1. Warm-up

Play the Alphabet Sports game:

Student A says a sport beginning with ‘a’. Student B says a sport beginning with ‘b’, etc.

Which letters of the alphabet could you not find sports for?

2. Listening for gist

1) Listen to five speakers (PT for RSE: T1 1).

Match the texts with the statements A-F. Each letter is used only once. One statement is odd.

1. She enjoys watching team sports.

2. She wants to join a team to play a sport.

3. She thinks sport is a good way to keep fit.

4. She likes playing sports with her friends.

5. She would like to try a dangerous sport.

6. She thinks watching sport is boring.

3. Listening for details

Listen to seven speakers (SL: U18 B-C). What are their opinions about sports?

4. Lexis

1) Classify the sports given below according to 3 groups:

Do:

Go:

Play:

Athletics, running, wrestling, gymnastics, karate, handball, skiing, aerobics, chess, horseback riding, jogging, sailing, scuba diving, tennis, mountaineering, weigh training, cycling, water polo, biathlon, tobogganing, kayaking, fencing, judo, martial arts, archery

Add some more to each group.

2) Classify sports according to the following characteristics:

Team sports – individual sports

Indoor sports – outdoor sports

Competitive sports – non-competitive sports

Summer sports – winter sports

Extreme sports

Suggest your own characteristics for classification.

3) Complete the sentences below.

1. There are two types of events in athletics: ____ events and ____ events.

2. I'm not very keen on _____ games; I prefer sports where there are only two players ________against each other.

3. Athletics includes events such as the 100 m, the pole _____ and the long _____.

4. Gymnastics includes events such as the _____, and activities such as_______.

5. We used to do at school in the summer term; I was quite a good sprinter.

6. I love watching ; it's incredible how they keep their balance on such narrow pieces of equipment.

7. I hated running the 1500m. You had to go round the so many times. It was so boring!

4) Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line.

A snooker player speaks

When I first started playing snooker, I had no real (1) …of the rules. I just thought it looked an (2) … game. Also, I didn't need to buy any expensive (3) … because the snooker hall near my house had tables and cues. I spent (4) … all the free time I had practising, and then decided to enter a (5) … It was great fun! My (6) … was someone who'd been playing for years. Of course, he beat me, but the fact that I'd (7) … didn't put me off at all. And, (8) …, my game improved enough for me to become a professional snooker player three years ago.

KNOW ENJOY EQUIP PRACTICE COMPETE OPPOSE LOSE FORTUNE

5) Complete using the correct form of the words in the box.

Course – court – pitch – ring – rink – track – beat – win – score – bat - stick – rod - racket

1. We used to go skating at the ice every Saturday.

2. Keith had never seen such a large golf until he went to Scotland.

3. We all met at the basketball at half past three.

4. It's called a boxing …, but it's actually square!

5. For the 800 metres race, you have to run round the twice.

6. The football match had to be called off because the … was flooded.

7. Our team … until half time, but in the second half the other team three goals, and so they us. But it was a great match!

8. Adrian got a new fishing…for his birthday.

9. Can I borrow your tennis …?

10. Why are hockey… such a strange shape?

11. I'd spend hours putting linseed oil on my cricket … to keep the wood strong.

6) Complete the sentences by changing the form of the word in capitals when this is necessary.

1. I need to buy a new pair of (TRAIN).

2. Ellie used to … (PRACTICE) for hours to learn to juggle properly.

3. Would you describe yourself as a (COMPETE) person?

4. Many professional basketball players earn a (FORTUNE) these days.

5. F.A. stands for Football … (ASSOCIATE).

6. The gold, silver and bronze … (MEDAL) took their places on the podium for the presentation ceremony.

7. … I'm afraid the swimming pool is closed at the moment as they're carrying out some essential (MAINTAIN).

7) Choose two items from the box which are used in each activity (a-f).

rod flippers goggles horse helmet rucksack armbands bait mask pump compass bars

a) Gymnastics ..............................

b) Scuba Diving ............................... ...............................

c) Fishing ............................... ...............................

d) Walking ............................... ...............................

e) Swimming ............................... ...............................

f) Cycling ............................... ...............................

