Self-training Exercises

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. Where do you study? 2. Did you live in the hostel last year? 3. Will you take part in the conference? 4. When will you pass your entrance examinations? 5. Where does your friend study? 6. Do your parents work at a plant? 7. Did you go to the theatre yesterday? 8. When did you finish school? 9. Do you often see your school-friend?

Exercise. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present, Past or Future Indefinite Tense.

A. 1. We always (to consult) a dictionary when we (to translate) texts. 2. We (to take part) in a sport competition last Sunday. 3. My friend (to pass) entrance examinations to the University last month. 4. He (to study) at the Law Department now. 5. He (to graduate) from the University in five years and will become a lawyer. 6. The students (to come) to the lectures every day. 7. We (not to go) to the country this Sunday.

B. 1. When he (to graduate) from the University, he will become a good specialist. 2. If you (to prepare) the report in time, you will take part in the conference. 3. When I (to be) 18, I (to take part) in the elections. 4. We (revise) the rules in some days. 5. If you (to come) to the lecture, you will learn many interesting things.

УБ – 3

The topic “Sport and Games”

УЭ – 1

Word – Power

“SPORT”, “SPORTS”, “SPORTING”.

Generau ocablilary

The following words are discussed here, together with related expressions: "sport", "sports", "sporting"; "game(s)"; "physi­cal education/culture/training".

1. "Sport" is uncountable when used in a general, collec­tive sense, as in the title of this article, and therefore has no plu­ral form. Other examples are:

a) Sport in Britain/the Soviet Union (title of a composition, article, talk, etc.).

b) Sport helps to make you strong and healthy.

c) Do you like sport?

d) I'm not very keen on sport.

e) 1 enjoy watching sport on television.

There is a Minister for Sport in Britain.

"Sport" tends to imply a fairly serious approach, and is the

usual word in connection with professionals, and other people

who train systematically, enter competitions, etc. It is less

often used with reference to a leisure activity, recreation. Here

"games" is generally preferred, as in the sentence: "Do you

play (any) games?"

"Games" does not of course include all forms of sport, but

it does include most of those which are traditionally popular

as leisure activities in Britain (see part II, to be published in

No. 4, 1979). For this reason the expression "go in for sport",

although it occurs, is much less often used than заниматься

спортом.

"Go in for (smth.)" also implies a more serious and systematic activity than is sometimes meant by заниматься. It is

less general in application, more specific. However, there is no

alternative verb or verbal expression which is widely used with

"sport" in this general sense.

As already mentioned, sport tends to be avoided when speaking of recreation. English people generally use "play",

either with "games" ("play games", as illustrated above) or

with the name of the game ("play football").

Thus "go in for sport" (not "sports") is often the only way

of translating заниматься спортом, but in practice it occurs

comparatively seldom.

The word "sport" is not often heard in schools, except in the expressions: (school) sports, sports day, swimming sports (see Nos. 3, 4 below).

In other situations one generally hears "gym", "games", "gym and games" or "P. E."'

2. "Sport" is countable when referring to a particular kind of sport, and therefore has a plural form "sports".

e. g. a) — What is your favorite sport? — Football.

b) Ice-hockey is an exciting sport, but it can be dangerous.

c) What sports are popular in Britain/the Soviet Union? ²

d) Sports involving horses are rather expen­sive.

e) Winter sports are not generally possible out of doors in England.

Here, too, however, "game" is often used in­stead of "sport" where possible.

e. g. Football is my favorite game.

A spectator sport is one which is watched rather than practiced by most of the people interested in it.

e. g. a) Figure-skating is a spectator sport, b) Football and cricket are the most popular spectator sports in England.

3. "Sports" (plural form with singular meaning) is used in some cases to denote a meeting for athletic contests, and corresponds more or less to спортивный праздник, e. g. "the school/college/university sports". It is used in suckle sentences as:

a) The (school) sports will take place/be held on June 25th.

b) I'm taking part/competing in the (universi­ty) sports.

Similarly "swimming sports" means a series of swimming competitions.

4. "Sports" is used adjectivally in the following expressions:

sportsman/sportswoman.

