Sports and Games

A. Reading
Read the following text and answer the questions given.
Sports
There are many different kinds of sports that are undertaken by a wide variety of
different people. Some people do sport for their career and other people purely
do sport for enjoyment and recreation. Some sports, like cricket, require the use
of a lot of equipment, while others need very little in order to successfully play a
game in that sport.  Some people use public playing fields to play sport for free,
while other sports such as squash, tennis, badminton and table tennis are usually
paid for on an hourly basis in the comfort of a local leisure centre. 

Most sports are played with a round object often known as a ball. Some sports
use more than one ball and snooker is one of the unique sports that make use of a
number of balls while being played. The game itself is often controlled by an
impartial individual known as an umpire in cricket and a referee in sports like
football and rugby. Most sports have a duration of not more than a few hours,
however some athletic tournaments can last for up to a week and a game of
cricket can be five days in duration before a winner is announced.

Some people prefer to watch sport. This can either be done by going to a
stadium, a local leisure centre, park or on the television. It is often cheaper to
watch sport from the comfort of a person’s home than to visit the stadium or a
special event. Some sports, such as football and cricket, are really popular in the
United Kingdom but not in the USA. In the USA people often play basketball
and baseball. However, most countries put aside time to compete in world
sporting events such as the football world cup or the Olympics, which occur
every four years.

Nowadays, people who suffer from any kind of disability are also encouraged to
participate in sport and most sport equipment is adapted to suit the needs of a
disabled person. This means sport is something that can be enjoyed no matter the
physical ability of the person. The Para-Olympics takes place a week after the
main event and it is equally popular. Participation in sporting activity is
encouraged by doctors and at schools given the beneficial impact it has on the
health of the individual that participates, and it is for this reason and the
competitive nature of individuals that sport remains a very popular activity
worldwide.

https://www.excellentesl4u.com/esl-sport-reading.html

1) Which sport requires the use of a lot of equipment?

a. Football
b. Athletics
c. Cricket
d. Rugby

2. What sport is popular in the United Kingdom?

a. Baseball
b. Cricket
c. Basketball
d. Athletics

3. What sport is popular in the United States?

a. Cricket
b. Baseball
c. Football
d. Squash

4. What sport can last longer than a day in duration?

a. Football
b. Baseball
c. Rugby
d. Cricket
5. How often is the Olympics held?
a. Every year
b. Every two years
c. Every four years
d. Every day

B. Vocabulary
Choose the word that matches the definition given. Write the correct letter
in the box.
A sport where two people hit each other and try to win the fight?
A form of protection worn on the head to prevent injuries?
A contest where the participants have to get to the end as fast as
possible?
A group of matches used to find the best team or individual at that
sport?
A British game where a bat is used to hit a ball?

Cricket
Race
Tournament
Helmet
Boxing

C. Speaking
There are two sets of 5 questions each. One set is for you and the other is
for your friend. Take turns to ask each other questions from the two sets.
Once finished, you can swap questions and have another conversation.
These questions are just a starting point, you should expand on them and
ask further questions if you think of them. Try to speak as much as
possible.
Question set A Question set B
 Do you like to play sport?  What sort of sport is your
 How often do you play sport? favourite?
 Would you like to be a  Why do you play sport?
professional athlete?  Have you ever been to a
 Do you like to watch sport on sporting event?
the television?  What does a person have to do
 Who do you normally play to become a professional
sport with? athlete?
 What do you think is the most
dangerous sport?
D. Writing
1. Pick one of the topics given below and write a paragraph using not
more than 100 words.
 What is your favourite sport and why?
 Would you like to a play a sport professionally?
 What are the benefits of playing sport?

2. There are two outlines of role-plays. You need to write a role-play for
each of them. Each situation gives you the location of the role-play,
the situation and the people in the role-play. Write what each of the
participants would say to each other.
Role-play 1
 Location: At a sport centre.
 Situation: Deciding what sport to play.
 Participants: A group of 3 friends deciding what sport to
play.

Role-play 2
 Location: At a sporting match.
 Situation: Discussing what is happening at match (you
chose the type of sport being played).
 Participants: 2 friends.
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3. Read the following passage and then write a summary of it. The summary
needs to contain the same information as in the original but using fewer
and new words.

Equipment used for different sports

It can be easily observed that nearly all sports make use of different equipment.
The sport known as darts uses a dart board and three darts while the area used for
throwing the dart is known as an oche. The area needed to play such a sport is
small and so participants do not usually need to be physically fit but rather very
well skilled in order to participate. Tennis uses an area that can be made up of
grass, clay or concrete known as a court and a net that is placed in the middle. A
ball and racquets are necessary to play tennis. 

Cricket is a sport that is often seen as one that requires a lot of equipment. The
object of the game is for one side to bowl the ball to hit the three thin pieces of
wood and displace the bails that sit on top. A huge area is required to play cricket
and a helmet is also necessary as the ball that is used it especially hard. Most
players also wear protective clothing to avoid injury. 
In golf a lot of heavy equipment, known as golf clubs, needs to be carried around
a very large area for the player to complete the 18 holes and finish the game. It is
often the case that an individual is employed by the player to carry the heavy
equipment to allow the player to concentrate on the game itself. This is usually
only for professional competitions, while people who play for fun during their
free time rarely have the luxury of having someone to carry their equipment and
must hire a golf buggy to assist them.
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