Vocabulary and Speech Exercises

Ex. 1. Memorize the following word combinations to be able to describe the responsibilities of a National Olympic Committee:

1. to provide uniform -обепечить спортивной формой

2. to provide food -обепечить питание

3. to provide housing -обепечить проживание

4. to furnish transportation -предоставить транспорт

5. to pay expenses -оплачивать расходы

6. to select athletes -проводить отбор спортсменов

7. to enter an athlete (a team) -заявлять спортсмена (команду) для участия в

соревновании.

Ex. 2. Describe the activities of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus. Refer to Unit 3 if necessary.

Ex. 3. Say, what is the most important sentence expressing the main idea of the text. Give your comments

Task 9.Learn the following sports management terms you will need to understand Text 6 D:

1. governing body -руководящий орган

2. executive board -исполком

3. approve v -утверждать

4. mayor n -мэр города

5. conduct v -проводить

6. appoint v -назначать

7. current member -действительный член МОК

8. representative n -представитель

Task 10. Read the text to find answers to the questions given before each paragraph.

Text 6 d The International Olympic Committee

1. What is the IOC?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the governing body of the Olympic Games.The Committee approves the sports to be included in the Olympics. The IOC also selects the host cities, one for the Summer Games and one for the Winter Games, six years in ad­vance. The selection process includes a presentation by the mayor of each city that wishes to host the games.

2. Who plans the Games?

The Organising Committee of the host cityand the international governing body for each Olympic sport workwith the IOC in planning the Games. The host city decides the number of sports to be included in the Games. The host city and various international sports fede­rations plan the events within each sport, the maximum number of athletes allowed to enter, and the schedule of events. The international sports organizations also conduct each event and appoint the judges and referees.

3. How are new members of the IOC elected?

New members of the IOC are elected by the current members. A representative may be elected from any nation that has a national Olympic Committee, but only nations that have hosted the Olympics may have two representatives. The IOC has no set rules regarding which eligible nations shall be represented. As a result, the size of the Committee varies as members die or retire and new members are chosen. In 1991, the Committee had 94 members. Originally, members were elected to the IOC for life. Today, any member elected after 1965 must retire at the age of 76. The members of the Committee accept no instructions on voting from any government or other group or individual.

4. Who handles the IOC business?

The IOC meets annually and during the Summer and Winter Games. Between meetings, its executive board handles the Committee's busi­ness. This board consists of the president, four vice presidents, and six members who serve four-year terms. The Committee elects these officials from among its members. The president serves an eight-year term¹and then may be reelected to any number of four-year terms.

Notes:

¹ The President serves an eight-year term .-Президент избирается на восемь лет…

Comprehensive and Speech Exercises

Ex.1. Find a key sentence in each paragraph.

Ex. 2. Entitle each paragraph.

Ex. 3. Speak about the IOC following the outline:

• the responsibilities of the IOC;

• the members of the IOC;

• the election of the IOC members

Ex. 4. Analyze the material you have studied and compare the activities of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus to those of the IOC.

Lesson 3. Focus on Speaking

Step 1. Listening Practice

Ex. 1. Listen to the dialogue and make notes. What information have you heard?

Ex. 2. Follow the transcript below. How different is the transcript from the dialogue you’ve heard?

Dialogue: An interview with the Secretary General

Remember: Reception Committee – комитет по приему гостей

Олимпиады

to assign -назначить

catering -питание

After a successful performance of the Belarusian National team at the 2000 Olympics the Secretary General of the NOC of Belarus agreed to answere the questions of the reporters:

Reporter: Mr. Secretary General! Thank you for your consent to answer our questions.

SG: You are welcome. I appreciate the way you wrote about our Olympians.

You’ve done a good job!

Question: Mr. Secretary, what did you feel when you arrived at the airport in Sydney?

Answer: The representative of the Reception Committee greeted us very cordially.

We felt really happy after a long travel.

Q: What are your impressions of the Olympic Village?

A: The size, planning and buildings of the Olympic Village are unforgettable.

We felt very comfortable.

Q: Some words about the training centres.

A: After the athletes had settled down they were given an opportunity for warming

up at various training centres. They are modern and well equipped. Besides an

Australian coach was assigned to our athletic team for training assistance.

Q: What can you say about the food?

A: The dining-rooms were operated twenty-four hours a day. The catering was self-service

and it seemed to me that there was enough food to feed the world.

Q: What do you think about the performance of the Belarusian Olympians?

A: We are proud of our athletes. They won 3 gold, 3 silver and 11 bronze medals.

The departure was a very sad and touching moment for all participants.

R: It is very kind of you to meet with us. We wish our athletes new victories.

Step 2. Oral Practice

Ex. 1. Read the dialogue in pairs. Trade the roles.

Ex. 2. a. Note how the Secretary General expresses his appreciation of the reporters’ job.

