Summer of Sport

Transcription

Summer of Sport

Summer
of Sport
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A Summer of Sport
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A Summer of Sport
CONTENTS
TITLE
SPORT
CEF
LEVEL
PAGE
Tennis
Tennis
B1
Intermediate
1
Tennis Balls
Tennis
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
8
The Ice Man (Bjorn
Borg)
The Beautiful Game
Tennis
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
12
Football
B1
Intermediate
14
Manchester United
Football
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
17
Lionel Messi
Football
B1
Intermediate
23
The Olympic Games
ALL
B1+
Good Intermediate
30
The Winter Olympics Winter Sports
B1
Intermediate
33
The Bicycle
Cycling
B1
Intermediate
40
Extreme Sports
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
43
Basketball
Extreme
Sports
Basketball
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
50
Rugby
Rugby
B1
Intermediate
57
Darts
Darts
B2
Upper intermediate
67
Surfing
Surfing
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
74
Muhammad Ali
Boxing
B1+
Good Intermediate
81
Bullfighting
Bullfighting
A2–B1
Pre-intermediate
84
Inside Out
Tennis – Teacher’s Notes
The subject of this lesson is the sport of tennis. The US Open, one of the most prestigious
tournaments for professional players, takes place in August.
Level
Intermediate and above (equivalent to CEF level B1 and above)
How to use the lesson
1. Ask the students to name their favourite and least favourite sports, and to explain why they
like/dislike them so much. Then ask them what they think about tennis.
2. Divide the students into pairs, then hand out Worksheet A and give them a few minutes to
work together in order to try to find the five words/expressions that are not connected with
tennis. You could perhaps ask them to attempt this exercise without referring to the glossary.
3. Check answers in open class.
Answers: ‘Thirty-zero’, sticks, field, bat, boots
4. Give the students another few minutes to complete the gap-fill sentences, which use
vocabulary from the first exercise.
Answers: 1. match 2. court 3. tournaments, win 4. racquet, bat
6. hit, smashes 7. shot 8. fifteen, love 9. serves 10. points
5. net
6. Hand out Worksheet B and give the students five to ten minutes to read the two texts,
encouraging them to look up any new vocabulary. When they have finished, ask them to what
extent they share or disagree with the sentiments of Fiona and Dave.
7. Keeping the students in their pairs, hand out Worksheet C and ask them to work together to
complete the crossword.
Answers: 1. enjoy 2. natural 3. skill 4. concentrate 5. points 6. grunt 7. hype
8. psychological 9. frame 10. entertaining 11. practise 12. nice
If the sentences have been completed correctly, Justine Henin will read from top to bottom.
2. Related Websites
Send your students to these websites, or just take a look yourself.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/rules_and_equipment/default.stm
From the BBC website, a comprehensive guide to the rules of tennis and the equipment
necessary in order to play it. Accessible to intermediate level.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6130000/newsid_6135900/6135996.stm
A BBC Newsround interview (2006) with Rafael Nadal, currently number two in the men’s
international tennis rankings. Appropriate for intermediate level.
http://www.usopen.org/home/default.sps
Official website of the 2007 US Open tennis tournament. Intermediate level and
above.
This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete
pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012. Definitions from the Macmillan English Dictionary
© 2002 and the Macmillan Essential Dictionary © 2003, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
www.macmillandictionaries.com
1
Inside Out
Tennis – Glossary
aggressive adjective
very determined to win or be successful:
an aggressive election strategy
bat noun [count]
a wooden object used for hitting the ball in games such as baseball, cricket, and table tennis
battle verb
to compete with someone:
the three men battling for the world title
beat verb
to defeat someone in a game, competition, election, or battle:
England needed to beat Germany to get to the final.
breathtaking adjective
extremely impressive or beautiful
concentration noun [uncount]
the process of giving all your attention to something:
It took all his concentration to stay awake.
court [count]
an area marked with lines where some sports are played, including tennis and basketball:
a tennis/squash court
determination noun [uncount]
the refusal to let anything stop you from doing what you want to do:
The president's determination to pursue the rebels was clear.
entertaining adjective
enjoyable or interesting:
an entertaining talk/evening/programme
frame of mind phrase
the mood that someone is in
frustrating adjective
making you feel annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from achieving something:
It's frustrating to wait all day for a repairman who doesn't show up.
grunt verb
to make a short low sound in your throat and nose
hide verb
to prevent people from knowing your thoughts or feelings, or the truth:
He could not hide his disappointment.
hype noun [uncount]
the use of a lot of advertisements and information to interest people
love noun [uncount]
a score of no points in tennis
pages.
2
Inside Out
match noun [count]
a game in which players or teams compete against each other:
They lost the match on Saturday.
media, the noun
radio, television, newspapers, the Internet, and magazines, considered as a group:
The story has been widely reported in the media.
mood noun [count or uncount]
the way that someone is feeling, or the way that a group of people is feeling at a particular time:
I had never seen Ann in such a good mood before.
net noun [count]
in some sports, an object made of net that you hit, kick, or throw the ball over or into
opponent noun [count]
someone who is competing against you:
His opponent received only 36 per cent of the vote.
point noun [count]
a unit for counting the score in a game or sport:
Our team is two points behind.
practise verb
to repeat an activity regularly so that you become better at it:
How many hours a day do you practise?
professional noun [count]
someone who plays a sport or takes part in an activity as a job rather than for enjoyment
psychological adjective
involving or affecting your mind:
Harry's problems are more psychological than physical.
racquet or racket noun [count]
an object used for hitting the ball in games such as tennis
score noun [count]
the number of points that someone gains in a game or test:
The average score for the test was 75.
serve verb
to hit a ball in order to start playing for a point in a game such as tennis
shot noun [count]
an act of throwing, hitting, or kicking a ball:
That was another fine shot from Tiger Woods.
skill noun [count or uncount]
the ability to do something well, usually as a result of experience and training:
I admired the skill and dedication of the nursing staff.
smash verb
in tennis, to hit a ball that is above your head downwards and very hard
stick noun [count]
a long thin piece of wood that is used for hitting or carrying something in a sport:
pages.
3
Inside Out
a hockey stick
talent noun [count or uncount]
a natural ability for doing a particular activity well:
She had an obvious talent for music.
tournament noun [count]
a series of games in which the winner of each game plays in the next game until there is only one
player or team left
pages.
4
Inside Out
Tennis
WORKSHEET A
EXERCISE A
Find five words and expressions in the table below that are not associated with tennis.
net m
‘Fifteen-love’ ball
‘Thirty-zero’ win
game hit
atch
sticks
lose
tournaments
serves
field
racquet
bat
court
boots
points
smashes
shot
EXERCISE B
Now, using the table above to help you, can you fill the gaps in the following sentences?
1. ‘I have to go now – I’ve got a tennis _ _ _ _ _ in 20 minutes.’
2. ‘Wouldn’t it be good to live in a house with your own private tennis _ _ _ _ _?’
3. ‘I played in four amateur tennis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ last year and reached the final in two of
them, but didn’t _ _ _ either.’
4. ‘I was hoping to get a tennis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ as a Christmas present, but I only got a table-tennis _ _
_.’
5. ‘Look, we can’t play on this court – the _ _ _’s broken.’
6. ‘Why does he have to play so aggressively? Every time I _ _ _ the ball high in the air he just _ _
_ _ _ _ _ it past me. It’s no fun at all.’
7. ‘Oh, what a great _ _ _ _ by Roger Federer!’
8. ‘What’s the score now? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _, or fifteen all?’
9. ‘She _ _ _ _ _ _ the ball so hard that I can hardly ever get it back.’
10. ‘She beat me really easily. I think I only won about 20 _ _ _ _ _ _ in the whole match.’
This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012. Definitions from the Macmillan English Dictionary © 2002 and the Macmillan
Essential Dictionary © 2003, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. www.macmillandictionaries.com
5
Inside Out
Tennis
WORKSHEET B
Fiona
In the last few years I’ve really started to love tennis. Recently I’ve been playing at least twice a
week, which is really helping me keep fit. On a nice summer evening there’s nothing better than
going along to my local club for a game. Most people there are really nice, so after playing I usually
stay for a drink with some of them.
I like the fact that it’s a very psychological game – you need determination and concentration. You
can’t hide when you’re out there on the court. If the match isn’t going well you can easily get into a
bad frame of mind, so you have to battle against yourself as well as against your opponent.
Also, I love watching tennis on TV, as the players’ skill and fitness are breathtaking. Of course they
practise a lot, but it’s also about natural talent – I mean, I could practise five hours a day for five
years and I’d probably still not win a point against a top professional like Maria Sharapova.
Dave
Tennis has got to be one of the most boring sports in the world. Watching a little ball go backwards
and forwards for two hours, while the players make ridiculous grunting noises – you call that
entertaining? Also, in Britain, I can’t stand the hype in the media whenever one of our players has a
chance of winning an important tournament. They always lose in the end, of course. Why can’t we
just accept that we’re not very good?
As for playing tennis, it’s even worse than watching. I tried it for a while when I was a kid, and it
was one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever done. Hitting the ball and seeing it go into the net
almost every time is enough to put anyone in a bad mood. I remember my dad said I should practise
by hitting a ball against a wall. Well, I tried it, and it was a disaster. The wall beat me every time.
6
Inside Out
WORKSHEET C
EXERCISE C
Now fill the gaps below to complete the crossword and reveal the name of the Belgian player who
is currently number one in the women’s international tennis rankings.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1. Dave certainly doesn’t ____________ tennis.
2. Fiona believes that professional tennis players have a lot of ____________ talent.
3. It seems Dave never had much ____________ as a tennis player.
4. Fiona thinks that to do well in a tennis match you have to ____________ and be determined.
5. Fiona doesn’t think she’d win many ____________ in a tennis match against Maria Sharapova.
6. Dave seems not to like the way some professional players ____________ when they hit the ball.
7. Dave thinks there’s too much ____________ whenever a British tennis starts doing well.
8. Fiona enjoys the ____________ side of playing tennis.
9. Fiona thinks that to do well in a tennis match you need to be in the right ____________ of mind.
10. Dave doesn’t think that watching tennis on TV is ____________.
11. Dave’s attempts to ____________ by hitting a ball against the wall didn’t go very well.
12. Fiona says most of the people she plays with at her local tennis club are ____________.
7
Inside Out
Tennis Balls – Teacher’s Notes
This worksheet takes a look at a most British tradition – Wimbledon. Worksheet A provides the
questions and a quick puzzle to solve, while Worksheet B provides the answers in a series of short
texts.
Level
Intermediate and upwards
1. Tell your students they are going to answer some questions about the Wimbledon Tennis
tournament. Ask them if they know much about it, what the other Grand Slam events are (The
French, U.S. and Australian Opens) etc.
2. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet A and ask them to fold their piece of paper so
that just the top eight clues and the puzzle are visible. Ask them to look at the clues to see if they
can answer any of them before seeing the answers. Tell them to write their answers in the boxes
with corresponding numbers.
3. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet B and ask them to find the answers in the
text. The letters in the bold boxes spell the name of a past Wimbledon champion. Give students the
choice to work in pairs to answer the questions.
Answers
1 strawberries 2 Voltchkov 3 advertising 4 clock 5 Sampras 6 Navratilova 7 white
8 grass
Past champion: Rod Laver (Australian left-hander. Won in 1961, 62, 68, 69. In 1963, Rod turned
professional and so wasn't allowed to play at Wimbledon until it changed to Open Tennis in 1968.
On his return he won the title for the next two years. Without doubt, if he had been able to play for
the years in between, he would have won the title nine times – more than any other men's champion
in the history of the sport.)
4. After the students have finished this stage, and you have checked the answers, ask them to cover
Worksheet B and to turn their Worksheet A over, revealing ten more questions. Give them a time
limit of two minutes to answer as many of the questions as they can. Ask students to work in pairs
to speed things up.
Answers
1 nearly 1,000 years 2 1968 3 £535,000 4 SW19 5 l'oeuf 6 deux 7 Pat Cash (in 1987)
8 walls 9 Serena Williams 10 £575,000
Follow up
There is plenty of information on the websites below for students to make their own quizzes for
each other. Alternatively, play a game of categories tennis with your students. Divide the class into
8
Inside Out
two teams and choose a category (food, transport, sports etc.). A student from team A calls out one
word from the category and then a student from team B calls out another word. Students from each
team take it in turns to call out a word until someone repeats a word or they hesitate. The other team
is awarded the point (scoring as in tennis 15, 30, 40, Game) and you choose a new category. The
first team to win a game is the winner. This is a great five-minute filler.
2. Related Websites
Send your students to these websites, or just take a look yourself .
http://www.lta.org.uk/projects/hisindex.htm
tells the history of tennis
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/wimbledon/default.stm
the BBC’s page for Wimbledon
http://www.wimbledon.com/
the official website
9
Inside Out
Tennis Balls
WORKSHEET A
The answers to these questions are on Worksheet B. Read the text and write your answers in the
puzzle to find the name of a latter-day Wimbledon champion.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The name of a fruit associated with Wimbledon
He came so close in 2000, but didn’t quite make it to the Finals.
You won’t see any of this around the courts – only on the players.
The scoring in tennis is thought to have come from the face of what?
He holds the men’s singles title for highest number of victories.
She won nine titles at Wimbledon.
The players must all dress in this.
Wimbledon’s the only Grand Slam tournament to be played on this.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
You have two minutes to answer as many of these questions as possible.
1. How long ago did tennis start?
2. When did open tennis start at Wimbledon?
3. How much money will the women’s singles champion get this year?
4. What’s the post code of Wimbledon?
5. Which French word does ‘love’ come from?
6. Which French word does ‘deuce’ come from?
7. Who was the last Australian to win Wimbledon before Hewitt?
8. When tennis started, what was used instead of a net?
9. Who is the defending women’s champion?
10. How much will the men’s singles champion win this year?
10
Inside Out
Tennis Balls
The most famous
sights on offer every year
at Wimbledon are: people
eating strawberries and
cream, people drinking
Pimms and people sitting
under their umbrellas
enjoying the British
weather!
Wimbledon is the
only Grand Slam
tournament which
is held on grass.
Also, all the
players must dress
only in white.
Tennis started in France
nearly 1000 years ago. The
game was originally played in
the courtyards of royal
palaces, using the walls (like
squash) rather than a net. The
scoring (15,30,40) is thought
to be based on the four
quarters of a clock face.
WORKSHEET
Open tennis started at
Wimbledon in 1968,
meaning that amateurs and
professionals could play in
the Championships. In
2000, Russian Vladimir
Voltchkov came from
obscurity and made it to
the semi-finals.
Pete Sampras holds the
title for the highest
number of championship
victories having won
seven times. Even more
impressive is women’s
champion Martina
Navratilova with nine
wins.
The prize money for this
year’s Wimbledon
Championships is £9.3
million. Of this, the men’s
singles champion will
receive £575,000 and the
women’s singles
champion will receive
£535,000.
B
The words love
and deuce come from
French words. Deuce comes
from deux, meaning two, telling
us that two more consecutive
points are needed to win the
game. Love comes from the
word l’oeuf,
meaning egg, which
represents zero.
Wimbledon is
a suburb of London.
The post code for the area
is SW19, one of the most
famous post codes in the
world.
Lleyton Hewitt, the
defending men’s champion,
was the first Australian to win
since Pate Cash won 15 years
earlier, in 1987.
Serena Williams won both
the singles and doubles
tournaments last year.
Unlike almost all other
sporting events,
Wimbledon is free from
sponsorship. This means
that there are no
advertising banners
around the courts.
