Английский язык. Учебное пособие-4

showcase – демонстрировать toughness – жесткость outstanding – выдающийся agility – ловкость magnificent – великолепный

empower – давать возможность injustice – несправедливость

1. Match the words with their definitions.

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READING

1. Read the text.

The paralympic games

The Paralympic Games are international sports competitions for people with disabilities. The Paralympics take place shortly after the Olympic Games, in the same host city. The name Paralympics means"alongside the Olympics".

Athletes from countries around the world compete in the Paralympics. Some Paralympic athletes have spinal cord injuries that caused paralysis. Some are missing limbs. These athletes may use wheelchairs or prostheses (artificial limbs) to move around. Some athletes are blind or have limited vision. Others have cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or other conditions that limit movement. Athletes with intellectual (mental) disabilities may compete in some of the events. They also may participate in the Special Olympics, which are organized separately.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has organized the Paralympic Games since 1989. The IPC is based in Germany. One of its goals is to help athletes with disabilities achieve excellence in sports. Another goal is to increase the world’s respect and admiration for people with disabilities.

At the Summer Paralympic Games, participants compete in more than a dozen sports. Among them are archery, track and field (athletics), cycling, rowing, sitting volleyball, soccer, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair fencing. At the Winter Paralympic Games, athletes compete in ice sledge hockey, skiing, wheelchair curling, and other coldweather sports.

Athletes compete against others with similar abilities. In many events, athletes use prostheses or wheelchairs. However, prostheses and wheelchairs are not allowed in certain events, such as swimming and sitting volleyball. Some events require special equipment – for example, the low sledge, or sled, on which ice hockey players sit. In some cases, guides may assist athletes with visual disabilities.

The Paralympics can be traced back to 1948, when a doctor named Ludwig Guttmann organized an athletic competition in the United Kingdom. The athletes were veterans who had lost the use of their legs in World War II. The competition took place the same day as the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in London.

The first Paralympic Games were held in 1960 in Rome. The Summer Paralympics have taken place every four years since then. The Winter Paralympic Games have been held every four years since 1976, when they debuted in Sweden. The Paralympics were first held in the same city as the

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Olympics in 1988 (for the Summer Games) and 1992 (for the Winter Games). Different groups organized the Paralympics until 1989, when the International Paralympic Committee was founded.

Main goals of Paralympic games are:

To help athletes with disabilities achieve excellence in sports

To increase the world’s respect and admiration for people with disabilities. To enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and

excite the world.

To make for a more inclusive society for people with an impairment through Para sport.

Paralympic Values are:

Courage – through performances, athletes showcase to the world what can be achieved when your body is tested to its absolute limits.

Determination – unique strength of character comes from these athletes that combines, physical ability, mental toughness and outstanding agility to produce magnificent performances that regularly surpass the boundaries of possibility.

Inspiration – as role models, athletes maximise their abilities, also empowering and exciting others to participate in sport.

Equality – helping to increase formation by breaking down injustice and discrimination towards people with disabilities.

COMPREHENSION EXERCISES

1. Fill in the blanks with the word from the list.

missing, since, participate, impairment, host, competition, combines, prostheses, debuted, maximize, blind, excite, determination, athletes, artificial

The Paralympic Games are international sports competitions for people with disabilities. The Paralympics take place shortly after the Olympic Games, in the same __________city. Some Paralympic athletes have spinal cord injuries that caused paralysis. Some are __________limbs. These

__________may use wheelchairs or prostheses (__________limbs) to move around. Some athletes are __________ or have limited vision. Athletes with intellectual (mental) disabilities may compete in some of the events. They also may __________in the Special Olympics, which are organized separately. Athletes compete against others with similar abilities. In many events, athletes use prostheses or wheelchairs. However, __________and wheelchairs are not allowed in certain events. The Paralympics can be traced back to 1948, when a doctor named Ludwig Guttmann organized an athletic

__________in the United Kingdom. The first Paralympic Games were held

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in 1960 in Rome. The Summer Paralympics have taken place every four years since then. The Winter Paralympic Games have been held every four years __________1976, when they __________in Sweden.

To help athletes with disabilities achieve excellence in sports, to increase the world’s respect and admiration for people with disabilities, to enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and

__________the world, to make for a more inclusive society for people with an __________through Para sport are the main goals of Paralympic games Courage - through performances, athletes showcase to the world what

can be achieved when your body is tested to its absolute limits, __________unique strength of character comes from these athletes that__________, physical ability, mental toughness and outstanding agility to produce magnificent performances that regularly surpass the boundaries of possibility, inspiration - as role models, athletes __________their abilities, also empowering and exciting others to participate in sport, equality - helping to increase formation by breaking down injustice and discrimination towards people with disabilities are the Paralympic values.

2. Mark sentences T (True) or F (False) according to the text.

1.The Paralympic Games are international sports competitions for ablebodied athletes.

