19. Greyhound Racing

Greyhound racing, or dog racing (colloq.), was introduced as a sort of working-man's horse-racing, and used to be extremely popular in working-class districts. However, its popularity has declined in recent years. Greyhound racing takes place at a greyhound track, or dog track. The dogs are made to race by chasing a mechanical hare which moves along a rail in front of them.

20. Motor Racing, Motor-Cycle Racing

These are both fairly popular spectator sports.

21, Cycling, Cycle Racing

Cycling in Britain is mainly recreational, and not competitive. However, there are some cycle races.

22. Skiing and Skating

Skiing and skating are winter sports. Except for skating at indoor ice rinks, winter sports are not possible in England because of the mild winters. (Snow falls only once or twice during an average winter, and generally melts after a day or two; the temperature rarely drops below freezing, except for a few degrees at night sometimes.)

^: Skiing is possible from the climatic point of view in Scotland, but it is not traditional there. It has recently been introduced in order to attract tourists in the winter, but is still not •widespread. Most people who want to ski go abroad — to France, Switzerland, Austria — and skiing is therefore a minority sport. Russian speakers should bear in mind that "skiing" to an English person means skiing down mountain slopes (горнолыжный спорт). The expression "mountain skiing" may exist, but in practice it is not heard, because in England and many other West European countries there is no need for it. It could be used as a translation of горнолыжный спорт, since in this country one needs to distinguish this type from "ordinary" skiing. The type of skiing which is traditional in Russia is unfamiliar to most English people. However, those who watched the Winter Olympics on television have seen it, and have heard it called Nordic skiing, that is, skiing as practiced by Nordic, or northern peoples. Those who did not follow the Winter Olympics, but have seen this type of skiing when visiting this country, usually call it cross-country skiing, and describe it, for example, as follows: "... not skiing down slopes, but more like walking or running on skis. The skis are narrower and lighter than ordinary skis, and fastened to the boot only at the toe."

In the Soviet Union, however, this type of skiing can be called simply skiing, since here it is the usual type. "Ski, skiing" are used in such sentences as:

a) Can you ski?

b) He skis very well. (However, "He's a good skier" is more common.)

c) I can't ski downhill/down hills.

d) I skied along the path until I came to a clearing.

e) I'm very fond of skiing.

f) I go skiing nearly every Sunday in the winter.

g) — What did you do at the week-end? — Went skiing.

Note that "go on skis" is not used, except in such sentences as: He went there on skis (mean­ing "How did he go there?"). More usual would be: He skied there, Here are some expressions connected with skiing:

ski-boots

ski-tracks (always plural) — лыжня

ski-run

a downhill track for skiing ski-jump — трамплин ski-jumper

ski-jumping — прыжки с трамплина на лыжах ski race

a race on skis, either downhill or cross-country ' slalom

a downhill ski race along a zigzag course

marked out by poles, or zigzagging between

trees.

"Slalom" is only a noun, not an adjective. Слаломные лыжи are simply "skis", and слалом used in the sense of горнолыжный спорт is "skiing".

There seems to be no equivalent for лыжная ба­за but it can be translated as "ski (ing) base/station",