8) Complete each sentence with a word from the box.

handlebars racket rope saddle gloves glasses rod whistle net club ice costume

a) When Brenda entered the swimming competition she bought a new … .

b) I learned to ride a horse without using a … .

c) Gemma tried to hit the golf-ball with her …, but missed it.

d) After the tennis match, one of the players jumped over the … .

e) Diana's bike crashed into a tree, and she was thrown over the … .

f) A mountain-climber's life may depend on their........................

g) Open-air skating can be dangerous if the.......................is too thin.

h) Peter put his … in front of his face to protect himself from his opponent's punches.

i) Suddenly the referee blew his … and pointed to the penalty spot.

j) Skiing can be dangerous if you don't wear dark … .

k) I had to play the doubles match with a borrowed … .

1) Terry went fishing with the new … his parents gave him.

9) Underline the most suitable word.

a) Sue came first in the 5000 metre competition/game/race.

b) Jack and Eddie arranged to meet outside the football ground/ field/pitch.

c) Brenda goes jogging every morning to keep exercised/fit/trained.

d) Our team beat/defeated/won the match by two goals to nil.

e) The local stadium isn't large enough for so many audience/viewers/spectators.

f) I'm afraid I don't find basketball very interested/interesting.

g) The final result was a/an draw/equal/score.

h) Norman won first medal/prize/reward in the competition.

i) All competitors/rivals/supporters for the race should make their way to the track.

10) Replace the word or words in italics in each sentence with a word from the box.

arranged outdoors record second captain postponed referee side champion professionally score spare

a) Mary plays tennis as a way of earning her living … .

b) Tomorrow's hockey match has been put off for another time … .

c) In motor racing last year William Green was the best driver of all … .

d) The player with the lowest number of points wins the game … .

e) A match between the two top teams has been fixed for next month.

f) I like going swimming in my free time … .

g) Jane Briggs was the runner-up in the 100 metres hurdles … .

h) Who is the player in charge of your football team? …

i) She won all her matches this season, which is a best ever performance.

j) Charles was sent off for punching the person who controls the match.

k) We decided to hold this year's dancing competition in the open air.

l) Everyone agreed that United were the best team … .

11) Read the statements and decide which sport you think the statement is about. Find words or phrases in each statement which helped you make your decision.

1. I’m not so keen on the field events such as the javelin and the high jump, but I love all the track events, especially the 1500 m.

2. And it's a goal! What a match! So, that's three two to Blackburn ... six more minutes till half-time.

3. I think there's a real feeling of achievement once you get to the top. You know, it's just man against nature, and you've actually done it. It’s a great feeling!

4. I tried it for the first time when we were on holiday last summer. I spent about fifteen minutes practising on the beach: standing on the board, holding the sail, trying to keep my balance. I thought I'd got the hang of it but as soon as I actually got in the water I couldn't stay on at all. John couldn't stop laughing!

5. It's a bit like tennis in that there's a net and you're trying to get the ball over the net. But you don't have a racket, and you hit the ball with your hands or your wrists. Also, you've got to hit the ball before it touches the ground.

6. The course at St Andrews is one of the most challenging courses in the country. Even the most experienced professionals sometimes end up stuck in the sand, or losing their ball in the lake.

7. They don't have a pool at school, so I usually take the kids to the local leisure centre every Saturday afternoon. They love it. Nicola usually does lengths, and Adam just splashes around in the shallow end.

12) Complete the text with an appropriate form of the word given in capitals.

Although there are many ________ between the games of baseball and cricket, there are eleven ________ in each team in cricket, and only nine in each team in baseball. Another major __________ is the shape of the bat used to hit the ball. __________ baseball began in the USA in 1865. Today, baseball is played in many countries, _________ in East Asia and North, Central and South America. In the USA, baseball is often considered to be the __________ sport, although American football and basketball are also popular. Indeed, the __________ of baseball is so great in America that the word 'ballgame' almost always refers to baseball, rather than other ball games.

SIMILAR PLAY DIFFER PROFESSION PARTICULAR NATION POPULAR

13) Complete with an appropriate word.

1. The most important game in American football each year is the Super Bowl. This is the ______ of the National Football League, which is held either on the last Sunday of January or the first Sunday of February. This championship game is so ________ in the States that it's always one of the most watched TV shows of the year. At any one moment during the game, approximately 80 to 90 million Americans are watching it on TV!

2. Motorcycle racing has been popular with riders and __________ alike for about a hundred years. The high speeds at which the riders go, however, can sometimes lead to disaster. For example, on the Isle of Man, which is a small island between England and Ireland, an annual motorcycle race called the Isle of Man TT has been held since 1907. The roads and tracks which the riders race on are extremely narrow, increasing the chances of ________. Since the race started, almost 180 riders have been killed while racing there.

