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.

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

Mr. Priestley: Ihope 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.

О1af: 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.

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

Luсille 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.

Mг. Ргieslley: He needn't give up his studies. He has been playing regularly and is in good form.

Hob: 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.

Lucille: Go on, Jan. You mustn't let him stop you.

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

Luсil1e: Oh! The inside-right is down; he's had to part with the ball.

Olaf: Look, Jan's got it again, he's beaten the fullback and is racing towards the goal.

Hob: Shoot, Jan, shoot! It's a goal!

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

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

(From "Essential English for Foreign Students", Book 4, by C. E. Eckersley. A bridged)

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (II)

Words

Some popular sports

archery skating artistic

gymnastics (callisthenics) skiing boxing

cross-country skiing car (motorcycle) racing down-hill skiing

cycling ski-jump diving

slalom fencing sky diving (parachuting)

figure-skating swimming gymnastics

weight-lifting gliding windsurfing

hang gliding wrestling mountaineering

arm-wrestling rowing and canoeing yachting

athletics (track-and-field) marathon (race) discus (hammer, javelin)

pole vault (vaulting) throwing race/run

high (long, triple) jump shot putting hurdle races

steeplechase

Some popular games

Open-air games

badminton n net-ball n [56]

basket-ball n rugby n (colloq. rugger)

cricket n (lawn) tennis n

football n (colloq. soccer) volley-ball n

golf n water polo

hockey n

Indoor games

chess n squash n

draughts n table-tennis n

Sports Terms

amateur (professional) sport cup (final, semi-final) match

indoor (outdoor or open-air) sports championship n, е.g. national

football championship sport n

compete v sports n = events

competition n, е.g. inter- sports adj, е.g. sports jacket

college cup competition (shirt)

con'test v sporting adj

'contest n, е.g. world gym nastics tournament n

contest (rivalry in singing, beauty)

Participants

crew n (used for sportsmen opponent (rival) n

rowing or sailing a boat) sportsman (athlete) n

national (Olympic, college) sportswoman n team

official (umpire, referee, judge) n

Audience

fan (colloq.) n, е.g. a foot- spectator n

ball fan sports enthusiast

shout for v support v

Scoring system

best (record, fastest) time point n, е.g. How many

defeat v points have they won?

draw n, е.g. The match runner-up n

ended in a draw. score n, е.g. The score of the

draw v, е.g. The two teams drew. game was 6:4 (six to four).

goal n score v, е.g. He scored

lose v 20 points. Neither side

loser n scored in the game (нe

victory n забила гол).

Competition sites and sports equipment

barbell n net n

beam n play-ground n

chessboard n puck n

chessman n racket n

club (stick) n rings n

discus n ski jump

draughtsman n sports hall

gym n boxing gloves

javelin n trampoline (батут) n

jumping (spring) board uneven (parallel), asymmetric bars

Word Combinations

athletic training to win the team (personal,

to follow a tournament national, world) champion-

(competition, etc.) ship

to kick the ball to win by 2 (3, etc.) goals

to score a goal (20 points) (points)

to keep the score to win with the score 4 to 0

to end a game in a draw in smb.'s favour

(to draw a game) to set up (break) a record

to win a prize (a cup, the record holder

victory) the world (national, European) record

EXERCISES

I. Study Texts A and В and transcribe these words:

tobogganing, yachting, lawn-tennis, wrestling, athletics, gymnastics, callisthenics, billiards, draughts, tournament, en­thusiast, soccer, rugger, court, amateur.

II. Write 15 questions about Texts A and B; b) Retell Texts A and В (in indirect speech). Evaluate the reports of your fellow students according to delivery: general clarity, pronunciation, fluency, rythm, intonation.

III. Study Essential Vocabulary (II), Explanatory Notes and name: a) as many kinds of sport as you can; b) some open-air games; c) some indoor games.

IV. What do yon call a person who goes la 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. (See "Approaches". Cambridge 1979)

b) Retell the text.

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

1. What kind of sport doyou go in for? 2. Do you play draughts? 3. Do you attend hockey matches? 4. What football team do you support? 5. Did you ever try figure-skating? 6. Who usually likes tobogganing??. 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 Russain 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?

VII. Read Text С and try to explain the phrases listed below. Do not merely translate them into Russian. Change them into a type of English that is more easily understood and explain what they mean in the context of the conversation.

shout for his team; is in good form today; lost the toss; to play with (against) the wind; to kick off; come on; the game of his life; 3 minutes to go.

VIII. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Я предпочитаю легкую атлетику боксу и борьбе. 2. Я мечтаю поставить рекорд по плаванию. 3. Сегодня я не могу бежать, я не в форме. 4. Люди во всем мире следят за Олимпийскими играми. 5. Он уделяет много времени физической подготовке. 6. Я болею за футбольную команду «Спартак». 7. Наша игра закончилась вничью. 8. Он охотно будет тренировать нас в фехтовании. 9. Вы занимаетесь легкой атлетикой? 10. Виндсерфинг и дельтаплане­ризм появились совсем недавно. 11. Мальчик мечтает стать хокке­истом и просит купить ему клюшку и шайбу. 12. Сколько человек примут участие в институтском шахматном чемпионате? 13. Разве вы не хотели бы завоевать кубок в этом соревновании? 14. Кто первый забил гол? 15. Вы пойдете на этот матч? 16. Стрельба из лука стала достаточно популярным видом спорта. 17. Никто не ожидал, что они выиграют со счетом 2:0. 18. Ему хорошо дается фигурное катание. 19. Женщины не играют в футбол, правда? — Играют, но редко. 20. Кто завоевал первенство вашего института по шашкам? — Один из наших первокурсников. 21. Не стоит всту­пать больше чем в два спортивных кружка одновременно. 22. Я предпочитаю художественную гимнастику любому другому виду спорта. 23. Мы не сможем с вами соревноваться, мы недостаточно подготовлены. 24. Вы собираетесь участвовать в соревнованиях по гребле? — Обязательно. 25. Я уверен, что игра закончится вничью. 25. У нас прекрасный зал и все возможности для хорошей физи­ческой подготовки.

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.

X. Try to describe your favourite game. Use a dictionary to look up any special words. Let your partners guess which game you are describing. Speak according to the plan that is given in the example:

E x a m p l e:

1. Number of players (per team):

Two teams of eleven players each.

2. Equipment necessary: a ball.

Each player wears shorts and special boots.

3. Place where played: a special field which has goal posts at both ends.

4. How to play and win: the players kick the ball to each other. They try to kick it between the goal posts of the op­posing team. The opposing team try to stop them, The team scoring the greatest number of "goals" wins.

5. Length of game: one hour and a half, with a break in the middle.

6. Some of the rules: only the two goal-keepers (who stand in front of the two goals) are allowed to touch the ball with their hands; no one can kick or push another player.

(See "Approaches," Cambndge, 1979)

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, е.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 mar­vellous; I like it immensely.

XII. a) Read the text and comment on it: