A
The final event in the Olympics is the marathon. It is also usually the most exciting. As the leader comes into the stadium to run the last few metres of the 42-kilometre race, the crowd rises to their feet to shout and cheer. The name of the race comes from a battle in Ancient Greece. According to the story, a soldier ran from the scene of the battle, Marathon, to Athens, to bring the news of a Greek victory against the Persians. He died just after arriving.
The marathon has been an Olympic event since the modern games started in 1896. At first the distance was 40 kilometres—the distance between Marathon and Athens. In 1908, however, at the London Olympics, it was changed. The King of England wanted the runners to leave from his castle in Windsor and arrive in a new stadium in central London. The distance was 26 miles—about 42 kilometres. In fact, the 1908 marathon ended dramatically(戏剧性地). When the leader, an Italian, entered the stadium he turned the wrong way and fell onto the ground. Officials picked him up and helped him to the finishing line, just as the second runner, an American, entered the stadium. The Americans protested(抗议) and in the end the American runner was declared(宣布) the winner. Since then, there have been many more exciting marathons.
In fact, you don't have to wait for the Olympic Games to run or watch a marathon, as there are marathons in over sixty countries and hundreds of cities around the world today. One of the most famous marathons is in New York, and is watched by two million people around the streets and across the bridges of the city's five boroughs(行政区), and past New York's famous landmarks. But perhaps one of the most beautiful and extraordinary marathons ever is the Great Wall Marathon, which most competitors find is the toughest course to run.
()1. When the leader comes into the stadium, the crowd .
A. runs to his feet happily B. sings and dances
C. carries him to the line D. shouts with excitement
()2. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The name of the race comes from a battle in Greece.
B. From 1908, the marathon events are of the same length.
C. The soldier who ran from marathon to Athens won a gold medal.
D. The marathon events in the Games have the same length all the time.
()3. Who won the marathon in 1908?
A. The leading runner. B. The Greek winner.
C. The American runner. D. The Italian soldier.
()4. Which is the most special of the marathon events in the world according to the passage?
A. The Great Wall Marathon. B. The marathon in New York.
C. The marathon in London in 2012. D. The marathon in the Beijing Olympic Games.

【解析】：
这是一道英语阅读理解题，主要考查学生对文章细节的理解和把握。文章主要介绍了马拉松比赛的起源、发展以及一些著名的马拉松赛事。
1. 第一题是细节理解题，需要找到与题目相关的原文信息。根据文章第一段的描述，“As the leader comes into the stadium to run the last few metres of the 42-kilometre race, the crowd rises to their feet to shout and cheer.” 可以确定答案为D，即人群兴奋地呼喊。
2. 第二题是推理判断题，需要从文章中推断出正确的信息。文章提到马拉松比赛的名字来源于古希腊的一场战争，因此A选项正确。B选项错误，因为文章提到1908年伦敦奥运会的马拉松距离发生了变化。C选项错误，因为文章没有提到从马拉松跑到雅典的士兵赢得了金牌。D选项也错误，因为文章明确提到马拉松的距离在历史上是有变化的。
3. 第三题是细节理解题，需要找到1908年马拉松比赛的获胜者。根据文章第二段的描述，“The Americans protested and in the end the American runner was declared the winner.” 可以确定答案为C，即美国选手。
4. 第四题是细节理解题，需要找到文章中提到的最特别的马拉松赛事。根据文章第三段的描述，“But perhaps one of the most beautiful and extraordinary marathons ever is the Great Wall Marathon...” 可以确定答案为A，即长城马拉松。
【答案】：
1. D
2. A
3. C
4. A

翻译:
A
奥运会的最后一项赛事是马拉松。它通常也是最令人兴奋的。当领先者进入体育场，跑完42公里比赛的最后几米时，观众们站起来欢呼呐喊。这项赛事的名字来源于古希腊的一场战役。根据这个故事，一名士兵从马拉松战役的现场跑到雅典，带来希腊人战胜波斯人的消息。他到达后不久就死了。
自1896年现代奥运会开始以来，马拉松就一直是奥运会的一项赛事。起初，距离是40公里——马拉松和雅典之间的距离。然而，在1908年的伦敦奥运会上，这个距离被改变了。英国国王希望选手们从他在温莎的城堡出发，到达伦敦市中心的一个新体育场。距离是26英里——大约42公里。事实上，1908年的马拉松比赛结局很有戏剧性。当领先的选手，一名意大利人，进入体育场时，他转错了方向，摔倒在地。官员们把他扶起来，帮助他到达终点线，就在这时，第二名选手，一名美国人，进入了体育场。美国人提出了抗议，最后这名美国选手被宣布为获胜者。从那以后，有了更多令人兴奋的马拉松比赛。
事实上，你不必等到奥运会才能跑步或观看马拉松比赛，因为如今在全球60多个国家和数百个城市都有马拉松比赛。最著名的马拉松比赛之一在纽约举行，有200万人在城市五个行政区的街道和桥梁上观看比赛，选手们还会经过纽约的著名地标。但也许有史以来最美丽、最特别的马拉松比赛是长城马拉松，大多数参赛者都认为这是最艰难的赛道。
（ ）1. 当领先者进入体育场时，观众们____。
A. 高兴地跑到他脚边
B. 唱歌跳舞
C. 把他抬到终点线
D. 兴奋地呼喊
（ ）2. 我们从这篇文章中能了解到什么？
A. 这项赛事的名字来源于希腊的一场战役。
B. 从1908年起，马拉松赛事的长度就相同了。
C. 从马拉松跑到雅典的那名士兵赢得了一枚金牌。
D. 奥运会中的马拉松赛事的长度一直都相同。
（ ）3. 谁赢得了1908年的马拉松比赛？
A. 领先的选手。
B. 希腊的获胜者。
C. 美国选手。
D. 意大利士兵。
（ ）4. 根据这篇文章，世界上最特别的马拉松赛事是哪一个？
A. 长城马拉松。
B. 纽约的马拉松。
C. 2012年伦敦的马拉松。
D. 北京奥运会的马拉松。