11
Inside Out
The Ice Man - Teacher’s Notes
It’s Bjorn Borg’s birthday on June 6th. Although he hasn’t done anything significant in tennis for a
very long time, he remains one of the most famous players of all time. In this lesson we pay tribute
to Ice Borg with a brief biography with gaps for your students to fill.
Level
Pre-Intermediate and upwards
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give one worksheet to each student in the class.
2. Ask students to quickly read through the first part of the biography to see who is being described
(Bjorn Borg). Then ask them to work together to complete part 2 with a preposition from the box.
4. Ask half the class (Group A) to complete part 3 and the other half (Group B) to complete part 4.
When each group has completed their section, ask a student from Group A to work together with a
student from Group B to complete both sections.
Answers
1. Bjorn Borg
2. 1) in 2) of 3) on 4) in 5) up 6) of 7) to 8) in 9) at 10) on
3. 1) eleven 2) six 3) five 4) four 5) twelve 6) twenty-seven
4. 1) top 2) show 3) style 4) came 5) feet 6) get
2. Related Websites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/hub/A637003
All you need to know about the ice man
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2001/may/12borg.htm
An interview with Bjorn Borg
http://www.bjornborg.nl/
Bjorn’s clothing. The site is Dutch, but check out his spring/summer collection in the pop-up
12
Inside Out
The Ice Man
1. Read the first part of the story and guess the name of the famous sportsperson.
2. Complete the story using the words in the box.
on
of
up
in
to
in
on
at
in
of
I was born (1) ____ a suburb (2) ____ Stockholm called Sodertaljie (3) _____ June 6th, 1956. The
two most popular sports (4) ____ Sweden when I was growing (5) ____ were football and ice
hockey and I enjoyed playing both (6) ____ them. When I was nine, my father won a tennis racket,
which he gave (7) ____ me. I became very interested (8) ____ the game and found I was good (9)
____ it. By the time I was thirteen I was playing tennis
(10) ____ the international circuit and at the age of eighteen I won my first Grand Slam title, the
French Open, in 1974.
3. Complete the next part of the story using the numbers in the box.
four
twenty-seven
five
twelve
six
eleven
In total I won (1) _______ Grand Slam singles titles. I won the French Open at Roland Garros (2)
_______ (‘74, ‘75, ‘78, ‘79, ‘80 and ‘81) times and I won the Wimbledon Championships (3)
_______ times (‘76, ‘77, ‘78, ‘79 and ‘80). I was finalist at the US Open (4) _______ times but I
never managed to win it. I was beaten by Jimmy Connors in 1976 and 1978, and by John McEnroe
in 1980 and 1981. I never played the Australian Open. This was a matter of principal; I felt that all
professional tennis players needed times when they rested instead of running around the world (5)
_______ months of the year.
In 1983, when I was (6) _______ , I decided to retire from professional tennis. However, I did try to
make a comeback in 1991, using my wooden racket, but my age and my equipment were no match
for the younger players who had the advantage of youth and graphite rackets.
4. Complete the story using the words in the box.
get
came
top
feet
show
style
When I was at the (1) _______ of my profession people nicknamed me The Ice Man and Ice Borg
because I never used to (2) _______ any emotion during my matches. My (3) _______ of play was
to hit the ball from the baseline. I used to use two hands when I hit a backhand (this was an ice
hockey ‘slap shot’, which (4) _______ very naturally to me) and I was quick on my (5) _______ . I
inspired modern players like Andre Agassi, who plays a similar game to mine (although I think he’s
much more emotional).
These days I live in Monaco and I have my own label of clothes and sportswear. I still play tennis
and enjoy competing against my old rivals when I (6) _______ the chance.
13
Inside Out
The Beautiful Game -Teacher’s Notes
th
The English Football Association was formed in London on October 26 , 1863. At first there wasn't
much interest in the game, but all of that seems to have changed recently. This worksheet marks the
birthday of the FA with a potted history of the game.
Level: Intermediate and above
How to use the lesson:
 Elicit from your students where they think the game of football started.
 Divide the c lass into two groups, A and B. Give one copy of Worksheet A to each st udent in
Group A and one copy of Worksheet B to each student in Group B.
 Tell y our st udents they have the sam e text, but there is som e information m issing from each
worksheet. Explain that they are goin g to ask a member of the other group som e questions to
help them complete the text, but first they need to prepare the questions.
 Ask the students to work with another member of the same group to prepare and write down the
questions they need to ask to complete the text.
 When all the students have prepared their questions, ask a student from Group A to work with a
student from Group B. They should take it in turns to a sk and answer the questions th ey have
prepared and write the answers in the spaces in their texts.
 When both students have finished asking and answering, allow them to compare worksheets.
 Check answers in open class.
Suggested questions:
1. Who was the game of football invented by?
2. When did a group of London clubs agree to follow them (the schoolmaster’s rules)?
3. What did the group call themselves?
4. What did the Chinese call the game?
5. What does tsu cha mean?
6. What was the ball made of?
7. Who enjoyed playing a game which they called pheninda?
8. What was the Roman game called?
9. When did Japanese Imperial society play kemari?
10. What does kemari mean?
11. What was in the middle of each wall?
12. When did Marco Polo visit China?
13. What did Marco Polo bring back from China?
14. Where was calcio developed?
15. Who tried to ban the game?
16. Who was the headmaster of Uppingham School?
For more work on subject/object questions see Unit 1 of Inside Out Intermediate Student's Book.
2. Related Websites
http://www.the-fa.org/
The official website of the Football Association
http://www.fifa.com/
International footballing organisation
http://www.fifa.com/wc/2002/index_E.html
14
Inside Out
Beautiful Game
Complete the questions at the bottom of the page. Then ask your partner the questions
and complete the text.
The game of football was invented by 1)__________ . Or
was it? Certainly today’s game follows the rules which
were written by a schoolmaster nearly 150 years ago. On
October 26th, 1863, a group of London clubs agreed to
follow them. This group called themselves
3)___________ .
So, the rules of today’s game were started by the
English, but what about the origins of the game itself?
The earliest form of the game was played in China in
200 BC. The Chinese called the game tsu chu, which
means 5)__________ . The ball, which was made of
animal skin, was kicked between two 10-metre bamboo
poles to score a goal.
About two hundred years later, in 4 BC, 7)__________
enjoyed playing a game which they called pheninda. In
this game, players could kick, run with and handle the
ball.
Soon afterwards came the Romans. Their game was
called hapastum. The object of the game was for teams
to kick and throw the ball to each other while moving
forward and eventually throw it beyond the opponents’
goal-line to score a goal.
In 9)__________ , Japanese Imperial society played
kemari, which means kick ball. Eight players kicked
the ball to each other on a square playing ground.
There were no goalposts or teams (so no winners and
losers) because this was a ceremony for the emperor
rather than a competition.
In Mexico and Central America in 600 AD, the
creation of the rubber ball brought about a game played
on a court with a tall wall at each end. In the middle of
each wall was a 11)__________ . A goal was scored by
kicking or throwing the ball through the ring.
In the 13th century, Marco Polo visited China. He is
thought to have met a Japanese kemari player there
who explained kemari to him. As we know, Marco
Polo brought back 13)__________ from China,
changing the Italian diet forever, but did he also bring
back the game of football? Who knows, but we do
know a game called calcio (from the verb calciare
meaning kick) was developed in Florence, Italy in the
15th century.
In England, although the game was played as far back
as the 12th century, it was a mob sport and people were
often injured or killed. For hundreds of years,
15)__________ tried to ban the game, without success.
In the 19th century, public schools like Eton, Harrow,
Rugby and Uppingham adopted ball games to
encourage team spirit and discipline. The game
developed by Rugby school is now named after the
school (rugby), but it was the headmaster of
Uppingham School, called Edward Thring, who wrote
down the first set of football rules. These rules lead to
the foundation of The Football Association and today’s
game is based on them.
So, clearly the rules may have originated in
England, but the game has been around for a
lot longer.
Write the questions.
1 Who _______________________________________________________________________?
3 What ______________________________________________________________________?
5 What ______________________________________________________________________?
7 Who _______________________________________________________________________?
9 When ______________________________________________________________________?
11 What ______________________________________________________________________?
13 What ______________________________________________________________________?
15 Who ______________________________________________________________________?
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The Beautiful Game
WORKSHEET B
Complete the questions at the bottom of the page. Then ask your partner the questions
and complete the text.
The game of football was invented by the English. Or was
it? Certainly today’s game follows the rules which were
written by a schoolmaster nearly 150 years ago. On
2)__________ , a group of London clubs agreed to follow
them. This group called themselves The Football
Association.
So, the rules of today’s game were started by the
English, but what about the origins of the game itself?
The earliest form of the game was played in China in
200 BC. The Chinese called the game 4)__________ ,
which means kick ball. The ball, which was made of
6)__________ , was kicked between two 10-metre
bamboo poles to score a goal.
About two hundred years later, in 4 BC, the Greeks
enjoyed playing a game which they called pheninda. In
this game, players could kick, run with and handle the
ball.
Soon afterwards came the Romans. Their game was
called 8)__________ . The object of the game was for
teams to kick and throw the ball to each other while
moving forward and eventually throw it beyond the
opponents’ goal-line to score a goal.
In about 500 AD, Japanese Imperial society played
kemari, which means 10)__________ . Eight players
kicked the ball to each other on a square playing
ground. There were no goalposts or teams (so no
winners and losers) because this was a ceremony for
the emperor rather than a competition.
In Mexico and Central America in 600 AD, the
creation of the rubber ball brought about a game played
on a court with a tall wall at each end. In the middle of
each wall was a stone ring. A goal was scored by
kicking or throwing the ball through the ring.
In 12)__________ , Marco Polo visited China. He is
thought to have met a Japanese kemari player there
who explained kemari to him. As we know, Marco
Polo brought back pasta from China, changing the
Italian diet forever, but did he also bring back the game
of football? Who knows, but we do know a game
called calcio (from the verb calciare meaning kick)
was developed in 14)__________ in the 15th century.
In England, although the game was played as far back
as the 12th century, it was a mob sport and people were
often injured or killed. For hundreds of years kings and
queens tried to ban the game, without success. In the
19th century, public schools like Eton, Harrow, Rugby
and Uppingham adopted ball games to encourage team
spirit and discipline. The game developed by Rugby
school is now named after the school (rugby), but it
was the headmaster of Uppingham School, called
16)__________ , who wrote down the first set of
football rules. These rules lead to the foundation of The
Football Association and today’s game is based on
them.
So, clearly the rules may have originated in
England, but the game has been around for a
lot longer.
Write the questions.
2. When_____________________________________________________________?
4. What_____________________________________________________________?
6. What_____________________________________________________________?
8. What_____________________________________________________________?
10.What_____________________________________________________________?
12. When____________________________________________________________?
14. Where___________________________________________________________?
16. Who_____________________________________________________________?
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Inside Out
Manchester United – Teacher’s Notes
The subject of this lesson is one of the world’s most famous and best supported
football clubs: Manchester United.
Level
Pre-intermediate and above (equivalent to CEF level A2-B1 and above)
1. Ask your students if they like football, and if so, why. Ask them to name what they
consider the most popular and/or successful football clubs in the world, and to say
what they know about them. Brainstorm on the subject of Manchester United, asking
the students to list all the things and people they associate with the club.
2. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet A and give them five to ten
minutes to read through it, encouraging them to look up new vocabulary. Note that
some of the words that might be new are not in the glossary because they form part of
Exercise 1.
3. Hand out Worksheet B, divide the students into pairs and ask them to do Exercise
1, in which they have to match the words from the text on Worksheet A with the
definitions.
5. Keeping the students in their pairs, hand out Worksheet C and ask them to do the
crossword.
7. If you want you could also draw attention to some of the features of British English
in the text – for example the use of ‘match’ rather than ‘game’, the possibility of using
‘manager’ rather than ‘coach’ in a football context, and the frequent treatment of
sports teams as plurals (‘United have more fans’, etc).
Answers:
Exercise 1
1. D 2. F 3. H 4. N 5. A 6. J 7. B 8. L 9. M 10. C 11. G 12. E
13. I 14. K
Exercise 2
1. big 2. stadium 3. Germany 4. player 5. won
8. English 9. millions 10. hold 11. founded
6. played
7. Liverpool
If the sentences have been completed correctly, Gary Neville will read from top to
bottom.
pages.
nd
2 Edition © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007 and the Macmillan Essential Dictionary © Macmillan Publishers
Limited 2003 www.macmillandictionaries.com
17
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2. Related Websites
http://www.manutd.com
The official Manchester United website. Intermediate level and above.
A BBC Newsround interview (2009) with David Beckham. Challenging for preintermediate level.
A Newsround article (October 2009) previewing a match between Manchester United
and Liverpool, including a short video of Manchester schoolchildren predicting the
score. Challenging for pre-intermediate level.
pages.
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Inside Out
Manchester United - Glossary
championship noun [count]
a competition to find the best player or team in a sport or game
the World Chess Championships
a chance of phrasal verb
the possibility that something will happen
For the first time in 15 years, they have a realistic chance of winning an election.
crowd noun [count]
a large number of people in the same place
The boys disappeared into the crowd.
cup noun [count]
a sports competition in which the prize is a large metal cup
the team’s victory in the World Cup
fan noun [count]
someone who likes watching or listening to something such as a sport, films, or music very much, or
who admires a famous or important person very much
a crowd of noisy football fans
footballer noun [count]
someone who plays football, especially as their job
have heard of [phrasal verb]
to know about the existence of someone or something
‘The author’s name was James Bomford.’ ‘Never heard of him!’
hold verb [transitive]
to be able to fit an amount of something inside
The stadium holds 80,000 people.
mean verb
to refer to someone or something when you are talking, looking, pointing etc at them
No, I don’t mean her – I mean the tall woman.
refer to verb [transitive]
to mention someone or something when you are speaking or writing
Even as a boy he referred to his father as Steve.
stadium noun [count]
a large building, usually without a roof, where people watch sports events such as football matches or
races
a baseball/football stadium
successful adjective
used about a business or project that makes a lot of money
He described them as the most successful guitar band of the decade.
win [past tense = won]
to defeat everyone else by being the best or by finishing first in a competition
Celtic must win by three goals to reach the semifinal
pages.
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Inside Out
Manchester United
WORKSHEET A
Many English football teams have the word United in their name, but by far the most famous is
from the northern city of Manchester and plays in red shirts and white shorts. When football fans
refer to Manchester United just as ‘United’, as they often do, other fans always know who they
mean.
It’s possible that United have more fans than any other football team in the world. Their stadium,
Old Trafford, holds around 75,000 people and is full for almost every match. It’s also true that tens
of millions of people around the world watch their matches on TV, and that when they play
friendlies thousands of miles away in Asia or Africa (as they have done in recent years in July or
August, before the English football season starts) the crowds are always very big.
The club was founded back in 1878 and has had a successful history. It has won the English
championship eighteen times (the same number as Liverpool, their biggest rivals) and the European
Champions’ League (previously the European Cup) three times.
A well-known tragedy in United’s history was when many of their best players died in a plane crash
in Munich, Germany, in 1958. It seemed the club might not recover, but ten years later, in 1968,
they became the first English team to win the European Cup.
United’s best players in their great team of the late 1960s included Bobby Charlton (probably the
most famous English footballer of the 1960s) and George Best (who some say was the best player
who never played in a World Cup – the reason was that he was from Northern Ireland, a country
that never qualified for the World Cup during his career).
