Sport and games

Jigsaw reading

These extracts from sporting commentaries were in pairs, but they have been mixed up. Decide which extract goes with which. Then guess which sport is being referred to in each extract. The answers are given at the end of this unit to help you.

1... and now, just when it looked as if Wallburger was going to win the bout on points,...

2... at this stage, with the recent loss of Scherzo's bishop, knight and both rooks, we can only be a couple of moves away from mate ...

3... and in pole position on the grid, on his favourite circuit, with its short straights and tight bends, is Marconi Libido — three times winner here and currently leading the championship table ...

4... then her legs shooting out in front of her, landing feet apart in the pit - a beautiful leap ...

5... Frankfurter has produced a left hook from nowhere, midway through the thirteenth round, to put him on the canvas. And it doesn't look as if he's going to beat the count...

6... so it looks as if it's going to be the fast finishers who can sprint to the line who are in with the best chance. Down the back straight,...

7... a forehand drive return of service - fine shot - Lumbago can't get it. It's in!

8... you can see it again now in slow motion; her foot hits the board, perfect

take-off - the cycling movement she performs in mid-air ...

9 ... his king is now virtually defenceless. And in fact it's all over. Scherzo has

resigned, his...

10... and also crossing into the inside lane from lane number two ...

11... so, a free kick just outside the United penalty area! ffipov dummies over the ball. Hansov takes it - across the goal. Pizov goes up for it but he's fouled by Robson. It's a penalty in injury time.

12... That's it! Game, set and match to Andante ...

13... And they're off. Down goes the flag and they're away on the first of eighty laps.

14... so, the first lap in 53.4 seconds. There's the bell and at the moment, the Kenyan is out at the front, leading by a couple of metres, and it's a slow time ...

15... and this is her third attempt with the bar at 1 metre 81...

16... a red flag, his third no-throw in a row, so he's out of the competition ...

17... Two-one, and now a dramatic chance for an equalizer. Remember, if the match ends in a draw at full-time, it will be decided on penalties ...

18... and the Russian team are disqualified for handing on the baton too late ...

19... steps into the circle, composes himself, spins rounds - oh dear!...

20... slow approach, up and she's over, and at a new record height...

Game 1

Look at the groups of four words below. Try to decide in which sport all four words would be used. Then try to add a word of your own to each group. In one or two cases, more than one sport may be associated with the four items. These answers are also given at the end of the unit.

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Sport and games

[2]Below are three other short games for you. Don't worry ifyou don't win; they are only games to help you remember the words.

1 Here are some of the men's world records that existed in 1987 in certain athletics events (outdoor as opposed to indoor). Cover the column on the right and see ifyou can guess which event goes with which record.

2Now look at the column on the right and select the appropriate instrument used by each of the officials on the left. The name of the official's sport is given to help you.

football

the referee's the linesman's thetrainer's

3And now, who wears what? Cover the column on the right. Which sportsmen / women would you expect to find wearing these clothes and accessories?

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Sport and games

Reading

For many people, sport is a question of winning or losing. Note the numerous expressions concerning sporting success and failure in the text that follows.

The Village Sports

The sports were held as usual on the recreation field, next to the glove factory. Officials outnumbered spectators, but there were more competitors than ever before.

Maggie was the star, as always. Apart from winning the women's sprints and tying for first place in the longjump, she was champion again in the (approximately)

50 metres freestyle, retaining her title for the fifth time. She led from start to finish in the running - the others didn't stand a chance - and she was in a class of her own in the swimming; it was a walk-over, completely one-sided. She was across that pond and back before some had reached the other side.

Dad did well too. There was a field of fifteen for the 400 metres - to the bicycle shed and back - and Dad was an outsider before the race because he's unfit; but he excelled himselfand came second. Was he proud ofhis runner's-up medal? You should have seen him!

Our family were reigning champions in the Five-a-side football competition and hot favourites to win the cup again. We did, but only just. The final - against our old rivals, the Lavenders - finished in a draw, despite two own-goals by Uncle Mac, and we kept the trophy on goal difference from earlier rounds.

After that, things began to go wrong and we suffered a number of defeats. Uncle Mac and little Donald were in a photo finish for last place in the father-and-son race - or would have been if someone had had a camera. They were just about overtaken on the line by old Mr Grey with his fifty-year-old son on his back; it was probably a dead-heat actually.