Note, however, that these words are less often used than спортсмен/спортсменка. Instead we find:

player — in any game gymnast — in gymnastics athlete — in athletics competitor — in competitions. In addition, "sportsman" may be used to mean a person who plays fairly, who is willing to take risks, and who is not downhearted if he loses. For example, "He's a good sportsman" usually, although not necessarily, has" this meaning, and does not therefore always cor­respond to Он хороший спортсмен. Here are some more words and expressions with "sports":

sports-ground, sports field

a place where games are played. Not generally used with reference to schools. Here "playing-field" is the traditional term. "Games field" also occurs.

sports competition sports club sports news

in newspapers, on radio and television. sports results sports page

in a newspaper. sports editor

sports correspondent/commentator sports program

on radio or television. sports day

a synonym of "sports"^ in the sense of

спортивный праздник, a's mentioned above.

e. g. a) It's sports day tomorrow.

b) I hope you'll come to our sports day.

sports shop — спортивные товары

a shop selling sportswear and sports equipment.

sportswear

an uncountable noun which denotes not on­ly clothes for sport, but any casual clothes (спортивная одежда), for example, clothes for the beach. A sports-jacket is not for sport, but simply a casual jacket (пиджак, not куртка) as opposed to a suit jacket.

5. "Sporting" is used instead of "sports" in some

expressions, particularly:

sporting event

sporting paper

newspaper devoted entirely to sport.

It may also replace "sports" in some of the

expressions already listed, for example:

sports/sporting competition

sports/sporting news.

"Sporting" is also used to mean "willing to

take a risk of losing, involving a risk of

losing" (A. Hornby).

e. g. That's very sporting of you (to someone who gives you an advantage over him­self).

In this sense "sporting" is not confined to sport. game(s)

"Game" has a narrower meaning than "sport", and does not apply to gymnastics, athletics, swimming, etc. We can call these sports, but not games.

However, the word "game" is much more common than игра, and is also used in many cases where "sport" might seem more appro­priate to a Russian speaker. As mentioned above, "game" is often preferred to "sport" when the activity is simply a form of recreation, not taken seriously enough to train systematically, enter competitions, etc.

e. g. a) Do you play (any) games?

Note that this is much more common .than "Do

you go in for sport?" (see No. 1 above).

b) My favorite game is football.

c) He's very good at games.

"Games" as a collective term is widely used in English schools, sometimes in contrast to "gymnastics".

e. g. I like games but I'm not very keen on gym. School children have two types of physical education lessons: gym ( — gymnastics) les­sons and games lessons. Gym is considered to be important for general physical fitness, but traditionally the main emphasis is on games, especially team games.

Team games for boys are football or rugby in . winter and cricket and/or tennis in summer. Team games for girls are hockey and/or net-ball in winter and tennis and/or rounder in summer. (These games are described in part II.)

Athletics (in’ the summer term) and swimming, lie outside the categories of gym and games, and are spoken of separately. "Games" is used in the expressions: games field

a large, grass-covered area for games next to a school.

However, "playing-field" is more common in - this sense. "Sports field" is occasionally used. (gym and) games teacher/master/mistress games lesson games equipment games captain

a pupil elected by the form to help the games

teacher to get out and put away the games

equipment, arrange the form in teams, etc.

There is also a school games captain, for

the whole school, who arranges matches, etc.

This emphasis on games, especially team games,

rather than other forms of sport, continues, to

some extent, at college and university, although

there is more variety there, and in later life.

Gymnastics will be discussed with other sports

(see part II).

'"Games" also occurs in the proper name "Olympic Games", but here the word has a slightly different meaning, that of "athletic contest". It is a specific use of the plural form in a singular sense similar to that of "sports" mentioned above (school sports). Note that "games" may be omitted in non-formal style, in which case an "s" is added to "Olympic".

j,- e. g. a) The 1980 Olympics will be held in

Moscow.

b) I watched the winter Olympics on television.

physical education/culture/training "Physical education" is the official collective term for all forms of physical activity taught in schools: gymnastics, athletics, games, swim­ming. This term is confined to formal situa­tions, but P. E. is used in conversation in some schools.

"Physical culture" and "physical training" have a similar meaning, but are less often used.

11. sports popular in britain and other countries.