TEXT 11
Athletics.
Athletics or track-and-field sports, consists of competitions in running, walking, jumping and throwing events. Athletics has become the most truly international of sports, with nearly every country in the world engaging in some form of competition. Most nations send teams of men and women to the quadrennial Olympic Games and to the official World Championships of track and field. There also are several continental and intercontinental championship meets held, including the European, Commonwealth, African, Pan-American and Asian.
Within the broad title of athletics come as many as two dozen distinct events. These events generally held outdoors make up a meet. The outdoor running events are held on 400m oval track and field events (jumping and throwing) either inside the track’s perimeter or in adjacent areas.
In many parts of the world the sport moves indoors during the winter; because of limited space, some events are modified and several are eliminated altogether.
Also within the general scope of track-and-field athletics come separate but related competitions that are not contested on the track. Cross-country running competition is carried out on various types of countryside and parkland. Marathons and races of other long distances are run on roads and the long-distance race walks are contested on measured road courses. The rules followed by all organized competitions are established and enforced by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and its member body from each nation. The IAAF also ratifies all world records.
I. Answer the questions:
1. What does athletics consist of?
2. Is track-and-field included in the programme of the Olympic Games?
3. What championships in track-and-field athletics do you know?
4. Where are track-and-field events generally held?
5. Where are marathons and races of other long distances run?
6. What is the IAAF?
7. What does the IAAF ratify?
II. Put the sentences in the correct order as in the text.
1. The rules followed by all organized competitions are established and enforced by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and its member body from each nation. The IAAF also ratifies all world records.
2. These events generally held outdoors make up a meet.
3. Most nations send teams of men and women to the quadrennial Olympic Games and to the official World Championships of track and field.
4. Within the broad title of athletics come as many as two dozen distinct events.
5. Athletics has become the most truly international of sports, with nearly every country in the world engaging in some form of competition.
6. Athletics or track-and-field sports, consists of competitions in running, walking, jumping and throwing events.
7. The IAAF also ratifies all world records.
TEXT 12
Football.
The roots of soccer are grounded in antiquity, but the modern form gained its shape in October 1863 in London, where the first football association (English Football Association) was established and the laws of the game were formulated.
Contemporary soccer is truly an international game, with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), established in 1904, representing more than 170 nations. Soccer was introduced to the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900 and the inaugural World Cup was played in 1930 in Montevideo. Since then such luminaries as Pele, Cuyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona, Romario, Roberto Baggio, David Beckham, Figu and Zedane have served to spread the passion of the game around the world.
Two teams of 11 players try to score goals by kicking or heading the ball into the opposition’s goal. The team with the most goals after two 45-minute halves of play wins the game. The outfield players may not touch the ball with their hands or arms. The goalkeepers may use their hands within the rectangle around their own goal known as the penalty area. If a defender kicks the ball back to the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper may not use his hands.
The team captains toss a coin. The winner chooses which goal to attack in the first half of the match, while the loser kicks off. In the second half the other team kicks off and teams change ends and attack in opposite goals. A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar.
A football field for international matches must be 100 to 110 metres long and 64 to 75 metres wide. The half way line crosses it dividing it into two equal halves. It also dissects the centre circle with its 9.1 m radius from the centre of the field. A penalty area is marked at each end.
The goals stand 2.44m high and 7.32m wide. The football must be 68 to 70 centimetres in circumference and not weigh more than 450g and not less than 410g.
I. Answer the questions:
1. When were the laws of football formulated?
2. When was soccer introduced to the Olympic Games?
3. How many players are there in each team?
4. How long does the game last?
5. Do you know any famous football players?
6. What is the aim of the game?
7. Is soccer an international game?
II. Complete the sentences as in the text.
1. The winner chooses which goal to attack…, while the loser kicks off.
2. The goalkeepers may use their hands ….
3. … passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar.
4. The roots of soccer are grounded in antiquity, but the modern form gained its shape ….
5.… touch the ball with their hands or arms.
TEXT 13
Gymnastics.
In ancient times gymnastics was warming up for battle. In modern times it’s a televisual spectacle with close-ups of the effort and emotion which the young competitors pour into their performances. The gymnastics “family” now numbers three at the Games: artistic, rhythmic and trampoline. Artistic gymnastics is the most familiar and it breaks down into a number of individual events. Men compete in floor, vault, pommel horse, parallel bars, rings and horizontal bars. Women compete on the vault, floor, uneven bars and balance beam. The competition includes all-round events and team events.
In rhythmic gymnastics female gymnasts, accompanied by music, perform on a 13-meter square floor area with rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. In the individual events they perform different routines with four of the five apparatus. Teams of five perform together, once using clubs and once with two using hoops and three using ribbons.
Trampoline gymnastics was introduced in the Sydney 2000 Games. Men and women compete as individuals. Each event has 12 gymnasts, who compete in a qualifying round and a final in one day. The competition involves both compulsory routines, displaying a specified set of skills, and optional routines chosen by the gymnast.
I. Answer the questions.
1. What events does the gymnastics consist of?
2. What is the most popular?
3. When was trampoline gymnastics introduced?
II. Translate from English into Russian.
1. vault
2. bars
3. hoops
4. female gymnasts
5. ribbons
III. Put the sentences in the correct order as in the text.
1. Women compete on the vault, floor, uneven bars and balance beam.
2. In ancient times gymnastics was warming up for battle.
3. The gymnastics “family” now numbers three at the Games: artistic, rhythmic and trampoline.
4. Trampoline gymnastics was introduced in the Sydney 2000 Games.
5. In modern times it’s a televisual spectacle with close-ups of the effort and emotion which the young competitors pour into their performances.
6. Men compete in floor, vault, pommel horse, parallel bars, rings and horizontal bars.
7. Artistic gymnastics is the most familiar and it breaks down into a number of individual events.
TEXT 14
Swimming.
There are four styles of sports swimming: freestyle (crawl), backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Swimming is one of the sports that make up the Olympic Games. Swimmers from all over the world compete in these games. It may seem strange that swimming was not included in ancient Olympic Games, though people had known it long ago. Both in ancient Greece and Rome swimming was as important as reading. As a sport swimming was practised in Japan. There swimming contests were held before the new era. Since the 17th century it has been taught in schools.
One of the earliest swimming competitions in Europe was held in 1515 in Venice. First swimming pools begin to appear in the end of the 18th century. Swimmers trained and contested mostly in rivers, ponds and lakes, which was only possible in summer. In the 19th century covered pools appeared and swimming became very popular.
The first European championship was held in 1890. Six years later, swimming became the Olympic sport and in 1908 the International Swimming Federation was formed.
Swimming as a sport was not popular in Russia. Training and competitions were only possible in summer and athletes could not achieve good results. The first swimming competitions in Russia were held in 1913 in Kiev. Since 1947 our swimmers have been taking part in international competitions.
I. Answer the questions
1. How many styles are there in swimming?
2. Where was swimming practised as a sport?
3. Was swimming as a sport popular in Russia?
4. When did swimming become the Olympic sport?
5. When were the first swimming competitions in Russia held?
II.Choose the Russian equivalent
I. Many countries organized national swimming competitions.
a) Национальные соревнования проводились во многих странах.
b) Организация соревнований по плаванию была на должном уровне.
c) Многие страны организовывали национальные соревнования по плаванию.
1. Swimmers trained and contested mostly in rivers, ponds and lakes, which was only possible in summer.
a) Пловцы никогда не тренировались на реках, прудах и озерах летом.
b) Соревнования по плаванию проводились летом на реках, прудах и озерах.
c) Пловцы тренировались и соревновались в основном на реках, прудах и озерах, что было возможно только летом.
2. One of the earliest swimming competitions in Europe was held in 1515 in Venice.
a) Соревнования по плаванию проходили в Европе в 1515 году.
b) Одно из самых первых соревнований по плаванию в Европе проводилось в 1515 году в Венеции.
c) В Венеции проводились соревнования по плаванию в 1515 году.
TEXT 15
Tennis.
There is Deck Tennis, Beach Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Ring Tennis and Table Tennis.
Deck tennis appeared in the 1920s. It is played by either two or four people who throw a quoit or rubber ring to one another across a net suspended over the centre of the court, which is divided like a Lawn Tennis court. The size of the courts, whether for singles or for doubles, varies. Ring tennis is a combination of tennis and quoits. Two or four players in either singles or doubles can play it.
Beach tennis can be played with the same equipment and to the same rules as ring tennis, but often the only equipment used is the rubber ring.
Lawn tennis is a game played with long-handled, oval-headed rackets, made of either wood or metal, by two (singles) or four (doubles) players. They seek to collect points by controlling and maneuvering a lively, cloth-covered, rubber ball within the confines of a court, 23.77m long and for singles play 8.23m wide. The court is divided across the middle into two equal halves by a net, 0,914m high at the centre. The game was played first on grass, which has remained the traditional surface in Great Britain, Australia and the USA. Now the grass at some of the most famous American clubs should be replaced by plastic surfaces.
Real tennis is a racket-and-ball game played in an indoor court. This ancient game, from which lawn tennis was devised, is now known as real tennis in Britain, royal tennis in Australia and court tennis in America.
Table tennis, an indoor game, is played by two players or two pairs facing each other and hitting a ball with a racket so that it passes over or round a net stretched midway across the surface of a table, striking its surface at each end alternately.
I. Answer the questions
1. When did Deck tennis appear?
2. What is Ring tennis?
3. What do players throw to one another across a net?
4. How is the court in Lawn tennis divided?
5. Is tennis popular all over the world?
II. True or false?
1. Beach tennis can be played with the same equipment and to the same rules as ring tennis, but often the only equipment used is the rubber ring.
2. Now the grass at some of the most famous American clubs should be replaced by plastic surfaces.
3. Lawn tennis is a game played with long-handled, oval-headed rackets, made of plastic, by two (singles) or four (doubles) players.
4. The size of the courts, whether for singles or for doubles, never varies.
5. Table tennis, an indoor game, is played by two players or two pairs facing each other and hitting a ball with a racket.
TEXT 16
Wrestling.
Wrestling is the oldest sport of all. There is evidence that organised events took place over 5000 years ago.
There are two types of wrestling- Freestyle and Greco-Roman. They are essentially the same- the difference is only in what the legs are allowed to do. Basically Greco-Roman wrestlers are not allowed to use or attack the legs whereas Freestyle wrestlers make use of single-leg and double-leg tackles. Visually this means that the Greco-Roman encounters are more akin to Judo with the competitors using body lifts and throws to get their opponents onto the floor.
For the 2000 Olympics the competition took on a new format – eight new divisions in each style were replacing the previous ten weight divisions in both styles. The divisions are defined by maximum body weight: 54kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 76kg, 85kg, 97kg and 130kg.
Each class contains 20 wrestlers, who have qualified trough a variety of pre-Olympic tournaments. They are drawn into six groups, composed of two four-man groups and four three-man groups. There is no seeding – the draw for the pools is open. Each wrestler fights with the group on a round-robin basis with the winners from the four three-man pools progressing to the quarter-finals. The two winners from the quarter-finals join the two winners from four-man groups in the semi-finals. The victorious semi-finalists fight for gold and silver while the defeated wrestlers wrestler for bronze.
I. Answer the questions
1. What are the types of wrestling?
2. What is the difference between Freestyle and Greco-Roman?
3. How are the divisions defined?
4. How many wrestlers does each class contain?
5. Is wrestling popular in this country?
II. Put in the correct order as in the text
1. The divisions are defined by maximum body weight: 54kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 76kg, 85kg, 97kg and 130kg.
2. There is evidence that organised events took place over 5000 years ago.
3. Eight new divisions in each style were replacing the previous ten weight divisions in both styles.
4. The victorious semi-finalists fight for gold and silver while the defeated wrestlers wrestle for bronze.
5. Basically Greco-Roman wrestlers are not allowed to use or attack the legs whereas Freestyle wrestlers make use of single-leg and double-leg tackles.
TEXT 17
Skiing.
Skiing is moving over snow by the use of a pair of long flat runners, attached to shoes or boots, called skis. The oldest skis found in bogs in Sweden and Finland are believed to be 4000 to 5000 years old.
Skis were first used for transport and are still used for travel in Norway, Sweden and some eastern European countries in rural areas. Skiing as both a recreation and a sport was a natural development from skiing as transport.
Skiing events are divided into two kinds: Nordic and Alpine, the former comprising cross-country and jumping skills. The Alpine events include downhill racing and slalom.
In the 20th century skiing became an increasingly popular activity, first in Europe and North America. It spread rapidly in Australia and New Zealand in the 1930s. Following World War II it also spread to Greece, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran and India.
At first the Alpine skier had to climb heights to ski down. In the early 1900s only mountain railways or aerial cable cars carried skiers uphill in the Alps. But in the 1930s there began the introduction of succession of devices from rope tows to chair lifts and gondola lifts that made it possible for a skier to ski downhill four to five times more in a day than earlier skiers could. The introduction of snowmaking machines guaranteed adequate snow for skiers if the weather failed.
The improvement of skis also promoted proficiency and added to the popularity of the recreation and sport. Skis were originally made from one piece of wood, usually hickory, but from the 1930s laminated constructions were also used. From the 1950s plastic running surfaces increased speed and durability. Skis of metal, usually with a wood or plastic core, became increasingly popular. Parabolic skis (also called hourglass skies) came into wide use in the 1990s.
New fabrics and manufacturing techniques made skiers more comfortable on the slopes. A seemingly endless variety of waxes to be used on running surfaces for varying snow conditions and kinds of skiing increased the average skier’s proficiency and provided a subject for friendly disputes in ski lodges everywhere.
In 1924 the International Ski Federation (ISF) was founded as the world governing body. It held world championships quadrennial. Skiing became an Olympic sport in the 1924 Games, Nordic only for men until 1936, when Alpine events for both men and women were added. Nordic events for women were introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967 an annual Alpine World Cup championship was established, supervised by the FIS but privately sponsored, and in the 1969-70 season the World Cup became entirely private and professional. A Nordic World Cup was added in 1979.
