Recreation and Sports

Task 1. Vocabulary Revision.

a) How to Talk about Different Kinds of Sports?

To Play To Go
badminton badminton player bowling bowler
basketball basketball player canoeing canoeist
volleyball volleyball player dancing dancer
hockey hockey player jogging jogger
golf golfer mountain climbing climber
football footballer running runner
table tennis (ping-pong) table tennis player skating ice skater
tennis tennis player snorkelling snorkeler
To Do swimming swimmer
gymnastics gymnast windsurfing windsurfer
athletics athlete kayaking kayaker
weightlifting weightlifter skiing ‘I go skiing’
yoga ‘I do yoga’ sledding ‘I go sledding’
aerobics ‘I do aerobics’ tobogganing ‘I go tobogganing’

 

I Go Riding or I Ride
I go cycling I cycle I’m a cycler
I go running I run I’m a runner
I go sailing I sail I’m a sailor
I go boxing I box I’m a boxer
I go rowing I row I’m a rower
I go fishing I fish I’m a fisher

b) Visiting a Sport Event.

What? Where?
a match, a game, a play, a race, a tournament, cham­pionship, competition, cup (final, semi-final) match at the stadium, sports ground, swimming pool, tennis court, gym, health club, track

c) The following adjectives describe sports. Which of them are positive (P), which are negative (N), which are both (P/N). Decide in pairs.

Physically demanding Relaxing Spectacular Easy to learn Dangerous Time-consuming P/N ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ Tough Competitive Boring Active Energy-consuming Exciting ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ Intellectual Highly skilled Popular Monotonous Tiring Challenging ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

Task 2. Describe the sports you know using the vocabulary from Task 1 and the ‘Key Language’.

Key Language

· requires good reflexes · requires expensive equipment · reinforces team spirit · depends on weather · involves graceful moments · is a popular pass time · is a good way to relieves stress · stimulates your mind · helps maintain good balance · is for people of all ages and abilities · helps you think quickly · requires a lot of training · creates a sense of freedom · requires good balance · helps strengthen your muscles · can be fast-moving · can damage back muscles · is good for developing coordination · demands good swimming skills · need to be highly skilled · can be injured · burns a lot of calories

Example: I really like/enjoy tennis because it is an exciting sport that requires good reflexes.

Well, I find tennis tiring. I am a big fan of ice-skating as it is a physically demanding sport that involves graceful moments and good timing. Besides, the only equipment you need is a pair of skates.

Oh, and I consider ice-skating spectacular but challenging. Also, there may be a problem to find a skating rink close to the place where you live.

Task 3. Recreational Activities. Talk about the recreational activities using the table.

Outdoor activity Related Vocabulary
Camping/hiking/ fishing holiday at the seaside/ in the mountains/ on the bank of the river; an opportunity to admire the beauty of the nature; be lucky with the weather; to live in tents, a place of meadows, fields and a beautiful lake; to play games, to have a bite without observing table manners, tinned food; to collect wood, to make fire, to sit round the fire, to go fishing/boating; fishing pole/net; to sleep in a tent; sleeping bag; insect repellent
Skiing holiday ski jacket, skis, ski poles, ski boots, skier, to hire skis, ski instructor, equipment, chalet or hotel, snow forecast, bad weather warning, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing
Seaside holiday elbow-to-elbow tourists, snorkel, fishing rod, flippers, umbrella, bathing suit, towel, sand castle, shells, playing beach ball, to bask/to lie in the sun

Task 4. Describe any sport event using the table.

Time Events
Much before the event Prior to the actual event… We were looking forward to… We booked the tickets in advance… We reserved the best places. Big ads of the event were all over the city.
On the day of the event …was held at… The stadium was cheerfully decorated for this purpose. The sport officials wore their badges and were busy with preparations.
When the event started During the event National anthem was sung. The … was declared open. The competitors were tense and serious. They were in excellent physical fitness. The captain of the team was… New records were set in… The fans were cheering for their teams. The coach gave the instructions to the players. …got the ball and then scored the best goal of the game. Players used tactics such as attacking their opponent’s weaknesses in order to win. The players went into the rooms at half-time and listened to their coach. The judge scored the game.
Results The referee blew his whistle twice to signal the end of the match. The score was 1–0, but the losing team got a late goal and the game ended in a 1–1 draw. The final score was… …beat … to win the match. …became the champion/won the championship. …set/broke the record. The players carried the trophy over their heads as they ran around the stadium. The players had worked very hard, and they deserved their victory.
After the event: Positive impressions It was on that particular day, we shared the atmosphere of real joy and gladness. All the athletes did their best to perform well in… Spectators created an exciting atmosphere by cheering their teams.
After the event: Negative impressions The … was a flop. It was a real failure for our team. The … was dull, boring, uninteresting. The judge was unfair.