United were not so good in the 1970s and 80s but have been very successful again since the 1990s
under their Scottish manager Alex Ferguson. In the 1990s the best players included Eric Cantona, a
Frenchman who was very popular with the fans, and David Beckham, who even people who hate
football have heard of.
United’s best player at the moment is perhaps the 24-year-old English forward Wayne Rooney. He
is so good that some fans think England have a chance of winning if he plays, but no chance if he
gets injured.
nd
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012. Definitions from the Macmillan English Dictionary 2 Edition © Macmillan
Publishers Limited 2007 and the Macmillan Essential Dictionary © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2003
20
Inside Out
Manchester United
worksheet
B
Exercise 1
Match the words (1-14) from the text on Worksheet A with the definitions (A-N).
1
rival
A
game
2
found
B
an accident that happens when a moving vehicle hits something
3
tragedy
C
the years of a person’s life when they are working
4
injured
D
a person, team or business that competes with another
5
match
E
in or from the north of a country
6
qualify
F
to start an organization, company, club, etc
7
crash
G
coach; someone who trains a sports team
8
forward
H
a very sad event that causes people to suffer or die
9
recover
I
a period of the year when a particular sport is played
10 career
J
to reach a particular stage of a competition by doing well at an
earlier stage
11 manager
K
a game that is not part of a competition and is therefore probably
less serious or important
12 northern
L
a player in a game such a football or hockey whose job is to
attack the other team and score goals
13 season
M
to get better or stronger after a difficult period or experience
14 friendly
N
hurt in an accident or an attack
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Inside Out
Manchester United
WORKSHEET C
Complete the crossword below. If all the words are correct, the name of the current Manchester
United captain will read from top to bottom.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1. ___________ crowds have watched Manchester United play friendlies in Asia and Africa.
2. United’s ___________ is called Old Trafford.
3. The 1958 plane crash happened in ___________.
4. Wayne Rooney is a very good ___________.
5. United ___________ the European Cup for the first time in 1968.
6. Eric Cantona and David Beckham ___________ for United in the 1990s.
7. ___________ have won the English championship eighteen times.
8. George Best was not ___________.
9. Many ___________ of people watch United’s matches on TV.
10. Old Trafford can ___________ very large crowds.
11. United was ___________ in the nineteenth century.
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Inside Out
Lionel Messi – Teacher’s Notes
This lesson is about Lionel Messi, the 23-year-old Argentinian footballer who is the biggest star in
the Barcelona team and is widely seen as having the potential to be the greatest player of all time.
Level
1. Presuming some of the students will be interested in football, ask them who they think is/are the
best player(s) in the world, and why. Brainstorm on the subject of Lionel Messi: how much do the
students know about him? You might want to introduce some football-related vocabulary, including
words that come up in the text – goal, score, shot, dribble, etc.
2. Give your students between five and ten minutes to read through Worksheet A, encouraging them
to look up new vocabulary. Note, however, that many of the words that might be new are not in the
glossary because they form part of Exercise 1.
3. Give each student a copy of Worksheet B, then divide the class into pairs and ask students to
work together to do Exercise 1, in which they have to find the words to match the definitions.
5. Ask the students to turn over their copies of Worksheet A or to give them back to you
temporarily. Then, keeping the students in their pairs, hand out Worksheet C and ask them to move
on to Exercise 2, in which one word has been omitted from each line of the text. With no indication
of what the words were, or any gaps to show exactly where they have been taken from, how many
of the words can the students remember and replace? This is not a test of memory alone, however:
the students should be able to draw on their grammatical and lexical knowledge, and you should
also point out that both the glossary and the students’ correct answers to Exercise 1 on Worksheet B
should be of some use. Award a point for each word that is correctly replaced. (You could perhaps
award half a point if the students come up with a word that fits the sentence but is not actually the
original word, such as child instead of boy for number 24.)
Answers:
Exercise 1
1. stocky 2. goal 3. compatriot 4. diagnose 5. string 6. stands
7. napkin 8. potential 9. crucial 10. sign 11. impression 12. at first sight
14. dart 15. coach
13. limpet
Exercise 2
1. minute 2. between 3. goal 4. to 5. metres 6. scored 7. victory 8. won
9. old 10. has 11. Brazilian 12. Argentinian 13. greatest 14. Born
15. his 16. run 17. ball 18. string 19. is 20. team 21. fan 22. gave
23. touched 24. boy 25. not 26. parents 27. doctors 28. happened 29. Spain 30. the 31.
piece 32. contract
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Inside Out
2. Related websites
http://www.lionel-messi.co.uk/
A fans’ website on the subject of Lionel Messi, including quotes and recent news items. Accessible
to Intermediate level.
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/
The official UEFA Champions League (European football) website. Accessible to Intermediate
level.
http://www.fifa.com/
The official FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) website. Accessible to
Intermediate level.
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Inside Out
Lionel Messi – Glossary
athletic adjective
physically strong, active, and good at sports
a tall athletic-looking man
award noun [countable]
a prize or other reward that is given to someone who has achieved something
She won the Player of the Year award.
contract noun [countable]
LEGAL a written legal agreement between two people or businesses that says what each must do for
the other or give to the other
After six months she was offered a contract of employment.
deficiency noun [countable/uncountable]
a lack of something that your body needs
anaemia caused by iron deficiency
expert noun [countable]
someone who has a particular skill or who knows a lot about a particular subject
a safety/health/computer expert
fan noun [countable]
someone who likes watching or listening to something such as a sport, films, or music very much,
or who admires a famous or important person very much
a crowd of noisy football fans
growth hormone noun [countable]
BIOLOGY a hormone that helps the process of growth in animal and plant cells. In animals, it is
produced in the pituitary gland.
heir noun [countable]
the next person to have a particular job or to continue someone’s work or ideas
the heirs to Mussolini’s fascist regime
medal noun [countable]
a small flat piece of metal that you are given for winning a competition or doing something very
brave
She won a silver medal in swimming.
muscular adjective
very strong and attractive, with muscles that have been developed through exercise
He was tall, blond, and muscular.
opposition, the noun [uncountable]
a person, team, business, or group that someone is competing against
The opposition scored a goal in the last seconds of the game.
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physique noun [countable]
the shape of someone’s body, especially a man’s
a strong physique
professional adjective
playing a sport or doing an activity as a job rather than for enjoyment
a professional actor/photographer
score verb [intransitive/transitive]
to get a point in a game or sport
No one scored in the first half.
shot noun [countable]
an act of throwing, hitting, or kicking a ball, or a ball that has been thrown, hit, or kicked
They didn’t manage to get a single shot at our goal.
trial noun [countable/uncountable]
the process of testing a product, plan, or person over a period of time
The drug is now undergoing clinical trials.
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Inside Out
Lionel Messi
WORKSHEET A
Wembley Stadium, London, 28th May 2011, the 54th minute of the Champions League final
between Barcelona and Manchester United – and the ball, again, was with Lionel Messi, this time
about 25 metres from the United goal. United players had been sticking to him like limpets, but
now, losing concentration for a moment, they gave him a couple of metres of space. They shouldn’t
have: a dart forward, a fierce shot, and Messi had scored Barcelona’s crucial second goal in what
would eventually be a 3–1 victory.
And so Messi won his third Champions League winners’ medal, to add to two FIFA World Player
of the Year awards. Not bad for someone still only 23 years old.
Most football experts say Messi has the potential to become the best footballer of all time – a title
they usually give either to the Brazilian Pelé (who played at the highest level from the late 1950s to
the early 70s) or the Argentinian Diego Maradona (late 70s to mid-90s). Some have even suggested
he is already the greatest ever.
Born in Argentina in 1987, Messi is not only Maradona’s compatriot but has occasionally been
described as his heir. There are certainly similarities: Messi is also short (1.70 metres) and has an
incredible ability to dribble – he can run around or through the opposition with the ball under his
control, almost as if it were tied to his boot with invisible string. There are physical differences,
however: whereas Maradona was very stocky, Messi is not particularly muscular; indeed, he
doesn’t even look particularly athletic. When he got into the Barcelona first team at the age of 17, at
first sight he looked less like a professional footballer than a teenage fan who had come onto the
pitch from the stands. But he gave a different impression as soon as he touched the ball.
There is a very good reason for Messi’s physique. As a boy in Argentina he was diagnosed with
growth hormone deficiency and doctors believed he might not grow taller than 1.5 metres. His
parents could not afford the expensive hormone treatment the doctors recommended, so they
desperately hoped a major football club, seeing his potential, would sign him and agree to pay for it.
That is exactly what happened when, in 2000, the 13-year-old Messi flew to Spain to have a trial
with Barcelona. The coach watching the trial was so amazed that he wanted Messi to join the club
immediately, but he didn’t have a contract for him to sign. In fact, he didn’t even have a piece of
paper. The solution? Messi’s first contract with Barcelona was written on a napkin.
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Lionel Messi
WORKSHEET B
Exercise 1
Here are some simple definitions for words that appear in the text on Worksheet A. Find the words
they refer to and fill in the gaps.
1. s _ _ c _ _ (adjective): physically strong and powerful without being tall
2.
_ _ _ l (noun): the net or structure that players try to get the ball into in sports such as football
and hockey; or the point or points that you get by putting the ball into it
3. c _ m _ a _ _ _ _ _ (noun): someone who is from the same country as you
4. d _ _ _ _ _ _ e (verb): to find out what physical or mental problem someone has by examining
them
5. _ _ _ i _ g (noun): thin rope, used for tying things together
6. st _ _ _ s (plural noun): a part of a sports stadium where people sit or stand to watch a match or
event
7. _ _ pk _ _ (noun): a piece of cloth or paper used for protecting your clothes and wiping your
mouth and hands while you are eating
8. p _ t _ _ _ _ _ _ (noun): the possibility to develop or achieve something in the future
9. c _ _ _ _ _ l (adjective): extremely important
10. _ ig _ (verb): to write your full name on a document to show that you agree with what is written
in it; or to officially employ someone to work for a particular organisation
11. _ _ _ _ _ ss _ _ n (noun): the opinion that other people have about you because of the way that
you look, speak, or behave
12. a _ f _ _ _ _ s _ _ _ _ (phrase): when you first see something or find out about something,
before you know more details
13. l _ _ _ e _ (noun): a small sea animal that has a shell and sticks tightly to rocks
14. d _ _ t (noun): a sudden, quick, short movement
15. _ _ _ ch (noun): someone who trains a sports player or team
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Lionel Messi
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 2
One word has been taken out of each line of the text: how many of the missing words can you
remember and replace?
(1) Wembley Stadium, London, 28th May 2011, the 54th of the Champions League
(2) final Barcelona and Manchester United – and the ball, again, was with Lionel
(3) Messi, this time about 25 metres from the United. United players had been
(4) sticking him like limpets, but now, losing concentration for a moment, they gave (5) him a
couple of of space. They shouldn’t have: a dart forward, a fierce shot,
(6) and Messi had Barcelona’s crucial second goal in what would eventually be a
(7) 3–1.
(8) And so Messi his third Champions League winners’ medal, to add to two FIFA
(9) World Player of the Year awards. Not bad for someone still only 23 years.
(10) Most football experts say Messi the potential to become the best footballer of all (11) time – a
title they usually give either to the Pelé (who played at the highest
(12) level from the late 1950s to the early 70s) or the Diego Maradona (late
(13) 70s to mid-90s). Some have even suggested he is already the ever.
(14) in Argentina in 1987, Messi is not only Maradona’s compatriot but has
(15) occasionally been described as heir. There are certainly similarities: Messi is also (16) short
(1.70 metres) and has an incredible ability to dribble – he can around or (17) through the opposition
with the under his control, almost as if it were tied to his
(18) boot with invisible. There are physical differences, however: whereas
(19) Maradona was very stocky, Messi not particularly muscular; indeed, he doesn’t (20) even look
particularly athletic. When he got into the Barcelona first at the age of
(21) 17, at first sight he looked less like a professional footballer than a teenage who (22) had come
onto the pitch from the stands. But he a different impression as soon (23) as he the ball.
(24) There is a very good reason for Messi’s physique. As a in Argentina he was
(25) diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency and doctors believed he might grow (26) taller than
1.5 metres. His could not afford the expensive hormone treatment
(27) the recommended, so they desperately hoped a major football club, seeing his
(28) potential, would sign him and agree to pay for it. That is exactly what when,
(29) in 2000, the 13-year-old Messi flew to to have a trial with Barcelona. The coach (30) watching
trial was so amazed that he wanted Messi to join the club immediately, (31) but he didn’t have a
contract for him to sign. In fact, he didn’t even have a of (32) paper. The solution? Messi’s first
with Barcelona was written on a napkin.
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Inside Out
The Olympic Games – Teacher’s Notes
We mark the occasion with a quiz and a text which look at both the Ancient and the Modern
Olympic Games.
Level
Good Intermediate and above
1. Brainstorm what your students know about The Olympic Games (where they started,
how old they are etc.). Don’t offer any answers at this stage.
2. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet A and ask them to choose an answer
from the three possibilities for each question. If students aren't sure of the answers,
encourage them to make a guess.
3. Check answers in open class, but don't give any answers at this stage.
4. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet B and ask students to read the text
and check the answers to the questions on Worksheet A.
Answers
1. a
2. d
3. b
4. b
5. b
6. a
7. c
8. b
9. c
10. c
2. Related Websites
http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp
the official website of the Olympic Movement
http://www.collectors.olympic.org/e/fimo/fimo_mascots_e.html
Olympic mascots down the years
http://www.fhw.gr/olympics/ancient/index.html
a detailed history of the Olympics from ancient Olympia to Athens of 1896
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ancientgreece/main_menu.shtml
a much lighter look at ancient Greece from the BBC
nd
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012. Definitions from the Macmillan English Dictionary 2 Edition ©
Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007 and the Macmillan Essential Dictionary © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2003
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The Olympic Games
1.
When were the first Ancient
Olympics held?
a) 776 BC
b) 76 BC
c) 76 AD
d) 776 AD
2. Where were they held?
a)
Olympus
b)
Sparta
c)
Athens
d)
Olympia
3. The Games were held in honour of
a)
Apollo.
b)
Zeus.
c)
Athena.
d)
Poseidon.
4. The Ancient Games took place every
a)
year.
b) four years.
c) five years.
d) seventy years.
5.
The prize for winning an event was
a) five gold rings.
b) a crown of wild olive branches.
c) a gold medal.
d) five goats.
6.
When were the first Modern
Olympics held?
1896
1908
1920
1924
a)
b)
c)
d)
WORKSHEET A
8.
The five Olympic rings represent
a) the winner’s five gold rings.
b) the five continents.
c) the five events of the Pentathlon.
d) the winner’s five goats.
9.
Finish this sentence “The important
thing in these games is…
a) … not to take part but to win.”
b) … to make friends around the world.”
c) … not to win but to take part.”
d) … to take drugs and not be caught.”
10. The Olympic motto ‘Citius, altius,
fortius’ means
a) A lemon a day keeps the doctor away
b) My country is the best
c) Swifter, higher, stronger
d) Forty people from each country
7. Where were they held?
a)
Antwerp
b)
Amsterdam
c)
Athens
d)
London
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The Olympic Games
WORKSHEET B
The Ancient Olympics
The first recorded Olympic Games were an altogether more modest affair than those of today,
consisting of just one event, the stadion foot race. The year was 776 BC and the location was
Olympia in western Greece, not to be confused with Olympus, which is a mountain in north-east
Greece and thought to be the home of the Gods.
