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Tae kwon do（跆拳道） is the Korean martial（军事的）art of hand-to-hand combat（战斗）． Maybe that should really be body-to-body combat because in tae kwon do the whole body must be trained to properly defend and attack．There are some similarities between tae kwon do and other martial arts．
For example，tae kwon do uses quick straight-line moves which can also be found in Japanese martial arts，but tae kwon do also uses flowing circular moves like the type of moves found in Chinese martial arts．The main difference between tae kwon do and other martial arts is the powerful kicking technique which tae kwon do uses．This is where the name tae kwon do comes from．In Korean，tae means “to kick”，kwon means “to strike with the hand”，and do means “art”．Therefore，tae kwon do can be translated as “the art of kicking and punching”．
Paintings found on the walls and ceilings of ancient Korean tombs in-dicate that tae kwon do，or something similar to it，has been practiced in Korea since about 50 B．C．Also， records of a specially trained group of young warriors called Hwarang explain how these young men were taught taek kyon（an early form of tae kwon do）along with history，philosophy，ethics，archery，riding，and sword fighting．Members of the Hwarang were also encouraged to travel throughout Korea in order to learn about the people who lived in all regions of the country．This helped spread the practice of taek kyon throughout Korea．Eventually taek kyon，which was practiced for exercise and sport was replaced by subak，another martial art ．The purpose of subak was specifically fighting，so members of the military were required to learn it．However，people's interest in subak died out over time．By the 1800s，few Koreans actually practiced subak．After Korea was invaded in 1909，authorities put an end to the practice of all martial arts in the country．In the long run， this ban actually led to increased interest in martial arts，and secret groups began to practice subak again in the Buddhist temples hidden high in the mountains in Korea．After Korea gained its independence again in 1948，interest in many forms of martial arts grew around the country．The Korean Tae Kwon Do Association was formed in 1961，and this was followed by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation in 1973．
Today，tae kwon do enjoys great popularity around the world．More than 20 million people practice tae kwon do in more than 120 countries． Tae kwon do was also made an official demonstration sport in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul，Korea．
1．Tae kwon do means_____．
A．martial arts B．the art of kicking and punching
C．taek kyon or subak D．younger warrior |
