SPORTS AND GAMES POPULAR IN ENGLAND

—What would you say are the most popular games in England today?

—Well, I suppose football, that is, soccer or rugger, and cricket.

—What are the other outdoor games?

—Oh, there's tennis, hockey, golf, and so on. Tennis is played all the year round — on hard courts or grass courts in summer, and on hard or covered courts in winter.

—What about horse-racing?

—I should say that is one of the most popular sports in Great Britain. Then there are, of course, walking-races, run­ning, swimming and boxing.

—I've been told that there are no winter sports in En­gland.

—Well, you see, the English winter isn't very severe as a rule, and we don't often have the chance of skiing, skating or tobogganing, but winter is the great time for hunting, provid­ed the ground is not too hard.

—Is there any golf to be had near London?

—Oh, yes, any amount. There are dozens of good golf-links within an hour or so of London. You ought to join a golf club if you're keen on the game.

—I think I shall if I get the chance. What about indoor games?

—Well, there's chess, billiards, cards, table tennis... By the way, do you play billiards?

—Well, I do, but of course, I'm not a professional or a champion, just an ordinary amateur, and not a very good one at that.

THE FOOTBALL MATCH (A Conversation)

Characters — Mr. Priestley, Lucille, Frieda, Pedro, Olaf, Hob.

Lucille: What splendid seats! We'll be able to see everything from here.

Pedro: Yes, Jan has certainly looked after us well. We'll have to take him out to dinner after the match.

The others: Good idea, Pedro, we certainly must.

H о b: And we must shout for his team. I hope Jan is in form today.

Mr. Priestley: I hope he is. I hear they are to choose the players tomorrow for the international match and if he plays well today Jan may be chosen.

Pedro: Yes, I heard that the Selection Committee would be at the match and I told Jan he was to play his best today because they were watching him.

О 1 a f: It must be exciting to play in an international match.

Pedro: Here are the teams coming out. Jan is leading the London team. He must be the captain.

Frieda: Yes, he is.

Hob: Jan must be a good player.

О 1 a f: He is; you have to be a good player to be captain of London team.

Lucille: If Jan is chosen for the international match, will he have to give up his studies and go into training?

Frieda: He mustn't do that. He must go on with his studies. They are more important than football.

Mr. P г i e s 11 e y: He needn't give up his studies. He has been playing regularly and is in good form.

H о b: Jan's lost the toss and the Oxford captain has de­cided to play with the wind.

Olaf: Oh, well, they'll have to play against the wind in the second half. I see Jan is playing centre-forward. He's just getting ready to kick off. There they go.

Hob: Come on, London!

(About an hour and a half later)

Mr. Priestley: This has been a grand game. I hardly remember ever seeing a better one. Jan has played the game of his life.

Lucille: I've nearly lost my voice with shouting "Come on, London!" Oh, I wish London could win.

Mr. Priestley: I don't think they can. It must be near­ly time now. It's one goal each, and the Oxford defence is magnificent.

Olaf: Yes, if my watch is right, they have three minutes to go.

Frieda: Look! Jan has got the ball. He's going like lightning towards the Oxford goal. Oh, go on, Jan!

Pedro: That Oxford centre-half is trying to stop him.

L u с i 11 e: Go on, Jan. You mustn't let him stop you.

Mr. Priestley: Jan passed the ball to the inside right, a wonderful pass.

Lucille: Oh! The inside-right is down; he's had to part with the ball.

О 1 a f: Look, Jan's got it again, he's beaten the fullback and is racing towards the goal. I Hob: Shoot, Jan, shoot! It's a goal!

Pedro: Oh, what a shot! The goal-keeper hadn't a I chance.

Mr. Priestley: And there's the whistle for full time, I and London have won. Well, they have to choose Jan for the I international match now.

IV. What do you call a person who goes in for:

wrestling, cycling, weight-lifting, swimming, diving, running, mountaineering, boxing, skiing, racing, hunting, playing football, playing chess, playing draughts, athletics, skating, playing volley-ball, playing basket-ball, playing hockey?