The origins of the Games are shrouded in the mythology of Ancient Greece – some say Herakles
(or Hercules) was responsible for them, others say Pelops (a Lydian prince) started them, but all
agree that the Games were started up to honour Zeus, king of the Gods. The Games were held
every four years from the beginning and each Olympiad saw additions to the events. The
Pentathlon consisted of five events; the long jump, the stadion race, discus throwing, javelin and
wrestling, but this only appeared seventy years after the first Olympiad.
Before the start of the first Olympiad, King Iphitos of Elis (a city-state of Olympia) was ordered
by the Delphic Oracle to plant an olive tree to symbolise peace among the cities and states of
Ancient Greece. It was from this tree that the winners’ wreaths were taken over the five days of
the Games.
The Games were abolished in 393 AD by the Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I after
1,170 years. If the present day Olympics last as long, they will still be held in 3066 AD.
The Modern Olympics
Around 1,500 years after the Ancient Olympics were abolished; a Frenchman named Baron de
Coubertin decided to reinstate the Games as a means of providing friendship and understanding
between nations. The first Modern Olympics were held in Athens in 1896, but it wasn’t until 1920,
in Antwerp, that the Olympic rings made their debut on the flag. The five rings are thought to
symbolise the five continents; Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America, and it is widely
believed that the colours of the rings (blue, black, red, yellow and green) were chosen because at
least one of them can be found in the flag of every nation.
At the 1908 London Games, Bishop Ethelbert Talbot impressed Baron de Coubertin with his
speech to the Olympic athletes when he declared “The important thing in these Games is not to
win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”
Baron de Coubertin adopted the first part of this speech as the creed for the Games which now
appears on the scoreboard during the opening ceremony.
As well as providing the games with a creed, Baron de Coubertin also adopted the motto “Citius,
altius, fortius” from his father’s school motto. It means “Swifter, higher, stronger”, a sentiment
that athletes from all over the world aspire to achieve. In some cases athletes are so set on doing
the best they can that they take performance-enhancing drugs, which push their bodies to their
physical limits. However, officials at the Games have stated that any evidence of drug-taking
will be met with immediate disqualification and, to show they mean what they say, daily tests are
being carried out on athletes.
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Winter Olympic – Teacher’s Notes
The subject of this lesson is the Winter Olympic Games, which last took place in Vancouver,
Canada, in February 2010.
Level
1. Brainstorm on the subject of the Winter Olympics (though at this stage try not to say too
much about the three sports described in the lesson) and ask your students what they know
about the 2010 Games that took place in Canada in February. Do your students generally find
the winter or the summer Olympics more interesting? If any of your students have ever
participated in any of the sports that form part of the Winter Olympics, encourage them to
describe their experiences to the rest of the class.
2. Divide your students into pairs, then hand out Worksheet A and give them five to ten
minutes to read through it. Encourage them to look up new vocabulary. Can they identify
which three sports really do exist, and are part of the Winter Olympics, and which one has
been made up? Also ask them to try to match the three real sports to their correct names.
Answers: The real sports are 1 (skeleton), 3 (biathlon) and 4 (curling). Sport number 2 was
made up, as was the name ‘iceball’.
Ask your students if they have ever seen skeleton, biathlon or curling on TV, and if so, what
they think of them. If they correctly identified number 2 as the non-existent sport, ask them
what influenced their choice.
4. Ask the students to turn over their copies of Worksheet A or to hand them back to you
temporarily. Keeping the students in their pairs, ask them to attempt Exercise 1 on Worksheet
B, which contains the text about skeleton, biathlon and curling from Worksheet A with
twenty incorrect words that they have to identify and correct. The words containing the
mistakes are all in bold, as are five other words that are correct. Point out that the mistakes are
all grammatical or lexical, and that no correction requires them to write more than one
additional word.
6. Keeping students in their pairs, tell them that for the final exercise they are going to look at
some statements decide if they are true or false. They are then going to have to ‘bet’ anything
from 10 to 50 points on their guesses.
7. Give each pair a copy of Worksheet C, and ask them to read and discuss the statements. In
the first column after the statement they should write T (true) or F (false). In the second
column they have to write the number of points they are willing to bet on their answer (10
points if they are forced to guess, going up to 50 if they are very confident about the answer).
8. After the pairs have given their answers, it’s time to score. Each pair calls out their answer
and how many points they have bet. If they have answered correctly, students enter their
points in the final column (points won). If they have answered incorrectly, they should enter
their points in the third column (points lost). At the end, students subtract the total of the third
column from the total of the fourth column to give the total number of points they have won.
The pair with the most points wins
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Answers:
Exercise 1
1. downward 2. curves 3. one at a time 4. crash 6. per 7. quickest
8. made up of 9. skiing 10. Carrying 11. on 13. fire 14. miss 15. added
16. finishes 17. on 20. objective 22. brushes 23. sweep 24. moving 25. alter
Words in bold that are correct: 5. well 12. flat 18. along 19. circular 21. released
Exercise 2
1. False. There is a women’s competition as well as a men’s.
2. True.
3. True.
4. False. They wear shoes, albeit with special soles to allow them to grip on the ice.
5. False. It was a Norwegian.
6. True.
7. True. The gold medal winner, a Canadian, averaged a little over 50 seconds for his
four descents.
8. False. Britain won one medal: a gold in the women’s skeleton.
9. True. Norway was in fourth place in the medals table, behind the United States,
Germany and Canada.
10. False. Australia was represented at the Games, but the women’s curling
champions were Sweden.
2. Related Websites
http://www.vancouver2010.com/paralympic-games/
Official website of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Intermediate
level and above.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/default.stm
A section of the BBC Sport website on the 2010 Winter Olympics, which includes
articles and video reports on the skeleton, biathlon and curling competitions.
Intermediate level and above.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article7034697.ece
An article from the Times on Amy Williams’ gold medal win for Great Britain in the
women’s skeleton event. Challenging for intermediate level.
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The Winter Olympics– Glossary
alter verb [transitive]
to make something or someone different
clothing noun [uncountable]
clothes of a particular type
outdoor/protective/waterproof clothing
competitor noun [countable]
someone who takes part in a sports competition
Over 30,000 competitors will run in the New York marathon.
crash helmet noun [countable]
a hard round hat that you wear to protect your head while driving a motorcycle or racing car
fire verb [intransitive/transitive]
if a weapon fires, or if someone fires it, someone uses it to shoot
goal noun [countable]
the net or structure that you try to get the ball into in games such as football and basketball
goalkeeper noun [countable]
the player whose job is to stop the ball going into the goal in games such as football
ice rink noun [countable]
a large flat area of ice inside a building, where people can go to ice-skate
individual adjective
existing or considered separately from other people or things
kick verb
to hit someone or something with your foot
objective noun [countable]
something that you plan to achieve, especially in business or work
one at a time phrase
used for saying how many people or things there are in each group or on each occasion
Deal with each question separately, one at a time.
opponent noun [countable]
someone who is competing against you
You’re facing a much more experienced opponent in tomorrow’s match.
protective adjective
providing protection against something harmful or dangerous
protective clothing/goggles
release noun [countable/uncountable]
the act of moving a piece of equipment from the position that it is held in
rifle noun [countable]
a large gun with a long barrel that you hold against your shoulder to fire
skate noun [countable]
a type of shoe with a thin metal blade on the bottom, used for moving quickly on ice
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slope noun [countable]
a surface for people to ski on
a new indoor ski slope
stick noun
a long thin piece of wood used for hitting or carrying something in a sport
a hockey stick
sweep verb [intransitive/ transitive]
to clean a floor, the ground, or another surface using a broom brush with a long handle
target noun [countable]
an object that you have to hit in a game or a sport
Few players managed to get their shots on target.
team noun [countable]
a group of people who play a sport or a game against another group can be followed by a singular or
plural verb
a football/hockey/basketball team
throw verb [intransitive/transitive]
to use your hand to send an object through the air
track noun [countable]
a piece of ground used for racing
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The Winter Olympics
WORKSHEET A
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which took place in Vancouver, Canada, were
watched by a huge TV audience around the world. However, in many countries some
of the sports in the Winter Olympics are not very well known because few people
play them. Apart from during the Games, they rarely appear on TV. Below are
descriptions of three sports in the Winter Olympics, plus one imaginary sport: can you
identify the three real sports and then match them with their names?
curling
biathlon
iceball
skeleton
1. This is an individual sport in which competitors travel on flat sleds along a
downward-sloping track of ice. The track has some curves and is also narrow, so
competitors go down one at a time, not together. Wearing crash helmets, the
competitors lie on the sleds with their heads at the front. Most of them travel at well
over 100 kilometres per hour on most parts of the track. The winner is the person who
gets to the bottom of the track in the quickest time.
2. This is a team sport played with a hard leather ball (slightly larger than a tennis
ball) on a rectangular ice rink about 60 metres in length. There is a goal at each end of
the rink. The two teams each have eight players, who all wear skates and protective
clothing. The five ‘defensive’ players (including one goalkeeper) carry sticks, the
three ‘offensive’ players do not. The objective is for the offensive players to throw or
kick the ball into their opponents’ goal, while the defensive players try to stop the ball
using either their sticks or any part of their bodies.
3. This is an individual sport made up of skiing and rifle shooting. Carrying their
rifles on their backs, competitors ski a long distance (up to 20 kilometres) on a snowcovered route that is mostly flat. They have to stop in various places to fire their rifles
at targets: whenever they miss a target there is a time penalty, which means some time
is added on to the time they take to reach the end of the route. The winner is the
competitor who finishes in the quickest time, including penalties.
4. This is a team sport played on ice. The teams slide stone discs, weighing about
20kg, along the ice towards a target, which is a circular area on the ice about 30
metres from where the discs leave the players’ hands. The objective is to get the
stones to stop as close to the middle of the target as possible. The players can’t touch
the stones after they have released them, but they are allowed to use brushes to sweep
the ice in front of the moving disc, as this can alter its speed and direction.
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The Winter Olympics
WORKSHEET B
Exercise 1
Most of the text from Worksheet A has been copied below, but now contains some
mistakes. Twenty of the words in bold are incorrect, and five are correct. Decide
which are incorrect, and correct them.
Skeleton
This is an individual sport in which competitors travel on flat sleds along a
(1) downword-sloping track of ice. The track has some (2) coves and is also narrow,
so competitors go down (3) one in the time, not together. Wearing (4) crush helmets,
the competitors lie on the sleds with their heads at the front. Most of them travel at
(5) well over 100 kilometres (6) por hour on most parts of the track. The winner is the
person who gets to the bottom of the track in the (7) quick time.
Biathlon
This is an individual sport (8) made up (9) ski and rifle shooting. (10) Carry their
rifles (11) in their backs, competitors ski a long distance (up to 20 kilometres) on a
snow-covered route that is mostly (12) flat. They have to stop in various places to
(13) fly their rifles at targets: whenever they (14) mass a target there is a time penalty,
which means some time is (15) add on to the time they take to reach the end of the
route. The winner is the competitor who (16) finish in the quickest time, including
penalties.
Curling
This is a team sport played (17) in ice. The teams slide stone discs, weighing about
20kg, (18) along the ice towards a target, which is a (19) circular area on the ice
about 30 metres from where the discs leave the players’ hands. The (20) adjective is
to get the stones to stop as close to the middle of the target as possible. The players
can’t touch the stones after they have (21) released them, but they are allowed to use
(22) bushes to (23) sweat the ice in front of the (24) mover disc, as this can
(25) alternate its speed and direction.
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The Winter Olympics
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 2
Decide if the following statements about the Winter Olympics are true (T) or false
(F), then bet a minimum of 10 points up to a maximum of 50 on your choice.
T/F
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Points Points Points
bet
lost
won
The skeleton competition at the Winter
Olympics is only for men, as it is considered
too dangerous for women.
Canada won more gold medals than any other
country at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Some of the countries that compete in the
Winter Olympics have very little snow or ice:
Brazil and Ghana are two examples from 2010.
Curlers (players in curling) wear ice skates.
The winner of the men’s individual biathlon at
the 2010 Winter Olympics was a Brazilian.
The United States won more medals (gold,
silver or bronze) than any other country in
2010.
The gold medal winner in the men’s skeleton
competition in 2010 went down the 1.4kilometre track in less than one minute.
Britain did not win any medals in 2010.
Norway was among the top ten countries in
2010 in terms of its total number of medals
(gold, silver or bronze).
The winner of the women’s curling
competition in 2010 was Australia.
Total points lost and won
Final total (subtract total points lost from total points won)
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Inside Out
The Bicycle – Teacher’s Notes
This worksheet focuses on one of history’s most useful and popular inventions – the
bicycle. There is some dispute as to who invented it, but the American W K Clarkson,
who patented a rudimentary two-wheeled form of transport in New York on June 26th
1819, has one of the strongest claims to the honour.
Level
Intermediate and above
1. Divide the students into pairs and get them to find out their partners’ ‘cycling
history’ – i.e. if they’ve ever owned a bicycle, how old they were when they learned
to ride, etc.
2. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet A and ask them to choose an
answer from the three possibilities for each question. In some cases the students will
probably have to take a guess.
3. Check the answers in open class, but don’t give any answers at this stage.
4. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet B and ask students to read the
text and check the answers to the questions on Worksheet A.
Answers
1. c 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. c 6. c 7. b 8. c 9. b
2. Related Websites
http://www.lcc.org.uk/
Website of the London Cycling Campaign, which seeks to make the city a ‘world
class cycling capital’.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/default.stm
Cycling section from BBC Sport website – mainly contains information on the
professional racing circuit, including the Tour de France.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4513929.stm
From the BBC website, an article about the 2005 poll in which Radio 4 listeners
chose the bicycle as the most useful human invention since 1800.
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The Bicycle
WORKSHEET A
1. No one is really sure when the bicycle was invented, but it was probably in one of two
years. Which?
a) 1682 or 1684
b) 1757 or 1759
c) 1817 or 1819
2. Why didn’t early bicycles look much like today’s models?
a) They only had one wheel.
b) The wheels were different sizes.
c) They were made of wood.
3. Which of the following statements is true?
a) It wasn’t possible to cycle uphill until the 1890s.
b) Bicycles didn’t have pedals until the 1920s.
c) The bicycle chain was invented in the 1870s.
4. Which of the following statements is true?
a) Cycling was banned in Shanghai, China, in 2003.
b) Not many people cycle in developing countries.
c) In London in 2005, fewer than 50 cyclists were killed in accidents involving cars.
5. Which of the following statements is false?
a) There are about one billion bicycles in the world today.
b) About 20% of the world’s bicycles are in China.
c) More than 90% of the world’s bicycles are in Africa.
6. Which of the following statements is false?
a) There are more bicycles in the world than cars.
b) Bicycles create less pollution than cars.
c) Most of the world’s governments are trying hard to get people to travel by bicycle instead
of by car.
7. According to experts, which of the following is not an explanation for the recent increase
in bicycle use in London?
a) People want to keep fit.
b) People have more money, so they can afford to buy good bicycles.
c) Travelling by car is often slower than travelling by bicycle.
8. In The Netherlands, what percentage of journeys are made by bicycle?
a) Less than 5%
b) 5–10%
c) More than 25%
9. What was Lance Armstrong’s amazing achievement?
a) Cycling to work every day for twenty years.
b) Winning the Tour de France seven times.
c) Cycling all the way around the world.
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WORKSHEET B
The Bicycle
You might be surprised to know that bicycles have existed for less than two hundred
years. No one is sure who invented this popular two-wheeled machine, but it was
probably either the German Karl von Drais, in 1817, or the American W K Clarkson,
in 1819.
The early models didn’t look much like the bicycles of today. The front wheel was
much bigger than the back one, and also there weren’t any pedals – riders had to
move themselves forward by pushing their feet against the ground.
