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Summer Olympics Begin in Paris with Big Party and Famous Singers
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Beginner
Beginner
A torch bearer runs atop the Musee d'Orsay, in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Peter Cziborra/Pool Photo via AP)

Summer Olympics Begin in Paris with Big Party and Famous Singers

July 26th, 2024

In Paris, the Summer Olympics have started. There was a big party for the first day. A famous soccer player, Zinedine Zidane, had the Olympic flame. He gave it to some kids. The kids took the flame to a boat on the river. A singer named Lady Gaga sang near the river. Her song was recorded before. Another singer named Celine Dion sang too. She was at the Eiffiel Tower and sang a beautiful song. A person wore a costume and ran with the Olympic flame. This person ran through the city and on top of a museum. The costume was from French stories. Many boats went down the river. The boats had athletes from many countries. They were happy and dancing. It was raining, but the people in Paris were still excited. They watched from windows and cheered for the athletes. Some French singers and musicians played music. They were very good. Some were singing with big groups, and others played loud and fast music. Old and famous sport stars wore jackets and rode on boats. They were happy to be there. Some very good French athletes also had the Olympic flame. Celine Dion sang under the Eiffel Tower. She sang after being sick, but now she is better. People liked her song a lot. The tower sparkled at the end. This party was very special with music, dancing, and everyone looking happy. The Olympics in Paris will have more fun things happening.
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💭 Discussion Questions


1
. Who had the Olympic flame in Paris?
2
. Where did Lady Gaga sing her song?
3
. Why did the Eiffel Tower sparkle?

📖 Vocabulary


🌐 Cultural context


The article is about the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It mentions the Eiffel Tower, a famous landmark in Paris. The Olympic flame is a tradition of the games. Zinedine Zidane is a renowned French footballer. Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are famous singers.

🧠 Further reading


Sport
Sport is playing games and doing activities. It helps us get strong and learn skills. It is fun for people who play and for people who watch. There are many kinds of sport. Some sports are played alone and some are played with lots of people. Sports can be with a team or just by yourself. Sometimes a sport ends with no winner. But, in many sports, we find out who is number one. Some sports have big games to see who is the best. Sport is about being active and fit. Some people say sport must make you move your body. But some games like chess are also called sport. They use your brain! The Olympic Games say chess is a sport. In sport, there are rules to make the games fair. People win by doing things like getting points or being the fastest. Sometimes judges decide who is the best. We keep records of who wins and does well. Many people like to hear about the winners in sports. They like to know who is the best at each game!

Globalization of sports
Sports now are for the whole world. Long ago, sports started in Great Britain and the United States. People only played in their own towns or countries. Then, British sports like football and cricket became popular everywhere. Big sports events began too. The Olympic Games started in 1896 in Athens and many countries joined. FIFA, which is for football, started in 1904. At first, only European countries were in FIFA. Soon, other countries joined like South Africa. Now, we can watch sports from any country on TV or online.

Famous Studios
A long time ago, there was a special place that made cartoons. This place was called Famous Studios and later it had a new name, Paramount Cartoon Studios. It started in 1942 and made cartoons until 1967. It made cartoons with characters like Popeye the Sailor and Superman. It also made cartoons about a friendly ghost named Casper and a little girl named Little Audrey. Before it was Famous Studios, it was called Fleischer Studios. Two brothers, Max and Dave Fleischer, made this first studio. In 1942, the brothers left and the new studio began. Today, different movie places look after these old cartoons. Some are with Paramount Pictures, some with Universal Pictures, and others with Warner Bros. Fleischer Studios was a good place for cartoons too. They made a cartoon about a woman named Betty Boop and one about Popeye. They moved their studio to a place called Miami in 1938.