2010 Winter Olympics

Every four years countries from all over the world come together to compete in numerous sporting events for the Winter Olympic Games. This winter marks the 21st Winter Olympics which will be held February 12th-28th in Vancouver, Canada. This year athletes from over 80 countries, including the USA, Germany, Russia, Italy, and Canada, will have high hopes for bringing home the gold medal. Thousands of spectators will applaud on their favorite athletes as they vie for the right to call themselves the best in winter sports such as: Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Luge, Snowboarding, and many others.
At the close of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, the mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, received the Olympic flag. During a special ceremony, on February 28, 2006 the flag was raised and on display at the Vancouver City Hall until the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

Vocabulary
compete (verb)- to strive to outdo another
spectators (noun)- people who look on or observe
applaud (verb)- to praise or express approval of
Luge (noun)- a one- or two-person sled for racing down a chute
mayor (noun)- chief executive official, usually of a city or town
ceremony (noun)- formal activities conducted for an important occasion.

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary word:

1. The fans began to _____________________ when the baseball played scored the winning home run.

2. The _____________________ of the city passed a new law to help the city's trash problem.

3. The world's top skiers will _______________ for the gold medal in this year's Olympic Games.

4. The wedding _________________ will be held at a beautiful old church.

5. In the sport, ______________, athletes will race down a chute at speeds up to 99 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour)

6. The ___________________ at the football game booed when the referee made an unfair call.


Grammar Point: Pick out 8 verbs in the passage above. Identify what tense the verb is in and rewrite each verb in 2 other tenses.