Pedals finally arrived in the 1840s, and in 1879 an Englishman named Henry Lawson
had the idea of connecting them to the back wheel with a chain. Gears, which made
things much easier for those cycling uphill, first appeared in the 1890s.
There are now approximately one billion bicycles in the world – more than twice the
total number of cars – and they are the main form of transport in some developing
countries. They have to compete with cars on the streets of all the world’s cities, and
the two forms of transport don’t always mix well. In London in 2005, for example,
over 300 cyclists were either killed or seriously injured in accidents involving cars.
Even though bicycles are much more environmentally friendly than cars, most
governments don’t do much to encourage people to ride rather than drive. In China,
which is famous for having a huge number of bicycles (about 200 million), the
authorities in the city of Shanghai even banned cycling for a while in 2003.
Cycling is on the rise is the United Kingdom, and the number of annual journeys
made by bike in London has increased 50% over the last five years. Experts say there
is a mixture of reasons for this boom: concerns about the environment, the desire to
keep fit, and also the fact that cycling is often not only cheaper but also quicker than
travelling by car.
However, although one in three British adults owns a bicycle, they still don’t use
them nearly as much as they could. Bikes are used for a mere 2% of journeys in the
UK, while the figure for The Netherlands is an impressive 27%.
Cycling is becoming more popular as a competitive sport, and the most famous race is
of course the three-week Tour de France, which takes place every July. American
Lance Armstrong won this event every year from 1999 to 2005 – one of the greatest
individual sporting achievements of all time.
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Extreme Sports – Teacher’s Notes
The subject of this lesson is extreme sports. One of the greatest ever feats in surfing was
achieved by the American ‘big wave’ pioneer Greg Noll, who rode what is considered to
be the largest wave ever paddled into, in Hawaii on 4th December 1969.
Level
1. Brainstorm on the subject of extreme sports, asking students what they understand by
the term, and what examples they can think of. What do they think motivates practitioners
of extreme sports? Are there any they would like to try?
2. Hand out Worksheet A and give students five to ten minutes to read through the text,
encouraging them to look up new vocabulary.
3. When the time is up, divide students into pairs and hand out copies of Worksheet B, in
which they have to answer two different types of comprehension question and then find
antonyms.
5. Keeping the students in their pairs, hand out Worksheet C in which stXG ents have to
read a list of state ments and decide whether or not they have been written in correc t
English. (The only errors the statem ents might contain are gramm atical or lexical. Note
also that a c ouple of the correct sentences contain examples of informal English.) In th e
first column, after the statement, they should write Y for Yes if they think the English is
entirely satisfactory , or N for No if the\
think the state ment contains o ne or more
mistakes. In the second colum n they have to write the nu mber of points th ey are willing
to ‘bet’ on their answe r (10 points if they are forced to guess, going up to 50 if the y are
very confident). As the sentences include vocabulary and grammatical structures from the
main text, try to ensure that students attempt it without referring back to Worksheet A.
6. After the pairs have given their answers, it’s time to score. Each pair calls out their
answer and how many points they have bet. If they have answered correctly, students
enter their points in the final column (points won). If they have answered incorrectly they
should enter their points in the third column (points lost). In each of the cases where a
statement contains a mistake, ask one of the students who answered correctly to explain
why the statement is incorrect, and what the necessary corrections would be. At the end,
students subtract the total of the third column from the total of the fourth column to give
the total number of points they have won. The pair with the most points wins.
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Answers
Part A
1. For about twenty years.
2. Because he started wanting bigger challenges.
3. She has received prize money by winning competitions.
4. Her instructor.
5. F 6. T 7. D 8. D 9. D 10. T 11. F 12. T 13. T 14. T 15. D
16. massive
17. beauty
18. achievement
19. abroad
20. instructor
Part B
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No. Climbing a mountain gives you a fantastic sense of achieve achievement.
4. Yes
5. No. I could never go skydiving – I’d be too scary scared.
6. No. Have you ever tried surf surfing?
7. Yes
8. Yes
9. Yes
10. No. My dream is to be able to make my life living from surf surfing.
11. Yes
12. Yes
2. Related Websites
A short text from BBC Newsround in which a British thirteen-year-old explains why she
enjoys surfing. Accessible to pre-intermediate level.
A short text on snowboarding, again from BBC Newsround, with links to two other texts.
Accessible to pre-intermediate level.
http://www.trymysport.co.uk/extreme_sports_courses_experiences/extreme_sports_exper
iences.htm#surfing
A commercial site offering brief descriptions of various extreme sports. Challenging for
pre-intermediate level.
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Extreme Sports – Glossary
adrenaline noun [uncount]
a chemical produced by your adrenal glands that makes your heart beat faster and gives you more
energy when you are frightened, excited, or angry
attached adjective
joined or fixed to something
To take advantage of this offer please complete the attached forms.
battle noun [count]
a situation in which different people or groups compete with each other in order to achieve something
or get an advantage
a boardroom battle
challenge noun [count/uncount]
something that needs a lot of skill, energy, and determination to deal with or achieve
I was bored with my job and felt I needed a new challenge.
concentrate verb
to give all your attention to the thing you are doing
Stop talking and concentrate on your work.
exhilaration noun [uncount]
the feeling of being extremely happy, excited, and full of energy
hooked adjective
if you are hooked on something, you find it so attractive or interesting that you want to do it as much as
possible
ignore verb
to not consider something, or to not let it influence you
We had ignored the fact that it was getting darker.
into preposition
interested in a subject or activity
Suddenly she’s into yoga and things like that.
living noun [singular]
money that you earn to live on
She makes a living as a music teacher.
magical adjective
full of a mysterious quality that is enjoyable or attractive
It was a truly magical evening.
mate noun [count]
a friend
He’s over there, talking to his mates.
parachute noun [count]
a large piece of cloth joined to heavy strings, used by someone jumping out of a plane
peak noun [count]
the top of a mountain
snow-covered peaks
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prize noun [count]
a reward that you get for being successful in a sport, competition, or game
rock noun [count]
a large piece of stone that rises up from the ground the Rock of Gibraltar
scared adjective
frightened, or worried
scenery noun [uncount]
natural things such as trees, hills, and lakes that you can see in a particular place
Switzerland has some spectacular scenery.
skydiving noun [uncount]
the sport of jumping out of a plane and falling for as long as possible before opening your parachute
snowboarding noun [uncount]
the activity or sport of riding a snowboard
solo adjective
done by one person alone, without any help
his first solo flight
surfing noun [uncount]
a sport in which people ride over waves on surfboards
talent noun [count/uncount]
a natural ability for being good at a particular activity
She had an obvious talent for music.
thrill noun [count]
a sudden feeling of being very excited and pleased
the thrill of visiting a new city
wave noun [count]
a line of water that rises up on the surface of a sea, lake, or river
worth adjective
used for saying that there is a good enough reason for doing something, because it is important,
enjoyable, useful etc
The book is definitely worth reading.
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Extreme sports
WORKSHEET A
James
I’ve been really into surfing for more than fifteen years. I started learning in England,
then I began going on surfing holidays abroad with my mates – we went to Bali in
Indonesia, and also South Africa.
After that I started wanting bigger challenges, so five years ago I decided to try the
really big waves in Hawaii. Of course they can be dangerous and you have to
concentrate one hundred percent, but it’s worth it for the thrill you get when you’re
riding them. It’s a magical feeling, like flying above the ocean, and for those few
seconds you totally forget everything else in your life.
Susan
Part of me had always wanted to try skydiving, but I was really scared the first time.
The worst bit was just before I jumped out of the plane – I wanted to be back on the
ground, not 4,000 metres up in the air. Of course, as a beginner you don’t do it on
your own – you’re attached to the instructor who opens the parachute for you. Falling
through the air at 180 kilometres per hour is a massive adrenaline rush. That first time
was five years ago, and since then I’ve done more than twenty solo jumps.
Mike
Mountains offer a challenge I find impossible to ignore. I started climbing about
twenty years ago, and I’ve now climbed three of the highest five peaks in Europe. Of
course it can be dangerous, and I’ve had some scary moments, but the sense of
achievement when you reach the top is amazing. When you’re pulling yourself up that
wall of rock it feels like you’re in a battle against nature – it’s not a feeling you can
get from anything in everyday life.
Teresa
I became hooked on snowboarding the very first time I tried it. I soon realized I had a
natural talent for it, and it wasn’t long before I was winning competitions and getting
a bit of prize money. My dream is to be able to make my living just from boarding, so
I now take three months off work every winter and concentrate on improving my
technique.
I’d recommend boarding to anyone. The exhilaration of going down the mountain,
plus the beauty of the scenery – it’s just fantastic.
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Extreme sports
WORKSHEET B
A
Answer the questions.
1. How long has Mike been climbing mountains?
2. Why did James decide to go surfing in Hawaii?
3. How has Teresa already earned money from snowboarding?
4. Who opened the parachute during Susan’s first skydive?
Now decide whether the following statements are true (T), false (F), or if the text
doesn’t say (D).
5. Teresa doesn’t have a job.
6. Susan has done more than ten skydives without an instructor.
7. Mike has climbed more than twenty mountains in Europe.
8. Teresa gives snowboarding lessons.
9. Mike has climbed the highest mountain in Europe.
10. James surfed in Bali before he went to Hawaii.
11. Susan has always felt relaxed before jumping out of the plane.
12. James doesn’t think about anything else when he’s riding big waves in Hawaii.
13. Mike has sometimes been frightened while mountain climbing.
14. Teresa is trying to get even better at snowboarding.
15. Susan did about ten skydives with an instructor.
Now can you find the words in the text that mean the opposite
of the following?
16. tiny
17. ugliness
18. failure 19. in your own country 20. learner
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Extreme sports
WORKSHEET C
B
Decide whether or not the following statements have been written in correct English.
Then bet a minimum of 10 points up to a maximum of 50 on your choice.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Yes/No Points Points Points
bet
lost
won
For the last five years I’ve been really into
snowboarding.
The adrenaline rush you get from surfing is
amazing.
Climbing a mountain gives you a fantastic
sense of achieve.
My mates love snowboarding, but I’ve never
really enjoyed it.
I could never go skydiving – I’d be too scary.
Have you ever tried surf?
When you’re climbing a mountain you have
to concentrate one hundred percent on what
you’re doing.
Surfing can be dangerous, but when you’re
riding the wave it’s a magical feeling.
I know someone who has climbed the highest
three peaks in Europe.
My dream is to be able to make my life from
surf.
My brother is a skydiving instructor.
He has a natural talent for snowboarding.
Total points lost and won
Final total (subtract total points lost from total points won)
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Inside Out
Basketball – Teacher’s Notes
This week’s lesson is about basketball, which some claim to be the world’s most
popular sport – ahead of football – in terms of the number of people who play it
regularly.
Level
1. Ask your students what sports they particularly like (or dislike), and why? What do
they think of basketball? How popular is it in their country? What famous basketball
teams/players have they heard of?
2. Give your students between five and ten minutes to read through Worksheet A,
encouraging them to look up new vocabulary. Note that a few of the words that might
be new are not in the glossary because they form part of Exercise 1.
3. Give each student a copy of Worksheet B, then divide the class into pairs and ask
students to work together. In Exercise 1 they have to find the words to match the
definitions and in Exercise 2 they must answer the true/false/doesn’t say questions.
5. Divide the students into two teams, A and B, and give each team the corresponding
part of Worksheet C. The students have to refer back to Worksheet A and formulate
ten questions based on the information using the words in the boxes. They will then
put these questions to the other team as part of a quiz.
The teams must use the exact words in the boxes, and avoid asking the same question
more than once. The words in most of the boxes can be used to create more than one
question, and words such as ‘When’ and ‘Why’ obviously offer various possibilities.
If one team asks a question the other team was going to ask, the other team has to
think quickly to formulate an alternative question. Impose a time limit in which the
teams have to formulate their questions. If a team is unable to create ten questions, the
other team should receive a point for each missing question – e.g. if Team A can only
create eight questions, Team B gets two points.
6. When the quiz begins, make it clear that the teams can no longer refer back to
Worksheet A. The two teams take it in turns to ask and answer questions. Award one
point for each grammatically correct question and for each correct answer. Award
zero points for questions containing mistakes, repeated questions and incorrect
answers. When both teams have asked all their questions, the team with the most
points wins.
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Answers:
Exercise 1 (definitions)
1. popular 2. court 3. star
7. medal 8. indoors
4. audience
Exercise 2 (true/false/doesn’t say)
1. D 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. F
7. D
5. bounce
6. team
8. T
Exercise 3
Students’ own answers
2. Related Websites
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball
The entry for basketball in Simple English Wikipedia. Challenging for preintermediate level.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/basketball/default.stm
The basketball section of the BBC Sport website. Intermediate level and above.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/2466485
/Barack-Obama-suffers-basketball-injury.html
A short article from the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph on perhaps the world’s
most famous basketball player – Barack Obama. Intermediate level and above.
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Basketball – Glossary
according to prepostion
used for saying where information or ideas have come from
According to newspaper reports, fighting has broken out in the northern provinces.
active adjective
full of busy activity
beat verb
to defeat someone in a game, competition, election, or battle
England needed to beat Germany to get to the final.
billion
the number 1,000,000,000
bottom noun [count]
the lowest part of something
The page had a line missing from the bottom.
competition noun [count]
an organized event in which people try to win prizes by being better than other people
a competition to find a name for the new project
create verb
to make something new or original that did not exist before
How do I create a new file?
dribble verb
to move forwards with a ball by kicking or bouncing it several times in games such as football and
basketball
estimate noun [count]
an amount that you guess or calculate using the information available
It is difficult to obtain an accurate estimate of how many tigers are left.
exist verb
to be present in a particular place, time, or situation
There is no evidence that life exists on other planets.
fit adjective
healthy, strong, and able to do physical exercise without getting very tired
foreign adjective
from another country, or in another country
Do you speak any foreign languages?
gold noun [uncount]
a valuable yellow metal used for making jewellery
height noun [count/uncount]
the distance that something is from the ground or from the floor, or from a fixed level such as the sea
What height do you want the picture at?
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hole noun [count]
a space in the surface of something that goes partly or completely through it
All my socks have holes in them.
invent verb
to design or create something such as a machine or process that did not exist before
Alfred Nobel invented dynamite.
league noun [count]
a group of teams or players who regularly compete against one another, put in order according to how
many points they have won
the Italian first-division football league
population noun [count]
the number of people who live in a particular area
Los Angeles has a population of over 3 million.
regularly adverb
frequently
He travels to Paris fairly regularly.
throw verb
I’ll throw the ball and you try to catch i
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Inside Out
Basketball
WORKSHEET A
What is the most popular sport in the world? Most people would probably say
football, because of the many millions who play it and the even larger number who
watch it on television. There are some, however, who say the correct answer is
basketball – not because of its TV audience, which is certainly smaller than that for
football, but because the number of people who regularly play the game might be
higher (at least 300 million according to most estimates). In China, for example,
which has a population of 1.3 billion, more people play basketball than football, and it
is becoming more popular all the time.
Basketball has existed for less time than some of the world’s other major sports. It
was invented in the early 1890s by a Canadian, James Naismith, working at a college
in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Wanting to create a game that could
be played indoors during the long winters but would also be active enough to keep
people fit, he had the idea of two teams of players trying to throw a ball into a basket
that was above their heads.
Early basketball looked different from the game today: for example the basket didn’t
have a hole in the bottom, so every time a player threw the ball in, someone had to go
up to get it out again! Another difference is dribbling, which is when a player in
modern basketball bounces the ball off the floor while moving across the court: it
didn’t exist in early basketball because the balls didn’t bounce well enough.
