Text b. Football in the usa

In the USA football is the most popular sport in autumn. The game originated as a college sport more than seventy-five years ago. It is still played by almost every college and university in the country. The game is not the same as European football or soccer. In American football there are eleven players in each team, and they are dressed in padded uniforms and helmets' because the game is rough and injuries are likely to occur. The object of the game is to carry or forward pass (that is, throw from one person to another) the ball across the opponent's goal, or scoring line.²

The team with the ball has four chances, called 'downs', to gain a minimum of 10 yards. If the team is unsuccessful, the ball is turned over to the opposing team, which has four chances to advance the ball the minimum 10-yard distance. Football is so popular, and the urge to win is so keen, that³ many colleges actively seek outstanding players for their student body.

Attendances at football games are so large that it is not unheard-of for a college or university to finance its entire athletic program from ticket sales.

There are professional football teams in nearly all the major cities of the United States. Their players are almost always former college football players. The number of spectators at professional football games is larger than at college games, because the professional players, quite naturally, are more skilled and perform more spectacularly.

Notes

1. padded uniforms and helmets — объемные (подбитые чем-либо) костю­мы и шлемы

2. scoring line — штрафная линия

3. the urge to win is so keen that — стремление выиграть настолько сильно, что

Задания

I. Прочтите тексты 1,2 и скажите, в чем разница между английским и американским футболом.

II. Подтвердите примерами из текста следующее поло­жение:

Football is a very popular game in England and in the USA.

III. Расширьте следующую информацию, пользуясь содержанием текста:

1. Even the smallest boy in England has a great know­ledge of the game.

2. English schools take football very seriously.

3. Football is the favorite game at schools.

IV. Прочтите внимательно третий абзац текста 1 и ска­жите, чье отношение к футболу вы считаете более пра­вильным, в английских школах или в европейских. Дока­жите свою точку зрения.

V. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Why is football very popular at English schools?

2. What sport is the most popular in autumn in the USA?

3. How many players are there in a football team in the USA? 4. How are the American footballers dressed and why? 5. Why is the number of spectators at professional football games larger than at college games?

УЭ-3

Text c. Rugby union football

Rugby Union Football is a strictly amateur game¹, played chiefly in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, France, Japan, Romania, Canada, Argentina, Italy and in at least 50 other countries.

The early history of the game belongs to England. It was developed at Rugby School, taken up by the under­graduates at Cambridge and Oxford. In London it was given its original governing body² the Rugby Football Union, from which it took its full title.

Rugby Union Football is a ball game, played between teams of 15-a-side, in which the ball may be handled as well as kicked. It is played on a rectangular field with an inflated ball that is oval in shape.³

The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents. Points are awarded for goals and also for tries;⁴ A try is scored if the ball is carried or kicked over the defending team's goal line and is there touched down by a member of the attacking team.

The field is usually 100m long and 68 т wide. At each end of the field two goal posts are erected 5-6 т apart, joined by a crossbar 3.048 т from the ground. The goal posts are extended upwards above the level of the crossbar, usually to a total height of at least 7.62 m. This is because, in order to score a goal, the ball must be kicked, by means of a place kick or a drop kick, above the crossbar and between the posts. A place kick⁵ is made by kicking the ball after it has been placed on the ground for that purpose.

A drop kick⁶ is made by letting the ball fall from the hands to the ground and kicking it at the first rebound⁷ as it rises. There is also a rectangular area behind the goal line, usually 23 by 68 m, in which tries are scored. The field is marked out in whiting.

According to the laws of the game, the field must be grass covered, or clay or sand, provided the surface is not of dangerous hardness.

In the British Isles, the birthplace of the game, Rugby is usually played on grass whose soil has been softed by rain.

Players wear jerseys, shorts, stockings, and studded boots. They may wear soft leather helmets to protect their heads and ears, and leather pads to protect their shins.⁸

The game is controlled by a referee who carries a whistle arid moves about the field, closely following the play. He is helped by two touch-judges whose duties are confined to indicating the spot at which the ball has crossed the touch line⁹ and to indicating that an attempt to kick a goal has been successful or unsuccessful. The touch-judges do not come on to the field.

Play is usually divided into two halves of 40 minutes each. The players change ends at the halftime interval which is not allowed to last for more than 5 minutes.

The 15 players in a team are usually divided into 8 forwards, 2 half-backs, 4 three-quarters, and 1 full-back.

The ball may be kicked in any direction, but it must not be passed or knocked forward with the hand. A player carrying the ball may be tackled by an opponent, who is allowed to knock him with his shoulder and to grip him with his arms so as to bring him to the ground, but it is illegal to impede anyone who is not carrying the ball.

Numerically, the most profitable way of obtaining points is by touching down the ball beyond the opponents' goal line for a try. The try itself is worth 4 points and it gives the right to the scorer's team to take a place kick or a drop kick at goal which, if it goes over the crossbar and between the posts, brings a further 2 points, making 6 in all. The kick at goal after a try, known as a conversion, has to be taken from a spot in-field in line with the place where the try was scored.

One of the charms of the Rugby Union game is the infinite variety¹⁰ of its possible tactics.

Notes

1. is a strictly amateur game — является исключительно любитель­ской игрой

2. its original governing body — их первая руководящая организация

3. oval in shape овальной формы

4. try (tries) — выигрыш четырех очков при проходе игрока с мячом

5. a place kick — удар по неподвижному мячу, свободный удар

6. a drop kick — удар с полулета

7. kicking it at the first rebound — ударить по мячу на первом его отскоке (от земли)

8. leather pads to protect their shins — кожаные щитки для защиты голени

9. touch-line — боковая линия поля

10. infinite variety — бесконечное разнообразие