Text 18 The British and Sport

Britain does not often produce sportsmen or sportswomen who are successful in world sporting championships, but it has been good at inventing sport and writing the rules of games.

Golf was first played in Scotland in the fifteenth century and the most famous golf club, Saint Andrews in Scotland, is still the most respected authority on the golf in the world. Cricket was first played in England in the sixteenth century and its rules were written in the eighteenth century.

Nineteenth-century team sports, such as football, rugby and hockey, were first played in British public schools. The rules for all of these games were written between 1870 and 1890.

Britain’s national sport is football. During the football season (August to May) most professional footballers play two matches every week. Many people say this is too many because the players cannot devote enough time and energy to international games.

The 22 best English teams play in the Premier League, run by the Football Association (the FA). The other professional teams play in three divisions run by the Football League. Liverpool is the most successful team and has won the most games and tournaments.

Cricket is a popular summer sport in England. It is not played much in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but it is played in the Commonwealth countries of Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. Every year there are Test Matches between all these countries. A Test Match can last up to five days. Usually the Commonwealth countries play much better and faster cricket than England.

Rugby takes its name from Rugby School in the Midlands. Rugby is a type of football. It is played with an oval ball and players can both kick or run with it. There are two types of rugby. In Rugby Union there are teams of 15 players, who are amateurs. In Rugby League there are 13 players in a team, the players are all professionals.

Answer these questions:

1. When and where was golf first played? 2. When and where was cricket first played? 3. What is Britain’s national sport? 4. What are the most successful football teams? 5. In what countries is cricket played? 6. How is rugby played? 7. How many types of rugby are there?

Text 19 British Meals

Traditionally English people have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast is served in the morning. It used to be a large meal with cereal, eggs and bacon, sausages, tomatoes. But such a large breakfast takes a long time to prepare and is not very healthy. Nowadays, Britain’s most popular breakfast consists of cereal, toast with marmalade, juice and yogurt with a cup of tea or coffee.

Lunch is a light meal. Most people have no time to go back home for lunch so they eat at school, cafes, pubs or restaurants.

The main meal is dinner, which is usually between 6 and 7 p.m. A typical evening meal is a meat dish with vegetables and dessert.

The most important meal of the week is the Sunday dinner, which is usually eaten at 1 p.m. The traditional Sunday dish used to be roast beef, but nowadays pork, chicken or lamb are more common.

On Sunday evenings people have supper or high tea. The famous British afternoon tea is becoming rare, except at weekends.

Answer these questions:

1. How many meals a day do English people have? 2. What did they use to eat for breakfast? 3. What do they usually eat nowadays? 4. Is lunch a large meal? 5. Where do English people eat lunch? 6. What dishes are served for dinner? 7. What is the most important meal of the week? 8. Is British afternoon tea still popular?