2.2 A Figure-Skater's Story

Nadia Karamasov was born in 1980 in Moscow. In 1996 she became one of the youngest figure skaters ever to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games. Here's how she started ...

I started ice skating when I was three and a half. I didn't have a choice. I was a fat girl, so my father said to my mother, "Why doesn't she learn to ice skate so she can lose weight?" So I started skating and I lost weight.

I won my first competition when I was seven. I've now got about 50 medals, but it wasn't always easy. A few years ago, I had a lot of problems. I had an accident on the rink and I cut my leg very badly, and then I broke a disk in my back.

In spite of the accidents I only stopped skating once. I came home one day and I said, "Mum, I don't want to skate any more." She said, "OK, that's your choice," so I stopped skating and I felt like a normal girl. I went to school, I slept late, I went out with my friends and I ate what I wanted to eat. But then, alter a couple of weeks, I started skating again.

I'm glad I made the decision to start skating again. At the Winter Olympic Games I was so happy I started to cry. My coach said, "Nadia, don't cry. Don't cry. Lots of people are looking at you right now." And then I saw my marks, and my coach said, "You've won." And I started crying again.

Winning the Olympic gold medal was unbelievable. It was something I worked for my whole life, and now I finally have that reward. I have that medal. (1179)

Скажите, верны ли эти утверждения. Неверные утверждения исправьте:

1.Nadia stopped skating several times.

2.Nadia won her first competition when she was seven years old.

3.When Nadia was 18, she won her gold Olympic medal.

4.At first Nadia started to ice skate to lose weight.

5.All her life Nadia lived in Moscow.

2.3 The Greatest

Michael Jordan grabbed the ball from his opponent's hands. He raced down the court and jumped. What did he do? Did he put the ball straight into the basket? Was it just another two points for the greatest basket ball player in the world? No. Michael Jordan wanted to show why he was the greatest. In the air he turned. Then, with his back to the basket, he took the ball in both hands and threw it backwards over his head. Slam! The ball was in the basket.

Michael Jordan was born in New York in February 1963, but he grew in Wilmington, North Carolina. He wasn't a brilliant student at school. "I sometimes got into trouble," he says, "because I didn't do my schoolwork." But he loved sports. He first played basketball in the family's back garden. When Michael was six years old, his father built two basketball goals, and Michael played there with his brothers and his friends.

He played basketball at school, and when he went to the University of North Carolina in 1981 he joined the basketball team. By this time he was 1.98 metres tall. In 1984 he won a gold medal as a member of the United States Olympic basketball team. A few weeks later he left university and became a professional player with the Chicago Bulls. But he didn't forget his education. He returned to the university for two summers and finished his degree in 1986.

As a professional Michael Jordan amazed the crowds with his skill. He earned millions of dollars on the basketball court, and he made millions more from advertising trainers, drinks, cars and many other things. In 1991 the Bulls were the National Association champions. In 1996 Michael starred in the film "Space Jam."

Although he is an international star, Michael Jordan leads a simple life. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Juanita, and their three children. He likes to play golf and to cook. He also does a lot to help children from poor homes. He tells them: "Stay away from drugs and alcohol and get the best education you can." (1635)

Задание 1 Что произошло в эти годы? Напишите по одному предложению к каждому году: 1963; 1969; 1981; 1984; 1986; 1991; 1996.

Задание 2 Выпишите из текста всю информацию по следующим пунктам:

1. Michael's education

2. his family

3. his achievements