3. If you ask most people why they choose to do a particular sport, they'll probably tell you it's because it's fun and gives them ________. They might also say that it helps keep them _______. Another major benefit of team sports such as football, basketball, cricket and rugby is that they can teach us to work together as a group. This is particularly useful for children, who can then use the _______ they have learnt while doing sports in their working and social lives as adults.

4. Although most sports are competitive, involving ____________ or teams trying to be better than their __________, recreational fishing is quite different. Whether you're salt-water fishing in the sea, or fresh-water fishing in a river or lake, whether you're on your own or with other people, fishing is about relaxation, enjoyment and the occasional moment of excitement. There are no _________ for catching the most or the biggest fish, and no one goes home at the end of the day thinking they've lost. It's not that kind of sport.

5. The games snooker and pool, both of which involve hitting balls into _____ on a table covered with material, are extremely popular in the UK, and many pubs have either a pool or a snooker table. If you want to play at home, though, it can be costly. A full-size professional snooker table can cost several thousand pounds – the price of a new car, in other words - and a good _____, which is the name of the stick used to hit the white ball, can cost several hundred pounds.

14) Complete with an appropriate word. In some cases more than one variant is possible.

	–	+
gym	- I expect the ________ fee will be expensive, won't it? - We'll be surrounded by all these really ____ people. I'll feel uncomfortable! - We don't need to pay to get fit. We can do it for ______!	- They have _______ who can tell us exactly what we need to do. - They have really good ________ t. We'll be fit in no time! - If we're paying, we'll be more likely to keep at it and not ______.
exercise at home	- We've got no idea what exercises to do. It'll be a _____ of time. - You know what we're like! We'll ____ up just chatting and listening to music. - You can actually ____ yourself if you exercise in the wrong way.	- It won't cost any money. That's a big __________. - We could look on the Internet and see if there are some good exercises you can do at home on your _____. - Nobody will see us or be ____ to laugh at us!
jogging/ running	- I know we want to get fit, but running sounds like really _____ work! - If we run round the _______ , all our friends will come outside and laugh at us! - You probably run much faster than me. I won't be able to ________!	- It's a very good way to _____ weight and _______ the heart. And it's outside, so we'll get some ______ too! - It'll only ____ about half an hour every couple of days. - We could start off slowly and build up. In a few weeks, we'll be able to ____ each other!
tennis	- We'd have to buy tennis rackets and balls. They're quite _______ . - The nearest tennis _______ are quite a long way away from here. - We might have fun, but I'm not sure it'll really help us get ____.	-You don't have to pay to use the tennis courts in the park. - It'll be interesting to see which of us is ______ . I suspect I am! - It ________ a lot more fun than running!
swimming	- To get fit, we'd have to swim about thirty ____ a day. That sounds really boring! - 1 don 't feel very _____ in the water. - The swimming pool's usually really ______ . It'll be difficult to ____ lengths.	- Most swimmers have fantastic _____. We'd look great after a few months! - 1 always feel really ______ after being in a swimming pool. -You don't need any equipment, unlike with tennis. Just a swimming ______ and a towel. It's easy!

4. Speaking

Pair-work.

Speak about sports you do, watch or would like to do. Explain what you like or don’t like in these sports. Use words and expressions from above.

Topic 2. Extreme sports

1. Warm-up

Pair work: Have you ever thought of doing any extreme sport?

2. Listening for gist

Listen to four speakers (IO I: 15) and say which sports they are talking about. Which key words helped you to identify each sport?

3. Listening for details

1) Listen to four speakers (IO I: 15) once again. Complete the sentences to summarize what people say about their experiences.

a) ________ is slightly ______than________. (speaker 1)

b) _______ is just as _________ as ________. (speaker 1)

c) _______was one of the ______ I’ve ever ________. (speaker 2)

d) ______ are by far the _________. (speaker 3)

e) ______ is much _____ than _______. (speaker 4)

f) _______isn’t nearly as ________ as _______. (speaker 4)

Use the same structures to give your own opinions about extreme sports.

2) Listen to the story of a skydiver (IO I: p33 – lecturer’s reading). Answer the questions.

1. Why did he start skydiving?

2. How did he feel on his first jump?

3. What caused his accident and why has he continued skydiving?

3). Complete the questions.

1. Why do you think people t___ p_____ in dangerous sports?

2. Have you ever p____ your life at r______ voluntarily?

3. When was the last time a view t____ your b____ a_______?

4. Do you know anybody who is a_____ to a sport like Mike?

Ask and answer the questions in pairs.