One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the height of the baskets: James Naismith
put the first one 10 feet (3.05 metres) off the floor, and that’s where they’ve stayed.
The biggest international TV audiences in modern basketball are for games in the
National Basketball Association (NBA) in North America, a league of thirty teams
(twenty-nine from the United States and one from Canada) including famous names
such as the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Most of the
players in the NBA are American but there are also some foreign stars such as Yao
Ming from China and Dirk Nowitzki from Germany.
The United States has usually been the strongest team in international basketball
competitions. In the last Olympic Games, in Beijing in 2008, the US men’s and
women’s teams both won gold medals – the men beat Spain in the final and the
women beat Australia.
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Basketball
WORKSHEET B
Exercise 1
Here are some simple definitions for words that appear in the text on Worksheet A.
Find the words they refer to and fill in the gaps.
1. A p _ _ _ _ _ _ (adjective) thing, place or activity is one that many people like.
2. A c _ _ _ _ (noun) is an area marked with lines where some sports (e.g. basketball,
tennis) are played
3. _ t _ _ (noun): someone very famous and popular (e.g. an actor or sports player)
4. An _ _ _ _ _ _ ce (noun) is a group of people who watch or listen to something
(e.g. a film or a show)
5. b _ _ _ _ _ (verb): to hit the surface of something and then move away (e.g. a ball
moving through the air, hitting the ground, then moving through the air again)
6.
_ _ _ m (noun): a group of people who play a sport or a game against another
group
7. _ _ _ _ l (noun): a small flat piece of metal, often circular, that you might get for
winning a competition
8. _ _ d _ _ _ s (adverb): inside a building (e.g. a house)
Exercise 2
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesn’t
say (D).
1. Basketball was invented after tennis.
2. The height of the baskets in basketball has changed many times.
3. More people watch basketball on TV than football.
4. There are some players in the NBA who are not American or Canadian.
5. Basketball was invented before 1900.
6. Australia was in the men’s basketball final in the 2008 Olympic Games.
7. The best team in the NBA is the Los Angeles Lakers.
8. The baskets in early basketball were different from in modern basketball.
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Basketball
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 3
Team A
Using the information in the text on Worksheet A, make questions using the words in
the boxes. Use only one box for each question, and don’t repeat any questions. When
you have prepared the questions, Team B will have to answer them as part of a quiz.
Where
all the time
Dirk
Nowitzki
most of the
players
How many
Boston
strongest
dribbling
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Team B
Using the information in the text on Worksheet A, make questions using the words in
the boxes. Use only one box for each question, and don’t repeat any questions. When
you have prepared the questions, Team A will have to answer them as part of a quiz.
Where NBA
How many
Chicago
height
not have
beat
league
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Inside Out
Rugby – Teacher’s Notes
This lesson is about a sport that is hardly played at all in some countries but is
enormously popular in others: rugby.
Level
1. Brainstorm on the subject of rugby. If it is not widely played in your students’
country, ask them if they have ever seen it on TV, and if so, what they thought of it.
Do they know the differences between rugby and football, where in the world rugby is
most popular, or where rugby was invented?
2. Divide the class into two groups, A and B. Give one copy of Worksheet A to each
student in Group A along with the corresponding part of Worksheet C, and one copy
of Worksheet B to each student in Group B with the corresponding part of
Worksheet C.
3. Tell your students they have the same text on rugby but that different information is
missing from each worksheet. Explain that they are going to ask a member of the
other group some questions to help them complete the text, but first they need to
prepare the questions.
4. Give the students at least ten minutes to read through the text and check any new
vocabulary, then give them at least another ten minutes to work together in their
groups to prepare and write down the questions they need to ask in order to complete
the text. Monitor this activity to make sure that the students are formulating the
questions correctly (see suggestions below) and provide prompts if necessary.
5. When all the students have prepared their questions, divide them into pairs so that
each student from Group A is working with a student from Group B. They should
take it in turns to ask and answer the questions they have prepared and write the
answers in the spaces in the text. Tell students not to look at their partner’s text.
6. When both students have finished asking and answering, allow them to compare
worksheets. Then check answers in open class.
7. Keeping the students in their pairs, ask them to turn over their copies of Worksheet
A/B, or to hand them back to you temporarily. Then ask them to attempt Exercise 2
on Worksheet D, which contains the text from Worksheet A/B but with 25 mistakes:
their task is to identify and correct these mistakes. Point out that no line of text
contains more than one mistake, that the mistakes are all grammatical or lexical, and
that no correction requires them to write more than one additional word.
8. Check answers in open class. You could also hand out copies of Worksheet E,
which contains the full text with the 25 corrections in bold.
Answers:
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Exercise 1 (questions/answers)
1. How many fans does rugby have around the world? (many millions)
2. What is the old saying about rugby? (‘a ruffians’ game played by gentlemen’)
3. What kind of game is rugby? (physically tough and occasionally violent)
4. What kind of environment was rugby developed in? (an ‘upper-class’ environment)
5. Where is rugby said to have been invented? (on the playing fields of Rugby school)
6. When is rugby said to have been invented? (in the 1820s)
7. How many main forms of rugby are there? (two)
8. How many players are there in a rugby team (in the more widespread form of the
game)? (fifteen)
9. About how long is a rugby pitch (in the more widespread form of the game)? (100
metres)
10. About how wide is a rugby pitch (in the more widespread form of the game)? (70
metres)
11. What might someone watching rugby for the first time find difficult to
understand? (what’s going on)
12. What shape is a rugby ball? (oval)
13. What can rugby players do as well as kicking the ball? (pick up, carry and throw
the ball)
14. How are the opposing players allowed to stop a player who is carrying the ball
forwards? (by pulling him to the ground)
15. How many points are there / do rugby teams get for a ‘try’? (five)
16. Where does the attacking player put the ball for a ‘try’? (down on the ground,
behind the line at the end of the pitch.)
17. Whose national teams are always among the best in the world? (Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa)
18. What does rugby have every four years? (a World Cup competition)
19. Who did South Africa beat in the 2007 World Cup final? (England)
20. Why are New Zealand known as the ‘All Blacks’? (because of their black shirts,
shorts and socks)
Exercise 2 (correcting the 25 mistakes)
See Worksheet E.
2. Related Websites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/default.stm
The rugby union section of the BBC Sport website. Intermediate level and above.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_union
The rugby entry in Simple English Wikipedia. Appropriate for intermediate level.
http://www.iloverugby.com/
A website describing itself as ‘the complete guide to rugby’. Intermediate level and
above.
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Rugby – Glossary
colony noun [count]
a country that is controlled by another country
a former British colony
competition noun [count]
They should have a good chance of winning the competition.
complicated adjective
difficult to do, deal with, or understand, especially because of involving a lot of different processes or
aspects
The situation seems to be getting more and more complicated.
hardly adverb
used for saying that something is almost not true or almost does not happen at all
He hardly spoke except to say hello.
empire noun [count]
a number of countries ruled by one person or government
the Ottoman Empire
environment noun [count]
the conditions and influences in which people carry on a particular activity
Parents are responsible for providing the right environment for their children to grow and learn in.
expansion noun [uncount]
the process of increasing in size and filling more space
exclusive adjective
very expensive, and therefore available only to people who have a lot of money
an exclusive shop/restaurant
favourite noun [count]
the person or animal that is expected to win a race or competition
Chelsea are favourites to win the Premiership.
gentleman noun [count]
a man who is always polite and honest and considers other people’s needs
Everyone always said that James was a real gentleman.
home [team]
the place where a sports team is based and plays most of its games. A team that is playing at home is
called the home team.
United are playing at home tonight.
indicate verb
to show that something will happen, is true, or exists
A survey indicated that 89 per cent of people recycle paper.
major adjective
important, serious, large, or great
opponent noun [count]
someone who is competing against you
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oval adjective
with a shape like a long narrow circle
an oval table
ruffian noun [count]
someone who acts in a threatening and violent way
saying noun [count]
a well-known statement about what often happens in life
‘Tomorrow’s another day,’ she said, repeating one of her many sayings.
score verb
to get a point in a game or sport
No one scored in the first half.
spectacular adjective
extremely impressive
We had a spectacular view of the coastline from the plane.
spread
to gradually affect or cover a larger area
Within less than an hour, the fire had spread to the fuel stores.
widespread adjective
happening or existing in many places, or affecting many people
the widespread use of antibiotics
pitch noun
a flat area of ground for playing particular sports on.
a football/cricket/rugby pitch
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Rugby
WORKSHEET A
Rugby is a sport that has (1) _________________ of fans around the world, even though
there are some countries in which it is hardly played at all.
The old saying that rugby is ‘a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen’ was always partly a
joke but it does indicate two things: first that rugby is a (3) _______________
_____________________________ game (although it can also be beautiful and
spectacular), and second that it was developed in an ‘upper class’ environment. Indeed, its
name comes from the fact that it is said to have been invented on the
(5) ______________________________, an exclusive private school in England, in the
1820s.
There are now (7) ______ main forms of rugby, the more widespread of which is played
by two teams of fifteen players on a grass pitch about (9) _____ metres long and 70
metres wide.
It’s probably fair to say that the rules are more complicated than those of football and that
someone watching it for the first time might sometimes find it difficult to understand (11)
________________________.
The basic idea, however, is for each team to move the oval-shaped ball towards the end of
the pitch defended by their opponents. The players can (13) _______________
___________________ as well as kicking it (although they can only throw it backwards
or sideways, not forwards), and when a player is carrying the ball forwards the opposing
players are allowed to stop him by pulling him to the ground.
There are different ways to score points but the highest number ((15) ______) is for a
‘try’, which is when an attacking player manages to get through the defending players to
put the ball down on the ground behind the line at the end of the pitch.
As with football and cricket, rugby spread around the world in the nineteenth century with
the expansion of the British Empire. The game is popular in the ex-British colonies of (17)
_____________________________________ – three countries whose national teams are
always among the best in the world. Not all the major rugby nations are English-speaking,
though: France are one of the best teams and Argentina – better known for football, of
course – have also been doing well.
Like football, rugby has a World Cup competition that takes place every four years. The
last one was in 2007, in France, when the champions were South Africa, who beat (19)
__________ 15-6 in the final. The next World Cup will be in New Zealand in 2011, when
the home team – known as the ‘All Blacks’ because of their black shirts, shorts and socks
– will probably be the favourites.
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Rugby
WORKSHEET B
Rugby is a sport that has many millions of fans around the world, even though there are
some countries in which it is hardly played at all.
The old saying that rugby is ‘(2) ______________________________________’ was
always partly a joke but it does indicate two things: first that rugby is a physically tough
and occasionally violent game (although it can also be beautiful and spectacular), and
second that it was developed in an (4) _____________ environment. Indeed, its name
comes from the fact that it is said to have been invented on the playing fields of Rugby
school, an exclusive private school in England, in (6) ______.
There are now two main forms of rugby, the more widespread of which is played by two
teams of (8) __________ players on a grass pitch about 100 metres long and
(10) _____ metres wide.
someone watching it for the first time might sometimes find it difficult to understand
what’s going on.
The basic idea, however, is for each team to move the (12) _______-shaped ball towards
the end of the pitch defended by their opponents. The players can pick up, carry and throw
the ball as well as kicking it (although they can only throw it backwards or sideways, not
forwards), and when a player is carrying the ball forwards the opposing players are
allowed to stop him by (14) __________________________.
There are different ways to score points but the highest number (five) is for a ‘try’, which
is when an attacking player manages to get through the defending players to put the ball
(16) _________________________ behind the line at the end of the pitch.
As with football and cricket, rugby spread around the world in the nineteenth century with
the expansion of the British Empire. The game is popular in the ex-British colonies of
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – three countries whose national teams are
always among the best in the world. Not all the major rugby nations are English-speaking,
Like football, rugby has a (18) ________________________ that takes place every four
years. The last one was in 2007, in France, when the champions were South Africa, who
beat England 15-6 in the final. The next World Cup will be in New Zealand in 2011, when
the home team – known as the ‘All Blacks’ because of
(20) __________________________________ – will probably be the favourites.
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Rugby
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 1
Team A
Write questions to find out the missing information in the text on Worksheet A.
1. How many _________________________________________________________ ?
3. What kind ________________________________________________________ ?
5. Where _____________________________________________________________ ?
7. How many ________________________________________________________ ?
9. About how ________________________________________________________ ?
11. What _____________________________________________________________ ?
13. What _____________________________________________________________ ?
15. How many ________________________________________________________ ?
17. Whose ___________________________________________________________ ?
19. Who _____________________________________________________________ ?
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Team B
Write questions to find out the missing information in the text on Worksheet B.
2. What is ____________________________________________________________ ?
4. What kind __________________________________________________________ ?
6. When _____________________________________________________________ ?
8. How many ________________________________________________________ ?
10. About how _______________________________________________________ ?
12. What _____________________________________________________________ ?
14. How _____________________________________________________________ ?
16. Where ____________________________________________________________ ?
18. What _____________________________________________________________ ?
20. Why _____________________________________________________________ ?
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Rugby
WORKSHEET D
Exercise 2
The text from Worksheet A has been copied below, but now contains 25 mistakes – can
you find and correct them?
Rugby is a sport that has many millions of fans around the world, even there are some
countries in which it is hard played at all.
The old say that rugby is ‘a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen’ was always partly a joke
but it does indicate two things: first that rugby is a physically though and occasionally
violent game (although it can also be beautiful and spectacle), and second that it was
develop in an ‘upper class’ environment. Indeed, its name comes from the fact that it is
said to have been invented on the playing fields of Rugby school, an excluse private
school in England, in the 1820s.
There are now two main forms of rugby, the more spread of which is played by two teams
of fifteen players on a grass pitch about 100 metres longs and 70 metres wide.
It’s probably fare to say that the rules are more complicated than those of football and that
what’s going up.
The base idea, however, is for each team to move the oval-shaped ball towards the end of
the pitch defended by their opposants. The players can pick up, carry and throw the ball as
well as kicking it (although they can only throw it backwards or side, not forwards), and
when a player is carrying the ball forwards the opposing players are allowed to stop him
by pull him to the ground.
There are different ways to core points but the highest number (five) is for a ‘try’, which is
when an attacking player manages to get through the defending players to put the ball
down on the ground behind the line at the end of the patch.
As with football and cricket, rugby read around the world in the nineteenth century with
the expansion of the British Empire. The game is popular in the ex-British colons of
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – three countries whose national teams are
always among the best in the world. Not all the minor rugby nations are English-speak,
Like football, rugby has a World Cup compet that takes place every four years. The last
one was in 2007, in France, when the champions were South Africa, who won England
15-6 in the final. The next World Cup will be in New Zealand in 2011, when the home
team – know as the ‘All Blacks’ because of their black shirts, shorts and sacks – will
probably be the favourites.
This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. 64
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Rugby
WORKSHEET E
Rugby is a sport that has many millions of fans around the world, even though there are
some countries in which it is hardly played at all.
The old saying that rugby is ‘a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen’ was always partly a
joke but it does indicate two things: first that rugby is a physically tough and occasionally
violent game (although it can also be beautiful and spectacular), and second that it was
developed in an ‘upper class’ environment. Indeed, its name comes from the fact that it is
said to have been invented on the playing fields of Rugby school, an exclusive private
school in England, in the 1820s.
There are now two main forms of rugby, the more widespread of which is played by two
teams of fifteen players on a grass pitch about 100 metres long and 70 metres wide.
what’s going on.