Task 5. Read the text. For questions (1–8) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

One day, 43 years old, Walter Hudson walked out of the front door of his home on Long Island for the first time in 17 years. He sat down on a specially made concrete chair and told the reporters and TV cameras assembled there, ‘This is the best day of my life.’ A bit unsteady on his feet, having spent the past 28 years in bed, he looked half the man he used to be: that is, he had cut himself back from 600 kilo to just 300.

Although few Americans aspire to Walter’s size, 34 million of them are heavier than they ought to be. So, a few years ago, when Walter fell out of bed and was stuck on the floor until the fire brigade came to help him up, there was some general sympathy with his predicament. Walter explained: ‘As long as I lay in bed, my size never bothered me. It never even dawned upon me that I couldn’t do what I wanted to until the day I fell and couldn’t get up. That was the complete turn-around that made me want to change my life.’ The publicity which resulted changed his life. More than one thousand people contacted him. He set up a hotline to his home, and now spends a lot of time talking to fellow-sufferers. A true American, he has marketed his own brand of powdered food formula called ‘Bio-Nutrition’.

In the case of the severely obese, drastic answers may be necessary. In America, obesity is seen as an illness, a disease, and treated accordingly. In extreme cases, surgery could be recommended. Surgery was first used in America during the 50s with an operation to short-circuit the small bowel in order to prevent the absorption of fats. Weight was lost but some of the side-effects of the operation turned out to be fatal. In 1981, in Iowa, the first gastroplasty operation was performed. The stomach was stitched across, horizontally, so that only half of it could be used. The latest development, an alternative to surgery, is to have a balloon put in the stomach. There are 20,000 people in America walking around with balloons in their stomachs. The balloon is made of specially prepared rubber, is inflated in the stomach and left there for three months. The big danger is deflation and blockage of the bowels. Otherwise, it’s like having permanently just eaten a ham sandwich.

All her life, Barbara Quelch had weighed 140 kilo. She was successful, the director of an advertising agency and the mother of four children. She had made several attempts to lose weight, even going to the lengths of having her jaws wired. She explained: ‘It was very antisocial and over nine months I cut my weight down by half. However, when my jaws were unwired, I soon returned to my usual weight. I didn’t suffer as much as other fat people. I had a full and happy life. But I got out of breath very quickly, and was tired and irritable a lot of the time. Then I had the gastroplasty operation. I lost weight within days. I could only take fluids for the first two months after the operation, and in the following five months I lost three kilo a week. I still can’t eat certain foods, such as meat and potatoes. Most of my meals wouldn’t fill a saucer. I am often sick after meals, but I don’t regret a thing. I have always wanted to wear modern clothes and now I can go to a shop and choose what I want instead of having to take something because it fits. I am more assertive now. I used to be quieter and didn’t want to do anything in case it drew attention to my figure. Now I say what I like. I don’t care what people think any more. It’s not a miracle. The stomach can stretch again, usually after three years, so it is important to eat small amounts of food, often. If this fails there is nothing else. It is a last resort.’

1 Which do you think is the most appropriate title? Problems of __________.

A Diet

B Obesity

C Health

D Fat

2 Walter Hudson __________.

A was slim at last

B sat in a wheelchair

C seemed depressed

D wasn’t able to walk properly

3 After Walter fell out of bed, __________.

A people felt sorry for him

B the police were called

C the neighbours helped him up

D he decided life was better in bed

4 His life changed because __________.

A he had a telephone installed

B he went into business

C people wrote to him

D he received a lot of publicity

5 Surgery was first used to help people lose weight by __________.

A removing the small bowel

B reducing the size of the stomach

C inflating balloons

D sending food direct to the large bowel

6 People with a balloon in their stomach __________.

A have to be careful not to eat too much

B must see their doctor monthly

C can only eat one sandwich

D have to be careful to avoid punctures

7 According to Barbara Quelch, the big problem with having your jaws wired together is that _________.

A you can’t speak to people

B you can’t eat

C you don’t lose weight

D it takes too long

8 After she had had her gastroplasty operation, Barbara __________.

A could eat anything she wanted

B felt ill a lot of the time

C took up wearing fashionable clothes

D was much more self-confident

Task 6. Your family wants to find a proper sport for your younger brother. On a separate sheet of paper write an essay where you advise them by:

· telling about the most popular sports in your area;

· describing what character traits may be developed if a person goes or plays a proper kind of sport;

· thinking of your brother’s personality traits and finding a proper sport for him (which are suitable to a definite kind of sport).