Sports and Games

We are sure you are all interested in sport. Many of us certainly play such games as volley-ball or football, basket­ball or tennis. People who play a game are players. Players form teams and play matches with other teams — their op­ponents. Two players playing with each other are partners. Each team can lose or win. In a football match players try to score as many goals as they can.

Most matches take place in large stadiums. Athletics is the most popular sport. People call it "the queen of all sports". It comprises such kinds of sports as: running (for different distances), jumping (long and high jumps) and others.

From time to time international championships and races (horse-races, motor-races, cycle-races) take place. Repre­sentatives of various countries can win a gold, silver or bronze medal. Such great championships in sport are organ­ized every four years and we call them Olympic Games. Only the best may take part in them.

There are so many kinds of sports, such as cycling, swim­ming, gymnastics, boxing, skating, skiing, rowing, yacht­ing and many more in which you can take an active part or just be a devoted fan.

Everybody may choose the sport he (or she) is fond of or interested in.

Answer the questions:

1. What kinds of sports are you interested in?

2. What kinds of sports are you fond of?

3. What sportsmen do you know?

4. Describe a kind of sport you are good at.

**Exercise 9. Read and translate the text paying attention to the vocabulary below it. Say about your attitude to sport and your favourite kind of sport or games:

Sports in our Life

Sport is very popular in our country. It helps people to become strong and healthy. It is popular among young and old people. People all over the world are fond of sports and games.

Athletics is the most popular sport in Ukraine. People call it the queen of all sports. Athletics includes running and jumping.

The most popular winter sports are: skating, skiing, hockey. I like to skate and to ski very much. I can breathe fresh air. People enjoy shooting, hunting, figure-skating, ski-jumping, tobogganing. It’s so nice to go to the skating-rink on a frosty sunny day.

The children like to sledge in winter. I liked to sledge in my childhood.

The most popular summer sports are: swimming, rowing, cycling, track-and-field athletics, sailing, and yachting. Various games, such as: football, handball, volley-ball, basket-ball, tennis are very popular too.

As for me, I like to ride a bicycle in summer. I like to play badminton, basket-ball, and volley-ball very much. All these games help me to rest after my lessons or after a hard work. I like to swim in the lake in summer. I think that it is very useful for my health.

In my childhood I played hopscotch, hide-and-seek and other different games. I think that all these games were a little sport for me.

Now I try to do morning exercises every day. I visit my Physical training lessons at the College. We play different sports games there. We learn running, jumping, skiing there too. We have our Physical training lessons in the gymnasium. I enjoy my Physical training lessons very much.

I like also to play draughts, chess at home when the weather is bad.

Many students of our College go in for such kinds of sports as: athletics, gymnastics, tennis, volley-ball, swimming, boxing, football, basket-ball, skating, skiing, hockey, figure-skating and chess. They train themselves not only at our Physical training lessons, but also at sports schools or at sports sections. Many of them are very good sportsmen. They always take part in sports competitions which take place in our College. Our College basket-ball team took the first place in the competitions.

As for me, I do not take part in sports competitions because I am not very strong in running and jumping. But I like sports very much. My favourite kinds of sports are: volley-ball and figure-skating. I like to play volley-ball. I am fond of figure-skating. But I can watch it only on TV.

So, I can say that everybody must go in for sport to be strong and healthy. We must remember such proverb: health is better than wealth.

Sport helps people to keep in good health. If you go in for sports, you have good health and don’t catch cold. We must do morning exercises regularly.