Sport in the USA
Americans play tennis, hockey and most other international sports but they do not play football in the same way as the rest of the world. The players can run with the ball, touch and push each other. Players wear special clothes for American football with helmets on their heads, because the game can be dangerous. Like international football teams, American teams have eleven players. The field looks different and even the ball is a different shape. American football is very different game. American football derives from the English game of rugby. It started at Harvard University in the 1870's. It is a game for two teams of eleven men on the field. The object of the game is to have the control of the ball and to score points by carrying it across the goal-line. Americans love winter sports and ice hockey is the most popular game. This game is very fast and can be dangerous. Baseball is the most popular summer sport in America. The first American baseball match was in 1839 in New York. To play baseball you need two teams of nine players. Americans start playing baseball young. There are «leagues» which children of eight can join. The top players become big stars and earn a lot of money every year. Americans' interest in sports seems excessive to many foreign visitors. Television networks spend millions of dollars arranging to telecast sports events. Publications about sports are sold widely. In the US professional athletes can become national heroes. Sports are associated with educational institutions in a way which is unique. High schools have coaches as faculty members, and school teams compete with each other. Nowhere else in the world are sports associated with colleges and universities in the way they are in the States. College sports, especially football, are conducted in an atmosphere of intense excitement and pageantry. Games between teams attract nationwide television audiences. The sport that is most popular in most parts of the world — soccer — is not well known in the US. The most popular sports are football and baseball, games that are not played in large number of countries. Baseball is a teamgame derived from the English game of cricket. It is played with a bat and ball by two teams of nine players each, on a field with four bases. Baseball is the national game in the USA and it is very popular in Canada too. Basketball is a game which nowadays is popular all over the world. It was invented in 1891. During the 20's the first US league championship was organized. In the 70's the American Championship was divided into two leagues: the ABA (American Basketball Association), which does not exist any longer and which played with a blue, red and white ball and the NBA (National Basketball Association). The NBA is a professional league which still plays. Sports play such an important role in American life that the sociology of sports, sports medicine, and sports psychology have become respectable specializations. Many Americans jog every day, or play tennis or bridge two or three times a week. They go on ski trips and hunting expeditions that require weeks of planning and organizing. In the Americans' view, all these activities are worth the discomfort they may cause because they contribute to health and physical fitness. That is probably why Americans are known as a healthy nation.
Questions: 1. Describe the way Americans play football. 2. Do Americans love winter sports? 3. How many people are there in a basketball team? 4. When did American baseball match first take place? 5. What do you need to play baseball? 6. Are there sport teams in high schools? 7. Are there any coaches in the faculty? 8. What are the most popular sports in the USA? 9. What specializations have become respectable thanks sport? 10. Why do Americans spend so much time on sport activities? Vocabulary: humanity человечество activity деятельность to make for способствовать health здоровье to exercise упражняться tiredness усталость flexibility гибкость to support поддерживать local местный league лига loyalty преданность reputation репутация to be mad about быть без ума от... soccer футбол amateur любитель rugby регби rules правила village green деревенская лужайка contest соревнования, состязания tournament турнир team команда a visit team команда гостей a home team команда хозяев поля a national team сборная команда a team victory командная победа an individual victory личная победа perform выступать (на соревнованиях) performance выступление full of surprises полон неожиданностей defeat нанести поражение to suffer a defeat потерпеть поражение (far) below one's best (намного) ниже своих возможностей to do one's best лучше своих возможностей find sport a great help in smth. считать, что спорт помогает в... gymnastic гимнастика swimming плавание athletic атлетика fencing фехтование chess шахматы hockey хоккей football футбол basketball баскетбол volleyball волейбол cycle велосипед badminton бадминтон table-tennis настольный теннис calisthenics художественная гимнастика to be well-ordered быть хорошо-организованным to be technically skilled быть технически сильным final(s) финал semi-final(s) полу-финал quarter-final(s) четверть финала to place high hopes on возлагать высокие надежды на... his success/result speaks for itself его успех, результат говорит сам за себя to be/keep fit хорошо себя чувствовать injure получить травму injury травма to drop out of выбыть из (соревнований) quality for выйти в финал to set a record установить рекорд to beat a record/break a record побить рекорд ground футбольная команда, стадион defence защита defender защитник attack нападение, атака attacking атакующий goalkeeper вратарь forward нападающий center-forward центральный нападающий goal гол, ворота score счет what's the score? - 6:4 (six to four) какой счет? to change the score изменить счет to equalize the score сравнять счет to score a goal забить гол shoot с силой послать мяч shot удар penalty kick штрафной удар miss промахнуться, не попасть in one's favour в чью-то пользу draw ничья to play for a victory играть ради победы to play for a draw играть в ничью versus против put up a good show выступить хорошо take the lead выйти вперед lose the lead отставать newcomer новичок veteran ветеран play on a par with играть на равных с... replace заменить replacement замена to play a man short играть в меньшинстве period период referee судья Dialogue: - What's your favourite sport, Andrew? - Well, I like most sports, but I suppose I like football most of all. Like most people. - Yes, I suppose football is the most popular sport. Personally, I don't like football. I don't enjoy competitive sports. I like cycling and horse riding. - Isn't horse riding very expensive? - Yes, it's more expensive than cycling. - I think, horse riding is the most expensive sport. What do you think is the most tiring sport? - Well, horse riding is very tiring. - Do you think it's more tiring than, say, tennis? - Oh, yes. I'm exhausted after I've been horse riding. What about you? - Well, for me tennis is the most tiring. What do you think is the most dangerous sport? - I think hang gliding is very dangerous. - Well, that's what many people think. But you know, there are more accidents to do with windsurfing than there are with hang gliding. - I didn't know that. Which is the most difficult sport, in your opinion? - How about climbing? I think climbing is very hard. - Well, I think skiing is more difficult than climbing. - No, I don't agree. Climbing looks incredibly difficult. - And what do you think is the most exciting sport? - Well, tennis, I think. What about you? - It has to be motor racing. Motor racing is the most exciting sport for me. Translate into English: 1. Спорт играет такую большую роль в жизни американцев, что социология спорта, спортивная медицина и психология стали уважаемыми профессиями. 2. Спорт связан с системой образования уникальным способом. 3. У меня нет времени для занятия спортом. Я понимаю, что спорт очень помогает в учебе и в жизни, но я не могу распределить время между занятиями и спортом. 4. Кто установил новый рекорд по прыжкам в высоту? 5. Лучшие игроки становятся большими звездами и зарабатывают много денег каждый год. 6. В теннис играют круглый год. 7. Какие ещё игры пользуются популярностью? 8. Вы увлекаетесь подводным плаванием? 9. Популярен ли баскетбол в США? 10. Мне бы хотелось посмотреть игру в бейсбол.
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