Description

2008 Beijing Olympic Games Update

2008 Beijing Olympic Games Update script is for 6 speakers (plus quiz) was written to complement the set of six guided reading scripts, available off this website, under the title A History of the Olympic Games Guided Reading Scripts – which covers the period from Ancient Times up to the year 2004.

This 2008 update is a summary of key events, medal tallies, world records etc in Beijing and is brought to you via five Chinese mascots! Despite initial misgivings, even the interviewer has to concede that they did a mighty fine job – both in ‘securing’ medals for their country and in giving us quality information about the Games themselves!

2008 Beijing Olympic Games Update Sample text:

Interviewer:    (Impatiently) So tell me! Who are you?

All Mascots:    (Together) The Fuwa!

Interviewer:    Who?

All Mascots:    (Together) The Friendlies!

Interviewer:    Pardon?

Beibei:             Oh dear! Do we really have to spell it out for you?

(Interviewer nods)

Beibei:             (Sighing deeply) OK.

(Each mascot in turn spells out the first characters of their name)

Beibei:             B.E.I.

Jingjing:           J.I.N.G.

Huanhuan:       H.U.A.N.

Yingying:         Y.I.N.G.

Nini:                 N.I.

Interviewer:    Which spells?

All Mascots:    (Together) Beijing Huangying Ni!

Interviewer:    Meaning?

All Mascots:    Beijing welcomes you!

Interviewer:    Ah! So you’re like …. Good luck dolls?

Beibei:             Correct! At last!

Jingjing:           But we’re not just any old mascots

Huanhuan:       Oh no! As the official representative of the Olympic Flame no less, I can assure you we were chosen very carefully.

Interviewer:    Well, I can see you each represent one of the colours of the five Olympic rings

Beibei:             Blue!

Jingjing:           Black!

Huanhuan:       Red!

Yingying:         Yellow!

Nini:                 Green!

Interviewer:    But

Beibei:             (Interrupting) But what? What more do you need to know about us, other than

 I represent Prosperity

Jingjing:           I represent Passion

Huanhuan :      I represent Happiness

Yingying:         I represent Health

Nini:                 And I represent Good Fortune

Beibei:             So now perhaps you can see why we have been sent to give you that all important summary of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games?

Interviewer:    Ah yes indeed. So, please – be my guests!

Beibei:             Our pleasure! Let’s start with how many countries took part.

Jingjing:           That would be – two hundred and five!

Huanhuan:       And how many athletes took part?

Yingying:         Eleven thousand and twenty eight!

Nini:                 In how many sports?

Beibei:             Twenty eight!

Jingjing:           In how many events?

Huanhuan:       Three hundred and two.

Yingying:         And how many world records were broken?

Nini:                 Forty three!

Beibei:             And how many new Olympic records set?

Jingjing:           One hundred and thirty two.

Huanhuan:       And who won the greatest number of gold medals?

Yingying:         China!

Nini:                 Though the USA won the greatest number of medals overall.

Beibei:             (Coughing) Passing on swiftly! Yes, it was indeed an Olympics to remember! Who could forget the magnificent American, Michael Phelps?

Jingjing:           He sure earned his nickname ‘Baltimore Bullet’ in the swimming pool!

Sample Quiz Questions:

Quiz Questions

1.      How many countries took part in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games?

2.      How many athletes took part?

3.      How many different sports were there?

4.      How many events were there?

5.      How many world records were broken?

6.      How many new Olympic records were set?

7.      Which country won the greatest number of gold medals?

8.      Which country won the greatest number of medals overall?

9.      Who earned his nickname ‘Baltimore Bullet’?

10.  How many gold medals did he win?

11.  How many did this take his career total to?

12.  What double record did this give him?

13.  How many world records does he have?

14.  What is his nationality?

15.  Who became ‘the World’s Fastest Man’?