The basic idea, however, is for each team to move the oval-shaped ball towards the end of
the pitch defended by their opponents. The players can pick up, carry and throw the ball
as well as kicking it (although they can only throw it backwards or sideways, not
forwards), and when a player is carrying the ball forwards the opposing players are
allowed to stop him by pulling him to the ground.
There are different ways to score points but the highest number (five) is for a ‘try’, which
is when an attacking player manages to get through the defending players to put the ball
down on the ground behind the line at the end of the pitch.
As with football and cricket, rugby spread around the world in the nineteenth century
with the expansion of the British Empire. The game is popular in the ex-British colonies
of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – three countries whose national teams are
always among the best in the world. Not all the major rugby nations are Englishspeaking, though: France are one of the best teams and Argentina – better known for
football, of course – have also been doing well.
Like football, rugby has a World Cup competition that takes place every four years. The
last one was in 2007, in France, when the champions were South Africa, who beat
England 15-6 in the final. The next World Cup will be in New Zealand in 2011, when the
home team – known as the ‘All Blacks’ because of their black shirts, shorts and socks –
will probably be the favourites.
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Darts – Teacher’s Notes
The subject of this week’s lesson is darts, the popular pub game that is played by around
ten per cent of British population and which has also become a highly competitive
professional sport.
Level
Upper intermediate and above (equivalent to CEF level B2 and above)
1. Ask your students to name as many indoor games or sports as they can in English. Ask
them what indoor games/sports they associate with Britain. What, if anything, do they
know about darts? (Pictures of darts, dartboards and darts players might be helpful at this
point.) Are there any popular games in your students’ country that are similar to darts in
any way? If any of your students have ever played darts, ask them to describe the game to
the rest of the class.
2. Give your students between five and ten minutes to read through Worksheet A,
encouraging them to look up new vocabulary. Tell them they are going to answer a series
of questions on the text, but that they shouldn’t write anything down at this stage.
3. Divide the students into pairs and hand out Worksheet B. Ask them to work together to
complete the different types of comprehension questions in Exercises 1 and 2.
5. Next, ask the students to turn over their copies of Worksheets A and B or to hand them
back to you temporarily. Keeping the students in their pairs, ask them to attempt Exercise
2 on Worksheet C, which contains the text from Worksheet A with twenty incorrect words
that they have to identify and correct. The words containing the mistakes are all in bold, as
are five other words that are correct. Point out that the mistakes are all grammatical or
lexical, and that no correction requires them to write any additional words.
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Answers:
Exercise 1
1. D 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F 7. F 8. T 9. F 10. T 11. D 12. T
Exercise 2
1. Three.
2. They are the thin pieces of plastic attached to the tails of the darts, and they are
important because they allow the darts to fly well.
3. Around 2.5 metres.
4. When a player has just hit the treble 20 with three consecutive darts, achieving the
maximum possible score of 180.
5. It allows the darts to penetrate and yet doesn’t get damaged by them.
6. The Netherlands (or Holland) and Australia.
Exercise 3
2. prize 3. cheering 4. live 5. erupts 6. chatting 7. skills 8. compete
10. aforementioned 11. circular 13. contested 14. in 15. tails 18. punish
19. inaccurate 20. for 21. score 22. hitting 23. consecutive 24. roar 25. referee
Words in bold that are correct: 1. nicknamed 9. dominated 12. diameter
16. penetrate 17. corresponding
2. Related Websites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/darts/default.stm
The darts section of the BBC Sport website, which includes photographs, videos and lots
of information. Appropriate for upper intermediate level.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/golden-arrows-why-darts-is-booming430643.html
A long article (2007) from the Independent on ‘Why darts is booming’. Challenging for
upper intermediate level.
From BBC Newsround, one of four short texts (see links on right-hand side of page) on
the rudiments of darts. Quite easy for upper intermediate level.
http://www.bdodarts.com/
The official website of the British Darts Organisation. Intermediate level and above.
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Darts – Glossary
aforementioned adjective
mentioned before in an earlier part of a piece of writing
aim verb [intransitive]
to point an object you are throwing at something that you want to hit
arena noun [countable]
a large area that is surrounded by seats, used for sports or entertainment
championship noun [countable]
a competition to find the best player or team in a sport or game
chat verb [intransitive]
to talk in a friendly way
Who was that you were chatting to?
cheer verb [intransitive/transitive]
to give a loud shout of happiness or approval
compete verb [intransitive]
to try to win a competition
Ten teams will compete for the trophy.
consecutive adjective
following one after another in order and with nothing else in between
corresponding adjective
related to or connected with something
diameter noun [countable/uncountable]
a straight line that crosses a circle through the centre, or the length of this line
dominate verb [intransitive/transitive]
to play much better than your opponents in a game or sport
erupt verb [intransitive]
if a place erupts, there is suddenly a lot of noise as people start shouting, laughing, or fighting
fibre noun [countable/uncountable]
a type of cloth or other material made of fibres
natural fibres such as linen and cotton
guide
to carefully move a moving object so that it goes where you want it to go
inaccurate adjective
not accurate or correct
live adjective
a live television or radio programme can be watched or listened to at the same time as it
nickname noun [countable]
an informal name that your friends or family call you that is not your real name
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penetrate verb [intransitive/transitive]
to get inside an object or body by getting through something
prize noun [countable]
a reward that you get for being successful in a sport, competition, or game, or for being better than others at
something. Someone who has won a prize is called a prize winner
a professional actor/footballer/photographer
punish verb [transitive]
to make someone suffer as a result of something they have done
referee noun [countable]
someone whose job is to make sure that players in a game obey the rules
roar verb [intransitive]
if a crowd of people roar, they all shout at the same time because they are angry or excited
tail noun [countable]
the back part of something that is long or that consists of many parts
take it in turns phrase
if people take turns or take it in turns to do something, each of them does their share of it, one after the other
target noun [countable]
an object that you have to hit in a game or a sport
Few players managed to get their shots on target.
throw verb [intransitive/transitive]
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Darts
WORKSHEET A
The player, a 49-year-old Englishman nicknamed ‘The Power’, walks forward to the line
on the floor and looks at the target. He will win £200,000 in prize money if he can guide
the object between his fingers to a small area on the edge of the circular board in front of
him. The crowd in the indoor arena in London has spent most of the game shouting and
cheering, but now falls silent. A much bigger audience is watching live on TV, this being
one of the most popular televised sports in Britain. He throws, and the crowd erupts – he’s
world champion again!
Most people who have lived in Britain will know that the sport described above is darts.
The modern form of darts developed in Britain as a game people played in pubs while
having a drink and chatting to friends, and the local pub is still the place where most of
Britain’s darts players practise their skills. At least 6 million people – ten per cent of the
total population – play the game at least occasionally.
Since the 1970s darts has also been a serious professional sport, with world
championships in which players from more than 30 countries now compete. The most
important championships are usually dominated by British players, the most successful of
whom is the aforementioned Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, but Dutch and Australian players
have also done well in recent years.
The sport involves throwing pointed metal darts, from a distance of around 2.5 metres, at a
circular board (dartboard) with a diameter of about 45 centimetres. Games are usually
contested by two players, who take it in turns to throw three darts at the board. The darts
are usually around 15 centimetres in length and have very thin pieces of plastic (flights)
attached to their tails that allow them to fly well, while most dartboards are made of a
special fibre that allows the darts to penetrate and yet doesn’t get damaged by them.
The board is divided into sections, numbered 1 to 20, for which the players score a
corresponding number of points when they hit them with their darts. Low numbers are
usually next to high numbers so as to punish players who are inaccurate when aiming for a
high number. Within each of the 20 sections there is also a small ‘double’ and an even
smaller ‘treble’ (or ‘triple’) area: a player scores 20 points for hitting the double area of
the 10 section, for example, and 30 points for hitting the treble.
The maximum score with one dart is 60, achieved by hitting the treble 20. Good players
often achieve this, even though each treble section is less than one centimetre wide, and
professional players sometimes manage it with three consecutive darts, which always
brings a roar from the crowd and an excited shout of ‘one hundred and eighty!’ from the
referee.
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Darts
WORKSHEET B
Exercise 1
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesn’t say
(D).
1. Professional darts games are televised in lots of countries.
2. British players usually do well in the most important international darts championships.
3. Phil Taylor is English.
4. Few people in Britain play darts in pubs any more.
5. It is possible to score over 100 points with one dart.
6. Dartboards are usually made of wood.
7. The highest numbers are grouped together on one side of the dartboard.
8. Players from more than 30 countries try to earn money from playing darts.
9. Darts are made of plastic.
10. Every number on the dartboard has a ‘double’ and a ‘treble’ area.
11. A game of darts finishes when each player has thrown fifteen darts.
12. The treble 20 section is less than one centimetre wide.
Exercise 2
Answer the questions below.
1. How many darts does a player throw at the board before it is the other player’s turn?
2. What are flights, and why are they important?
3. How far away from the board are the players when they throw their darts?
4. When would a darts referee shout ‘one hundred and eighty!’?
5. What is special about the material dartboards are made from?
6. Apart from Britain, which two other darts-playing countries are mentioned in the text?
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Darts
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 3
The text from Worksheet A has been copied below, but contains some mistakes. Twenty
of the words in bold are incorrect, and five are correct. Decide which are incorrect, and
correct them.
The player, a 49-year-old Englishman (1) nicknamed ‘The Power’, walks forward to the
line on the floor and looks at the target. He will win £200,000 in
(2) size money if he can guide the object between his fingers to a small area on the edge of
the circular board in front of him. The crowd in the indoor arena in London has spent most
of the game shouting and (3) sheering, but now falls silent. A much bigger audience is
watching (4) alive on TV, this being one of the most popular televised sports in Britain.
He throws, and the crowd (5) rupts – he’s world champion again!
Most people who have lived in Britain will know that the sport described above is darts.
The modern form of darts developed in Britain as a game people played in pubs while
having a drink and (6) chapping to friends, and the local pub is still the place where most
of Britain’s darts players practise their (7) sills. At least 6 million people – ten per cent of
the total population – play the game at least occasionally.
Since the 1970s darts has also been a serious professional sport, with world
championships in which players from more than 30 countries now (8) competition. The
most important championships are usually (9) dominated by British players, the most
successful of whom is the (10) formentioned Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, but Dutch and
Australian players have also done well in recent years.
The sport involves throwing pointed metal darts, from a distance of around 2.5 metres, at a
(11) circle board (dartboard) with a (12) diameter of about 45 centimetres. Games are
usually (13) conested by two players, who take it (14) by turns to throw three darts at the
board. The darts are usually around 15 centimetres in length and have very thin pieces of
plastic (flights) attached to their (15) sails that allow them to fly well, while most
dartboards are made of a special fibre that allows the darts to (16) penetrate and yet
doesn’t get damaged by them.
The board is divided into sections, numbered 1 to 20, for which the players score a (17)
corresponding number of points when they hit them with their darts. Low numbers are
usually next to high numbers so as to (18) punesh players who are
(19) accurate when aiming (20) to a high number. Within each of the 20 sections there is
also a small ‘double’ and an even smaller ‘treble’ (or ‘triple’) area: a player scores 20
points for hitting the double area of the 10 section, for example, and 30 points for hitting
the treble.
The maximum (21) sore with one dart is 60, achieved by (22) hit the treble 20. Good
players often achieve this, even though each treble section is less than one centimetre
wide, and professional players sometimes manage it with three (23) executive darts,
which always brings a (24) raw from the crowd and an excited shout of ‘one hundred and
eighty!’ from the (25) refee.
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Surfing – Teacher’s Notes
This lesson is about the famously addictive sport of surfing.
Level
1. Ask your students what their favourite sports are, and why. How many individual sports
can they name in English? Brainstorm on the subject of surfing. Have any of your students
ever tried it? If so, ask them to describe their experiences to the rest of the class.
2. Give your students five to ten minutes to read through Worksheet A, encouraging them
to look up new vocabulary. Tell them they are going to answer a series of questions on the
text but that they shouldn’t write anything down at this stage.
3. Divide the students into pairs and hand out Worksheet B. Ask the students to work
together to complete Exercises 1 and 2, in which they have to answer two different kinds
of comprehension questions.
5. Hand out Worksheet C and ask the students to work together to complete the
crossword.
Answers:
Exercise 1
1. F 2. F
3. T
4. D
5. F
6. D
7. F
8. T
9. D
10. F
Exercise 2
1. The Pacific Islands.
2. Their ankles.
3. The southwest of England.
4. Large pieces of wood.
5. Because it requires good balance.
6. To help their feet stick to the board.
7. In the 1950s and 60s.
8. He means that once you have started surfing, it is impossible (or at least very difficult)
to stop.
Exercise 3
1. stick 2. materials
7. explorer 8. down
3. living 4. essential
9. wetsuit 10. stand
5. professional
6. hooked
If the sentences have been completed correctly, California will read from top to bottom.
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2. Related Websites
A short text on surfing (with links to three more on the right-hand side of the page) from
BBC Newsround. Accessible to pre-intermediate level.
Again from Newsround, a 13-year-old surfer writes about his experiences. Accessible to
pre-intermediate level.
http://www.surfing-waves.com/
Surfing Waves, one of many surfing-related websites. Intermediate level and above.
http://www.surfcitysurfdog.com/
A website about a recent surfing competition with a difference: the competitors were dogs.
Intermediate level and above.
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Surfing – Glossary
ankle noun [countable]
the part at the bottom of your leg where your foot joins your leg
artificial adjective
made by people and used instead of something natural
attach verb [transitive]
to fasten or join one thing to another
balance verb
the ability to remain steady in an upright position
beginner noun [countable]
someone who has just started to learn or do something
helpful tips for the complete beginner
competition noun [countable]
They should have a good chance of winning the competition.
cord noun [countable/uncountable]
strong thick string
a length of cord
essential adjective
completely necessary
explorer noun [countable]
someone who travels to a place that other people do not know much about in order to find out what is there
hooked adjective
if you are hooked on something, you find it so attractive or interesting that you want to do it as much as
possible
lie down phrasal verb [intransitive]
to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on a surface
living noun [singular]
money that you earn to live on
Do you know what she does for a living?
material noun [uncountable]
a substance, especially one used for a particular purpose
pleasure noun [uncountable]
a feeling of happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction
a professional actor/footballer/photographer
stand up phrasal verb [intransitive]
to put your body into an upright position from a sitting or lying position
stick verb [intransitive]
to become fixed to something, especially by means of a sticky substance
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surf verb [intransitive]
to ride on waves in the sea on a surf board
surfboard noun [countable]
a long narrow board that you stand or lie on to ride waves
wave noun [countable]
a line of water that rises up on the surface of a sea, lake, or river
The boat was smashed by a huge wave.
wax noun [uncountable]
a soft natural or artificial substance that becomes liquid when heated, used for making candles and models,
for making wooden furniture shine, and for protecting objects from water
a ball of wax
wetsuit noun [countable]
a suit made of rubber that people wear for water sports such as diving and surfing
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Surfing
WORKSHEET A
Surfing is something people often get hooked on after trying it a few times. For many
surfers it is much more than a hobby – they would probably agree with the American
professional surfer Kelly Slater when he said ‘Once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no
getting out.’
Surfing, of course, means riding on waves in the ocean using a surfboard. Many surfers
stand up on their boards, which requires good balance and is therefore difficult for most
beginners to learn, but some lie down (‘bodyboarding’).
The history of surfing probably began with the Polynesian people of the Pacific Islands.
One of the first white people to see anyone surfing was the British explorer Captain Cook,
when his ship arrived in Hawaii in 1778. He watched many Hawaiians riding waves on
large pieces of wood, and saw that ‘they seem to feel a great pleasure’.