I. Answer the questions.
1. How are skiing events divided?
2. What do the Alpine events include?
3. When was the ISF founded?
4. When did skis appear in our country?
5. Is skiing popular in Russia?
6. What famous Russian athletes do you know?
II. Put the sentences in the correct order as in the text.
1. New fabrics and manufacturing techniques made skiers more comfortable on the slopes.
2. The oldest skis found in bogs in Sweden and Finland are believed to be 4000 to 5000 years old.
3. In the 20th century skiing became an increasingly popular activity, first in Europe and North America.
4. A Nordic World Cup was added in 1979.
5. A seemingly endless variety of waxes to be used on running surfaces for varying snow conditions and kinds of skiing increased the average skier’s proficiency and provided a subject for friendly disputes in ski lodges everywhere.
6. Skiing is moving over snow by the use of a pair of long flat runners, attached to shoes or boots, called skis.
Text 18
Ice-hockey.
Ice-hokey is the fastest team sport in the world and one of the most popular games in Russia. The game originated in Canada in 1850’s and was brought to Europe where in 1908 the International Ice-Hockey federation was formed. In 1923 ice-hockey was first shown in Russia (Soviet Union). In 1946 the first championship was played.
Hockey is played on an ice surface called a “rink”. The rink is surrounded by boards. At the opposite ends of the rink there are two metal goals. The rink is divided into three zones - defensive, neutral and attacking - by two blue lines. There is also a red centre line, central blue face-off circles near the goals.
Two or three referees conduct the game, which is divided into three 20 minutes periods of actual playing time with two 10 minutes intervals.
Each team consists of 19 players, but only six of them may play at a time. After 2-3 minutes of play field players change. There are three forwards (the centreman and two wingers), and two defencemen. A goalkeeper guards the goal.
The game begins in the central face-off circle. The referee drops the puck between the sticks of the opposing players who try to pass it to their team-mates. The aim is to drive the puck over the goal line into the goal. That team who scores the goal more times becomes the winner.
Our national ice-hockey team is among the best teams of the world. It is many times European, world and Olympic champion. Russian ice-hockey players are world famous.
I. Answer the questions
1. Where and when did the game of ice-hockey originate?
2. When was the International Ice-Hockey Federation formed?
3. What can you say about the rink?
4. What is the duration of the game?
5. How many players does the team consist of?
6. What is the aim of the game?
7. What do you know about our national team?
II. True or False?
1. Ice-hockey is the fastest team sport in the world and one of the most popular games in Russia.
2. The rink is divided into two zones - defensive and attacking - by two yellow lines.
3. Two or three referees conduct the game, which is divided into four 20 minutes periods of actual playing time with five 10 minutes intervals.
4. The referee drops the puck between the sticks of the opposing players who try to pass it to their team-mates.
5. Each team consists of 19 players, but only eight of them may play at a time.
Text 19
Figure Skating.
Skating originated in Scandinavia and is mentioned in Scandinavian literature of the second century. Skating has been widely practiced on the canals of Holland since the Middle Ages. The first instructional book on skating was published in London in 1772 thirty years after the formation of the world’s first skating club at Edinburgh in 1742.
The national associations of Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Holland Hungary and Sweden collaborated in 1892 and the International Skating Union (I.S.U.) was founded. As the world’s governing administrative body the I.S.U. has since supervised and standardized regulations in figure skating, ice dance, synchronized skating, speed skating and short track.
The I.S.U. chose St.Petersburg as the venue for the first world figure skating championship in 1896. Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin became the first Russian Olympic champion with the best performance of special figures. It was at the 1908 Olympic Games in London.
Coach is a main man who must control all the components in raising the skater’s skill. He must know the laws of the stage, be apply to make up and create a costume. Today’s coach must be well qualified, not only by keeping up with the times, but also forging ahead skating. The tremendous development of figure skating during recent years has raised the standards of this wonderful sport to heights, which were dreamt of only ten years ago. Now what we witness is the desire of the skaters to achieve a unity of polished technique and artistic performance. A figure skater in action must exude power, elegance, speed and precision of performance. The progress of figure skating will also depend on the emergence of original skaters, personalities in sport.
Skater dances to music so he or she must remember that the judges and spectators will hear that music only once and hopefully enjoy it at the first time. If they feel the urge to clap to the beat so it’s great.
Figure skating is a beautiful event. It’s the whole life. A skater can achieve great results only working hard.
I. Answer the questions.
1. When did skating originate?
2. When was the I.S.U. founded?
3. What is the I.S.U. responsible for?
4. When did the first skating club appear?
I. Choose the right word or word-combination to complete the sentences.