Why do we say “it’s not the winning but taking part that counts”?
It’s a phrase supported by the founder of the Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who said “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part: the important thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
Most people seem to agree that trying and failing is more admirable than not trying at all. In practice, though, most people seem only to be interested in the medals.
In young children’s sporting events, last place is often rewarded with a “wooden spoon” or booby prize（末名奖）. Grown-up athletes don’t even have this to look forward to. Perhaps “taking part” is just designed to cheer up the slowest children: to take the edge off failure.
Many people would say otherwise. They say that effort, determination and striving（努力）to reach a goal are worth praising in themselves. It is commonly accepted that through sport one learns to persevere, to sacrifice, to be self-disciplined（有自制力的）, to work hard, to follow orders, to be a leader, and to work with others. Winning athletes are those who combine the good behaviours with natural talent.
There are other goals to struggle for apart from a medal. Baron Pierre de Coubertin himself coined the motto“Citius, Altius, fortius” (“Swifter, Higher, Stronger”) for his games. It is an ambiguous phrase, one that could be used to include managing to do something as well as going for gold.
Competition is not unethical. It is reasonable that winners be rewarded, even if their victories have an element of chance ( and all victories have ); this is the essence（本质）of a game, and games are fundamental to humanity. Celebrating achievement is not in itself unethical, but it can drive some competitors to unethical behavior.
24. Baron Pierre de Coubertin might agree that .
A. intense competition is bad for people
B. taking part is valued more highly than winning
C. one can win a game if he works hard enough
D. a person can be perfect if he wins every game
25. The underlined words “to take the edge off failure” in Paragraph 4 probably mean “ ”.
A. to learn from failure B. to be afraid of failure
C. to reduce the effect of failure D. to warn children of the danger of failure
26. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 5?
A. How people reach a goal easily. B. What makes a winning athlete.
C. Why people should not stop learning. D. Which quality counts most in winning a game.
27. Why does the author think the Olympic motto is an ambiguous phrase?
A. It is hard to change. B. It is hard to understand.
C. It is used in different fields. D. It is used for different purpose.