2.The Paralympics take place before the Olympic Games, in a different host city.

3.Athletes from countries around the world compete in the Paralympics, but they all have the same type of disabilities.

4.The International Paralympic Committee is based in Germany and aims to help athletes with disabilities achieve excellence in sports.

5. At the Summer Paralympics, participants compete in fewer than a dozen sports.

6.Athletes compete against others with similar abilities and may use prostheses or wheelchairs in all events.

7.The Paralympics can be traced back to 1948, when a doctor organized an athletic competition for able-bodied veterans.

8.The Winter Paralympic Games debuted in Sweden in 1976.

9.The Paralympics were firstheld in the same city as the Olympics in1992.

10.The International Paralympic Committee was founded in 1989.

3. Answer the questions.

1.What are the Paralympic Games?

2.When do the Paralympics typically take place?

3.What does the name Paralympics mean?

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4.Which athletes participate in the Paralympics?

5.What kinds of disabilities do Paralympic athletes have?

6.What types of equipment do Paralympic athletes use in competition?

7.When and where were the first Paralympic Games held?

8.What is the International Paralympic Committee?

9.What are the main goals of the Paralympic Games?

10.What are the Paralympic Values?

4. Find English equivalents from the text.

1.Паралимпийские игры – международные спортивные соревнования для людей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья.

2.Атлеты со всего мира участвуют в Паралимпиаде.

3.Участники Паралимпийских игр могут иметь травмы спинного мозга, от которых возникает паралич, а также родовые аномалии, детский церебральный паралич и другие заболевания, ограничивающие движение.

4.Цель Международного паралимпийского комитета – помочь атлетам с ограниченными возможностями достичь спортивного совершенства и привлечь внимание мира к людям с инвалидностью.

5.Летом участники Паралимпийских игр соревнуются в более чем десяти видах спорта, включая легкую атлетику, плавание, велоспорт, волейбол на креслах-каталках, фехтование на колясках и др.

6.Зимой спортсмены участвуют в таких видах спорта, как хоккей на санях, лыжные гонки, керлинг на колясках и другие зимние виды спорта.

7.Главные цели Паралимпийских игр – помочь атлетам с ограниченными возможностями достичь спортивного совершенства, увеличить уважение к людям с инвалидностью и сделать общество более инклюзивным.

8.Основные ценности Паралимпийских игр – мужество, настойчивость, вдохновение и равенство.

GRAMMAR

1.Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets.

1.My sister is _______ (tall) than me.

2.This book is _______ (interesting) than the one I read last week.

3.The weather today is _______ (bad) than yesterday.

4.I think math is _______ (difficult) than science.

5.That movie was _______ (exciting) than I expected.

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2.Rewrite the following sentences using the comparative or superlative form of the adjective in brackets.

1.The elephant is big. (big) The elephant is _______.

2.The red car is faster than the blue car. (fast) The blue car is _______

than the red car.

3.This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. (good)

I’ve never had a _______ pizza than this one.

4.She is the tallest person in her class. (tall) No one in her class is _______ than she is.

5.The new phone is more expensive than the old one. (expensive) The old phone is _______ than the new one.

3.Choose the correct form of the adjective to complete the following sentences.

1.This is the _______ (beautiful) painting I’ve ever seen.

– most beautiful

– more beautiful

2.He is _______ (happy) when he’s with his family.

–happiest

–happier

3.The _______ (funny) movie I’ve ever watched was "The Hangover".

– funniest

– more funny

4.The _______ (important) thing in life is to be happy.

–most important

–more important

5.My sister is _______ (smart) than I am.

–smarter

–smartest

4.Compare using as … as, not as/so … as.

1.Moscow / Tokyo (busy)

2.London / York (cosy)

3.The city / the countryside (quiet)

4.Apples / grapes (sweet)

5.Bushes / trees (tall)

6.Hills / mountains (high)

7.Meat / fish (healthy)

8.Sugar / honey (tasty)

9.The melon / the water-melon (watery)

10.The cat / the dog (clever)

11.New cars / used cars (cheap)

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UNIT 10

THE WILL TO WIN

1. Words to learn. reach – достичь deserve – заслужить praise – хвалить, похвала

recognize – принимать, узнавать count – считаться

stroke – стиль плавания, взмах lessen – уменьшить

fierce – неистовый, ярый attract – привлекать bear – нести

awareness – понимание, осознание otherwise – иначе, в противном случае add – добавить

perception – восприятие, осознание possess – обладать

2. Match the words with their definitions.

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The will to win

Athletes, if they want to reach the top of their chosen sport, have to train hard for hours every day. Their commitment to the sport and their achievements certainly deserve praise. This is true for both ablebodied athletes like Karl Lewis or Linford Christie, and for disabled athletes like Isabel Newstead, who carried the United Kingdom flag at the Barcelona Paralympic Games in 1992.

