have accepted a (11)............................ from a car. He was disqualified.
It is not so much the scandals and disputes of recent years that have (12)............................ the Games. It is their sheer (13)............................ , their excessive cost, their indulgence of national pride. One very sensible suggestion is that future Games should be restricted to individual (14)............................ in which one person clearly wins. All team games would go, and no one would feel any loss at the disappearance of Olympic soccer, a pale (15)............................ of the more professional game.
01. paced made ambled set
02. group participants crowd field
03. served serviced accompanied allied
04. sent fetched brought requested
05. view scan look see
06. up round by to
07. path road way distance
08. heavily seriously strongly greatly
09. ways cuts routes sets
10. time occasion event meeting
11. lift help ride push
12. threatened attacked discouraged loomed over
13. grossness enormity obesity largesse
14. happenings events circumstances fields
15. weakness shadow image effigy