Then we were outclassed in the boxing. Uncle Bill was a beaten finalist at middleweight, but Uncle Mac was knocked out in the second round at heavyweight and at lightweight I was stopped in the first round. (I swear that Bobby Lavender is over 50 kilos.)

Because of my disappointing performance in that event, I was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the tug-of-war and Aunt Flossie was promoted to our first team. I felt so ashamed. Our opponents in the first heat were the butcher's family from Number 15 and they slaughtered us.

Then things went from bad to worse. Granny was well beaten in the over 70s' 200-metres handicap. She was towards the back of the field for most of the race and failed to finish the course in the end. Then Auntie Jane had all kinds of problems in the sack-race and was just an also-ran. She did get a consolation prize for finishing - two minutes after the others — but we had been hoping for a victory in that event. And then, worst of all, Grandad was disqualified in the egg-and-spoon race for having stuck the egg to the spoon. What's more, he's been banned from entering the competition for five years.

I've noticed over the past few years how the village sports have been getting more and more serious. It's a pity, really. I blame television ... for everything.

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Sport and games

Practice 1

As further practice of some of the vocabulary in that text, answer the questions below.

1 Who is the reigning Wimbledon women's singles champion?

2How many spectators does your country's largest football stadium hold?

3Why might you bet money on an outsider?

4Who were the beaten finalists in the last football World Cup?

5Whose athletes are usually hot favourites to win most gold medals in an Olympic Games?

6Who was the runner-up in last season's Formula One Drivers' Championship?

7Are there heats for a marathon?

8When might you be disqualified in a 100 metres sprint?

9Who gets the gold medal when there's a dead heat?

10 Why might someone be banned from taking part in a sport for a period of time?

Riddle

Answer this question. If you need help, the answer is printed at the end of the unit.

Question: In sport, what one thing can you hold, set, break, smash or equal?

Game 2

And finally here's a little game - to add a few more words to your vocabulary and test your knowledge of sport. In each ofthe items below, something is wrong. See ifyou canspot each mistake.

1So Miss Cupido finally wins six - love, seven-six (after the tie-break) seven - five.

2Stravinski gets the white flag at the end of this year's Monte Carlo Grand Prix.

3The Russian gymnast, Nelli Navelikova, now on the rings ...

4And now they're coming to the last fence ofthis year's Derby ...

5Another basket for Hooper; that puts Canada into the lead for the first time in

the match: 38 to 35.

6So with this 6 - 2, 6 - 3 victory, Abdul Kabul becomes the new squash singles champion, taking over from his doubles partner, Sadiq Khan.

7Two more gates, two more poles, he's through them, round them. Nothing can

stop him now becoming the new downhill ski champion of the world.

8Such a talented athlete, strong swimmer, powerful cyclist, a first-class shot, he would be almost sure to win the Modern Pentathlon if he was a better rider.

9Uwakana, in the slightly darker shorts, Japanese judo champion for the past four years, facing his team-mate, Onawawa ...

10After three rounds of golf, we have a three-way tie between the three Americans all on a total of 148, with Juan Carlos one shot behind.

11In this 4 by 100 individual medley, at the end of the third leg, as they change from backstroke to freestyle, Allegro is leading by a metre from ...

12And that's very good marks for the Olympic ice-dance champions; two 9.7s, one 9.8, two 9.9s and a 9.6.

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Practice 2

[1] Explain the rules of at least two of the following sports. Then give any tips you can think of about how to do each sport well.

[2]Describe your sporting heroes, both now and when you were a child. Explain whyyou admire(d)them.

[3]Describe, in as much detail as possible, a match, competition or race that you will never forget.

[4]Discuss what you think are the main problems facing international sport today.

[5]Discuss your attitude - angry, enthusiastic or indifferent - towards sports that:

ause animals.

buse machines.

с involve physical violence between contestants.

[6]Write a paragraph from your novel in which the hero, after months ofhard training, goes out on the track for the 1500 metres final.

[7]Sport divides more than it brings together. Write part of a magazine article that you submit on this theme.

•Add here any other words about sport that you may come across.

Riddle: a record

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