"We want to be recognised for our achievements, just like any other top class athletes. We are not interested in hearing how brave and wonderful we are", says Isabel. "We are demonstrating our abilities in an environment where our disabilities don’t count.”

This shows that disabled athletes can only participate in a small number of events, and are unlikely to take on more sports in the near future. Another disabled athlete, Chris Holmes, is a swimmer with gold, silver and bronze medals won at the Paralympics. He is blind and has to count his strokes to judge when he will reach the end of the pool, but this doesn’t lessen his speed. Competition among swimmers is so fierce that the difference between the record times of the disabled and ablebodied in the 50-metre freestyle swimming event is only four seconds.

With results like these, more and more spectators have been attracted to the Paralympic Games.

The opening ceremonies and most of the wheelchair basketball games were sold out long before the start of the Atlanta Games. This is quite interesting if you bear in mind that in many past events, tickets had to be given away to attract spectators. This new interest is especially pleasing for Bob Steadward, president of the International Paralympic Committee, whose job is to promote greater awareness of and more participation in the disabled version of the games.

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"I wanted to ensure that developing nations had the opportunity to send athletes to Atlanta,” says Steadward. "As a result of the money we had, and the money we received from the ICC International Olympic Committee, we were able to sponsor more than 100 athletes from 35 countries who would otherwise not have had a chance to come".

More and more sports are being added to the Paralympic Games as the range of the athletes’ skills and abilities becomes known. Sailing had not been a Paralympic sport before, but Andrew Cassell, the captain of the British sailing team, helped it to be included. He was born with the lower part of both his legs missing, but he never let this get in his way. He started sailing when he was ten years old and since then he has proved himself time and time again by winning races and even breaking world records.

So far, there are events for the blind, amputees, and people with cerebral palsy as well as wheelchair sports. Atlanta is the first Games to include mentally disabled athletes competing in swimming, as well as track and field events.

Many of the athletes have suffered accidents and illnesses, which would be enough to make most of us want to give up. But they are pushing back the barriers, which, until recently, kept the disabled from taking part in sports. They are the ones who are catching the public eye and imagination, changing people’s perceptions of what ‘disability’ means and what extraordinary abilities the so-called disabled people possess.

COMREHENSION EXERCISES

1. Put the parts of the text in right order.

(___) So far, there are events for the blind, amputees, and people with cerebral palsy as well as wheelchair sports.

(___) The opening ceremonies and most of the wheelchair basketball games were sold out long before the start of the Atlanta Games. This is quite interesting if you bear in mind that in many past events, tickets had to be given away to attract spectators.

(___)"We want to be recognised for our achievements, just like any other top class athletes. We are not interested in hearing how brave and wonderful we are", says Isabel.

(___) Athletes have suffered accidents and illnesses, which would be enough to make most of us want to give up. But they are pushing back the barriers, which, until recently, kept the disabled from taking part in sports.

(___) Many of the athletes are catching the public eye and imagination, changing people’s perceptions of what ‘disability’ means and what extraordinary abilities the so-called disabled people possess.

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(___) Athletes, if they want to reach the top of their chosen sport, have to train hard for hours every day. Their commitment to the sport and their achievements certainly deserve praise. This is true for both ablebodied athletes for disabled athletes.

(___) Competition among swimmers is so fierce that the difference between the record times of the disabled and ablebodied in the 50-metre freestyle swimming event is only four seconds. (___) The opening ceremonies and most of the wheelchair basketball games were sold out long before the start of the Atlanta Games. This is quite interesting if you bear in mind that in many past events, tickets had to be given away to attract spectators.

(___) Disabled athletes can only participate in a small number of events, and are unlikely to take on more sports in the near future.

2. Mark sentences T (True) or F (False) according to the text.

1.Athletes don’t have to train hard to reach the top of their sport.

2.Both able-bodied and disabled athletes deserve praise for their commitment and achievements.

3.Disabled athletes have limited opportunities to participate in sports.

4.Chris Holmes is a disabled swimmer who has won Paralympic medals.

5.Competition among disabled swimmers is not very fierce.

6.New sports are not being added to the Paralympic Games.

7.Andrew Cassell has not won any sailing competitions.

8.The Paralympic Games include events for blind, amputee, cerebral palsy, and wheelchair athletes.

9.Disabled athletes have not faced significant challenges, and their achievements are not worth recognition.

10.The barriers that prevented disabled people from participating in sports have not been broken down by disabled athletes.

3. Answer the questions.

1.Who are some able-bodied athletes mentioned in the text?

2.What event did Isabel Newstead participate in during the 1992 Paralympic Games?

3.Does the swimmer’s blindness affect his speed?

4.Who is the president of the International Paralympic Committee?

5.Who helped to include sailing as a Paralympic sport?

6.When did Andrew Cassell start sailing?

7.What types of events are there for disabled athletes?

8.What was significant about the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta?

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