When surfing started to become very popular in the United States in the 1950s and 60s,
surfers used large wooden boards (often more than 3 metres long) that were quite heavy.
Boards today are almost always shorter and also much lighter, because they are made of
artificial materials instead of wood.
For anyone who wants to try surfing, the only essential things are waves and a board.
There are a few other things, however, that most surfers find important: a cord to attach
one of their ankles to the board and therefore stop the board going a long way away when
they fall off; wax, which they put on the surface of the board to help their feet stick to it;
and a wetsuit to help them keep warm in cold water. The south-west of England is an
example of a place where surfers usually need wetsuits, even in summer.
Surfing has been a professional sport for many years and the very best surfers are able to
make a living from it. Most of the best professional surfers in the last 30 years, both men
and women, have been American or Australian, but surfers from Brazil, Peru and South
Africa have also won important competitions.
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Surfing
WORKSHEET B
Exercise 1
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesn’t
say (D).
1. Surfboards today are almost always made of wood.
2. Surfing recently became a professional sport.
3. Most surfboards today are shorter than in the 1950s and 60s.
4. Captain Cook went surfing in Hawaii in 1778.
5. Most surfboards in the 1950s and 60s were lighter than they are today.
6. Most surfboards today are about 2 metres long.
7. Wax is essential for surfers.
8. Many of the best professional surfers in the last 30 years have been American or
Australian.
9. Kelly Slater has won some important surfing competitions.
10. American or Australian surfers have won all the important competitions in the last
have 30 years.
Exercise 2
Answer the questions about the text on Worksheet A.
1. In what part of the world did surfing probably begin?
2. What part of their bodies do surfers attach the cord to?
3. According to the text, in what part of the world do surfers usually need wetsuits?
4. What were the Hawaiians using to surf when Captain Cook saw them in 1778?
5. Why do most beginners find it difficult to stand up on the board?
6. What do surfers use wax for?
7. When did surfing start to become very popular in the United States?
8. What do you think Kelly Slater means by ‘There’s no getting out?’
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Surfing
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 3
Complete the crossword below. If all the words are correct, a part of the world where
surfing is very popular will read from top to bottom.
1
4
5
7
9
2
3
6
8
10
1. Putting wax on a surfboard helps the surfer’s feet to ____________ to it.
2. Most surfboards today are made of ____________ that are lighter than wood.
3. Kelly Slater makes a ____________ from surfing.
4. If you want to surf, having a board is ____________.
5. Kelly Slater is a ____________ surfer.
6. Lots of people quickly get ____________ on surfing.
7. Captain Cook was an ____________.
8. Bodyboarders usually lie ____________ on their boards.
9. Most people don’t go surfing in south-west England without a ____________.
10. Learning to ____________ up on a surfboard is not easy
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Muhammad Ali – Teacher’s Notes
On April 28th, 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the US Army to go and
fight in Vietnam. Ali, refusing on religious grounds, explained “I ain’t got no quarrel with
those Vietcong.” This lesson takes a look at the life of Muhammad Ali – one of the most
remarkable sportsmen and peace ambassadors of the 20th century.
Level
Good Intermediate and above
1. Brainstorm what your students know about Muhammad Ali.
2. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet A and ask them to choose an answer
from the three possibilities for each question. If students aren't sure of the answers,
encourage them to make a guess.
3. Check answers in open class, but don't give any answers at this stage.
4. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet B and ask students to read the text
and check the answers to the questions on Worksheet A.
Answers
1. b
2. c
3. c
4. b
5. b
6. a
7. c
8. a
9. b
10. a
2. Related Websites
http://www.ali.com/
Muhammad Ali’s website
http://www.courier-journal.com/ali/
Check out the Ali timeline
http://www.float-like-a-butterfly.de/indexe.htm
You can find some lovely Ali quotes on this fan page
http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/ali01.html
A profile from Time magazine
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mali1.html
Plenty of links here for Muhammad Ali
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Muhammad Ali Quiz
WORKSHEET A
“When you’re as great as I am, it’s hard to be humble.”
Muhammad Ali
1. Muhammad Ali was born in
a) 1932.
b) 1942.
c) 1952.
6. He has been married
a) four times.
b) five times.
c) six times.
2. Before he changed his name, he was
known as
a) Joe Frazier.
b) George Foreman.
c) Cassius Clay.
7. In 1967 he was arrested for
a) shoplifting.
b) hitting a man in a bar.
c) refusing to join the army.
3. He won the world heavyweight title
a) once.
b) twice.
c) three times.
4. Which of these was he not famous for?
a) Writing poetry about his opponents
b) Being sent to prison for repeated
violent offences
c) Predicting the round in which he
would win a fight
5. What did he do with his Gold Medal?
a) He donated it to charity
b) He threw it into the river
c) He made it into wedding rings
8. His ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight took
place in
a) Zaire.
b) Congo.
c) Zimbabwe.
9. In 1984 he was diagnosed with
a) Hodgkinson’s disease.
b) Parkinson’s disease.
c) Foot and Mouth disease.
10. In Atlanta in 1996, he
a) carried the Olympic torch at the start
of the Games.
b) returned to the ring for a celebrity
match.
c) suffered a heart attack.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
Muhammad Ali
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“I am the Greatest”
M
WORKSHEET B
uhammad Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. on January 17th, 1942,
and named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. As a shy 12-year-old boy, he took up
boxing to improve his confidence. In 1960, at the age of 18, he represented his
country at the Rome Olympic Games, where he won a gold medal. He returned
to the United States in triumph, but when he was turned away from a diner because of the
colour of his skin he threw the medal into the river in disgust.
By 1964 Cassius Clay was already famous for his poetry describing how he would defeat
his opponents. He wrote this brief rhyme before his fight with Sonny Liston, the
heavyweight champion and favourite to win: Sonny Liston is great, but he’ll fall in eight.
The 22-year-old was also famous for predicting in which round he would win his fights.
He was nearly right in the Sonny Liston rhyme; he won the match in the seventh round,
not (as he had predicted) the eighth, and became the new World Heavyweight Champion.
In the same year he accepted the teachings of Islam and changed his name from Cassius
Clay to Muhammad Ali. Three years later, in 1967, Ali refused, for religious reasons, to
be drafted into the army to go and fight in Vietnam. He was arrested, his boxing licence
was suspended and his title was taken away. He couldn’t box for three and a half years,
from March 1967 to October 1970.
In 1971 he started his comeback. He challenged the then Heavyweight Champion Joe
Frazier for the title but suffered the first defeat of his career. Three years later, in 1974, he
fought George Foreman in the famous ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight in Zaire. He won the
match and became the World Champion for the second time. Joe Frazier challenged him
for the title in 1974 and again in 1975 in the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ fight, but lost both times.
Leon Spinks took the title from Ali in 1978 but six months later Ali won it back again,
making history as the first man to win the title of World Heavyweight Champion three
times. But age was catching up with him and his last fights were the hardest. He retired in
1981, but many people think he held on too long. In 1982 he started treatment for
Parkinson’s disease, which had been caused by repeated trauma to the head, particularly in
his last few fights.
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, a frail-looking Ali proudly carried the torch and with
a trembling hand lit the flame to start the Games.
His illness has visibly weakened his body, though his mind and spirit are still strong. His
wife Lonnie says “Muhammad knows he has this illness for a reason. It’s not by chance.
Parkinson’s disease has made him a more spiritual person.”
Muhammad Ali has been married four times, he has won the world heavyweight title three
times, he has nine children and a world full of fans. But perhaps his greatest legacy has
been his great generosity and pacifism. This was recognised in 2000 when he became a
United Nations Messenger of Peace. Not a bad tribute for the shy kid from Kentucky.
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Bullfighting -Teacher’s Notes
This lesson is on the subject of bullfighting, which was recently banned in the Spanish region
of Catalonia but continues in other parts of Spain and also in Portugal, parts of France, and
some countries in Latin America.
Level
Pre-intermediate and above (equivalent to CEF level A2–B1 and above)
1. Brainstorm on the subject of bullfighting. What does it consist of? In what parts of the
world does it take place? Why do some people oppose it? What might be the arguments in
defence of it? What are the students’ own opinions on the subject? Can they think of other
activities, anywhere in the world, that some people regard as cruelty to animals but others see
as important traditions? Are there any such activities in their own country?
2. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet A and give them sufficient time to read
through it, encouraging them to look up new vocabulary. Tell the students it is important that
they try to remember as much of the information as possible.
3. Tell the students they are going to prepare a quiz for each other. Then divide the class into
two teams, A and B.
4. Cut Worksheet B into two halves and give each member of each team the corresponding
half. Explain that each team has to work together in order to formulate the questions that
produce the answers given, based on the text on Worksheet A. Note that it is possible for
there to be slight variations of each question, so be flexible where possible.
5. When both teams have finished preparing their questions, ask them to turn over Worksheet
A and the glossary so that they can’t see them.
6. The two teams now take it in turns to ask and answer the questions. Encourage the teams to
confer before answering, but make it clear that once they have given their answer they cannot
change it. You should only accept answers given in correct English. Keep score on the board;
the team with more correct answers at the end of the quiz wins.
7. Cut Worksheet C into two halves. Divide the students into pairs, Student A and Student B,
and hand out the halves of the worksheet so that Student A’s grid has the words that Student
B’s grid is missing, and vice versa. The idea is for the students to describe the words they
have in their grids, so that their partners can guess what they are and fill them in. It is
therefore vital that they don’t show their grids to their partners. Tell the students to describe
the words one by one, and to take it in turns to speak. You could let the students carry on
describing the words for as long as it takes for their partners to identify them, or as a fun
alternative you could impose a time limit for the description of each word. Before the students
begin, point out that all the missing words feature in the text on Worksheet A.
pages.
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Answers:
Exercise 1
Team A
1. When will the ban on bullfighting in Catalonia begin?
2. What does torero mean?
3. Where in Europe will bullfighting continue?
4. When was the last bullfight in Catalonia/Barcelona?
5. What is the capital of Catalonia?
6. What do many people believe about the colour red / the red cape?
7. How many bullfighters are women?
8. What did 180,000 people in Catalonia do / How did people get bullfighting banned?
Team B
1. Who voted/decided to ban bullfighting?
2. Where is Catalonia?
3. Where in Latin America will bullfighting continue?
4. What does the bull try to do?
5. How does the bullfighter usually move around the arena?
6. Why doesn’t the colour red make bulls (especially) angry?
7. What weapons do the bullfighters often have / What do bullfighters use to kill the bull?
8. How many bulls died at the arena in Barcelona on 25th September?
Exercise 2
1. myth 2. weapon 3. exciting 4. entertainment 5. cruel 6. petition 7. attack
8. horn 9. skilful 10. tradition 11. parliament 12. brave 13. aggressive 14. arena
When the crossword has been completed correctly, Mexico and Colombia will read from top
to bottom.
2. Related websites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/static/find_out/specials/newsround_extra/2004/bul
lfighting/html/default.stm
A section of the BBC Newsround website on bullfighting. Aimed primarily at
children and younger teenagers. Accessible to Pre-intermediate level.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15050706
An article from BBC News (September 2011) on the bullfighting ban in Catalonia.
With links to related articles, including reactions from members of the Spanish public.
Challenging for Pre-intermediate level.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/28/bullfighting-countries-list
An article from The Guardian (July 2010) on bullfighting around the world.
Challenging for Pre-intermediate level.
pages.
nd
85
Inside Out
Bullfighting
WORKSHEET A
On 25th September 2011, fans of bullfighting went to the Monumental arena in
Barcelona for the last time. It was the final day of the 2011 bullfighting season, and
because the parliament of Catalonia (the region in the north-east of Spain of which
Barcelona is the capital) voted last year to ban bullfighting from 1st January 2012, the
fans knew no more bulls would follow the six animals the bullfighters (toreros in
Spanish) fought and killed that day.
Bullfighting will continue, however, in other regions of Spain, as well as in Portugal,
a few areas of southern France, and some countries in Latin America (including
Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador).
Different countries have different kinds of bullfighting, but in all of them the
bullfighters (usually men; very few are women) go into an arena with a large,
aggressive bull that will try to attack them. In some countries the bullfighters might
ride horses but usually they move around the arena on foot. They often have weapons
similar to spears that they try to thrust into the bull’s body (usually between the
shoulders): doing so causes the animal to lose blood and become weaker. In this kind
of bullfighting the bull always dies. There is also danger for the bullfighter, of course,
as they could be badly injured – perhaps even killed – if hit by one of the bull’s horns.
One of the most well-known pictures from bullfighting is that of a torero holding a
red cape and waiting for the angry bull to run towards it. (Many people believe the
colour red makes a bull especially angry, but this is a myth because bulls are colourblind.)
Those who like bullfighting often say it is an important cultural tradition – a kind of
art, even – that has taken place for hundreds of years, as well as an exciting show in
which the toreros have to be skilful and brave.
Those who oppose it usually say that causing an animal to have a slow death is cruel –
and that turning it into entertainment for the public makes it even worse. They often
add that just because something has happened for a very long time, that doesn’t make
it right.
The vote by the Catalonian parliament to ban bullfighting came after around 180,000
people signed a petition saying it was cruel. But that probably wasn’t the only reason
for the ban: for a long time bullfighting had been less popular in Catalonia than in
most other parts of Spain; and some politicians, knowing that many Catalonians see
their region as separate from the rest of Spain, probably used the issue to send the
popular message that Catalonia is different.
pages.
nd
86
Inside Out
Bullfighting
WORKSHEET
B
Exercise 1
Team A
Here are the answers to some questions about the text on Worksheet A, but what are
the questions? When you have prepared the questions, Team B will have to answer
them as part of a quiz.
1. It will begin on 1st January 2012.
2. It means ‘bullfighter’ in Spanish.
3. In Europe it will continue in other regions of Spain, in Portugal, and in a few areas
of southern France.
4. It was in September / on 25th September.
5. Barcelona is the capital.
6. They believe it makes bulls especially angry.
7. There are very few women.
8. They signed a petition (against bullfighting).
Team B
Here are the answers to some questions about the text on Worksheet A, but what are
the questions? When you have prepared the questions, Team A will have to answer
them as part of a quiz.
1. The parliament / Politicians in Catalonia.
2. It is in the north-east of Spain.
3. In Latin America it will continue in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and
Ecuador.
4. It tries to attack the bullfighter.
5. On foot.
6. Because they are colour-blind.
7. Weapons that are similar to spears.
8. Six.
pages.
nd
87
Inside Out
Bullfighting
WORKSHEET C
Exercise 2
Student A: You and your partner have the same crossword, but with different words completed. Take
it in turns to describe the words to each other and fill in the gaps. The name of two other Latin
American countries where bullfighting takes place should then read from top to bottom.
2
3
4
1
M
YTH
E
X
C
5
CR
I
T
I
N
G
UEL
6
7
A
T
ACK
S
T
8
K
9
A M
12
S I
I
L
F
U
L
10
13
11
P
A
R
L
I
A
G
G
14
R
E
S
ENT
V
E
Student B: You and your partner have the same crossword, but with different words completed. Take
it in turns to describe the words to each other and fill in the gaps. The name of two other Latin
American countries where bullfighting takes place should then read from top to bottom.
4
E
N
T
E
R
2
3
T
6
P
E
T
I
1
W
E
A
T
AIN
5
I O
N
8
H
O
R
T
I
O
N
12
B
R
N
A
P
O
N
M
E
N
T
7
10
T
11
R
A
9
D
I
N
AVE
13
14
A
R
E
pages.
nd
88

Summer of Sport

Transcription

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