V. a) Fill in prepositions if necessary:

Sport is very popular ... Britain. ... other words a lot ... British people like the idea ... sport, a lot even watch sport, especially ... the TV. However, the number who actively take part ... sport is probably quite small. ... the whole British people prefer to be fat rather than fit. The most popular spectator sport is football. Football is played ... a Saturday afternoon ... most British towns and the fans, or supporters ... a particular team will travel ... one end ... the country ... the other to see their team play.

Many other sports are also played ... Britain, including golf ... which you try to knock a ball ... a hole; croquet ... which you try to knock a ball ... some hoops; basket-ball ... which you try to get a ball ... a net; tennis ... which you try to hit a ball so that your opponent cannot hit it and cricket which is played ... a ball, but is otherwise incomprehensible. As you can see, if the ball had not been invented, there would have been no sport.

Actually that's not quite true. Athletics is not played ... a ball, nor is horse-racing. Perhaps that explains why they are not so popular as football.

VI. Answer, the following questions. Do not answer in one sentence.
Add something:

1. What kind of sport do you go in for? 2. Do you play draughts? 3. Do you attend hockey matches? 4. What football team do you support? 5_vDid you ever try figure-skating? 6. Who usually likes tobogganing? 7. What do spectators do at the stadiums? 8. Where are boat-races held in Moscow? 9. What is the most popular sport in Russia? 10. Do Russian teams participate in international matches? 11. Who coaches your volley-ball team? 12. Where are the Oxford and Cam­bridge boat-races held? 13. What is the difference between a "sport" and a "game"? 14. What sports and games do you know? 15. What games take the first place in public interest? 16. What is the great national sport in England?

IX. Correct the wrong statements. Add a few more sentences to make up a dialogue:

1. There is no difference between "soccer" and "rugby". 2. Badminton can be played only indoors. 3. The goal-keep­er acts as a judge in football. 4. Ice hockey is popular with women. 5. A tennis ball is struck with a club. 6. Women are good football players as a rule. 7. People who play draughts are called draughtsmen. 8. We use balls when playing bad­minton. 9. Golf is played on ice fields. 10. Hockey is one of the most popular summer games. 11. Table-tennis and lawn-tennis are one and the same game. 12. In hockey a hand­ball and rackets are used. 13. Boxers fight with bare hands. 14. Track and field events are never included in Olympic Games. 15. You may touch the ball with your hands when playing football.

Prompts: I just don't agree...; I'm not so sure...; All I know is... but at least...; How can you say such a thing! You seem to think that...; That is just the other way round. You are badly mistaken.

XI. a) Speak on each kind of sport on the list below; briefly describe it
as well as the qualities it requires from the sportsman, e. g. strength,
endurance, quickness of reaction, courage, etc. Say a few words about its
advantages and attractive features:

mountaineering, rowing, yachting, hockey, tennis, basket-ball, volley-ball, chess, boxing, wrestling, fencing, artistic gymnastics, figure-skating, skiing, skating, ski-jump­ing, sky- diving, archery, discus throwing, wind-surfing, stee­plechase, marathon.

b) Make up dialogues discussing one (or several) of the sports from the list above. Use the following:

in my opinion ...; there's nothing like ...; I don't quite see what people find in ...; how can you say such a thing!; I don't know anything more exciting than ...; I see nothing exciting in ...; I can't agree with you there; absolutely marvelous; I like it immensely.

XIII. Act out the following situations:

1. Two friends are talking after a football match. One is happy — his favorite team has won; the other is not as his team has lost the match.

2. Imagine a dialogue between two sports fans about their favourite sports.

3. A friend of yours claims to be an "all-round sports­man". Once you call on him and find him surrounded by a thick cloud of cigarette smoke. You have a talk with him.

4. It's Sunday afternoon. In a few minutes, there will be a football match on TV, while on another channel there will be a fashion show. Argument between husband and wife.

5. You are in the hall of your institute. You are an ardent athlete and like to get up at sunrise, at which your room-mate is grumbling. You try to make him do at least his morning exercises.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1671