Study the different ways of expressing appreciation and approval:

I (do) appreciate your assistance, advice, criticism.

It’s very kind of you.

You’re very helpful.

That’s (was) the right thing to do.

You’ve done a good job.

That’s a good idea.

Well done!

b. Use these phrases to express your appreciation of : your group-mate’s help;

your coach’s advice

Ex. 2. Complete the dialogue. Give your questions according to the answers below:

A:…………………………………..?

B: The NOC of the Republic of Belarus was established on March 22, 1991.

A:…………………………………..?

B: The NOC unites 74 organizations.

A:………………………………….?

B. The NOC of Belarus supports not only high level sport but “Sport for All” too.

A:………………………………….?

B: Since 1994 the Belarusian Olympians have been taking part in the Olympic Games as

an independent team.

A:…………………………………?

B: At the Olympic Games in Sydney 167 Balarusian athletes performed in 21 sports events.

Step 3. Role Playing

Situation . Pretend that you are a sports reporter for your local newspaper or radio station and your friend is an athlete. In­terview your friend on radio or TV. Prepare for the interview by planning the questions, by being informed enough about the sport. Try to create an interview that is interesting to the audience.

Step 4. Writing Practice

Ex. 1. Write a composition about a famous Belarusian athlete . He(she )may be famous because he (she) won an Olympic, world or national championship; he (she) may be famous because he (she) overcame special difficulties to achieve excellence as athletes; he (she) may be fa­mous because he (she) contributed greatly to the welfare of other people.

Progress Evaluation Test No. 6

Form A

1. Mix and match the words:

1. order 1 факел

2.motto 2. глава (государства)

3.head 3. девиз

4. host 4.традиция

5. torch 5. порядок

6. custom 6. огонь

7. flame 7. принимающая сторона

1	2	3	4	5	6	7

2. Insert the word or phrase which completes each sentense.

Translate the sentences into Russian:

1. The Olympic Games are the oldest…. 1.holiday, 2. competition

2. At first the programme…only of a single event:

a race the length of the stadium . 3.combined, 4.consisted

3. Before the contests open all the competitors,

their coaches and judges take an …

to keep the competition clean and fair. 5. word, 6.oath

4. The first recorded Olympic … took place in the

Stadium of Olympia in 776 B.C. 7. contest, 8.championship

5. On June 23, 1894 79 delegates of the International

Congress decided to revive the… Olympic Games

in a modern form. 9. modern, 10. ancient

3. Replace the infinitive by the correct tense form:

1. Mike ( play) football since childhood. 1.___________________

2. The team ( train) since 10 o’clock. 2.___________________

3. I ( practise) fencing for 4 years. 3.___________________

4. By the end of next month I ( live) in Minsk

exactly three years. 4.___________________

5. How long you ( know ) this coach. 5.___________________

4. Translate the underlined verbs:

1. Я изучаю два иностранных языка :английский и

французский. 1.______________

2. Cколько времени ты изучаешь английский язык? 2._________________

В сентябре будет ровно два года, как я изучаю 3._________________

английский.

3. А французский? К тому времени как я поступила

в университет, я изучала этот язык уже пять лет. 4.________________

4. А я в школе изучала немецкий язык. 5.________________

5. Choose the answer which best completes the statement:

1. The first modern Olympic Games took place in___

1. Rome, b. Athens, c. Chamonix, d. Sparta.

2. An athlete who represents a country at the Olympic Games must be___

1. a member of the IOC, b. a member of the NOC, c. a citizen of the country,

d. a professional athlete.

3. The winners receive their medals at an impressive ceremony held after___

1. the Games, b. the cloing ceremony, c. the sportsman’s performance,

d. the event.

4. The Next Summer Olympic Games will be held in ___

1. the USA, b. France, c. China, c. Russia.

5. The NOC of the Republic of Belarus was established in ___

1. 1990, b. 1991, c. 1992, d. 1993.

1	2	3	4	5

YI. Read the paragraph. Write the topic and the main idea. Translate the paragraph

into Russian:

The awards system was changed starting with the 6 th Olympiad of ancient times. A laurel wreath ¹ came to be the official prize at the competitions. In addition, other honours were awaiting the victor. First of all, not only a winner, but his whole town or village was proclaimed champion. Later the victor was presented with valuable gifts and his name was written in the columns standing in Olympia. From 1896 on, the medal ( gold, silver, bronze ) became the only official Olympic award.

The first medal in modern Olympic competition was presented on April 6, 1896 to the American athlete James Brenden Connolly for a triple jump of 13.71 metres.

¹.laureal wreath – лавровый венок

Form B

1. Mix and match the words:

1. spectator 1. факел

2. oath 2. судья

3. symbol 3. клятва

4. torch 4. эстафета

5. relay 5. зритель

6. motto 6. символ

7. judge 7. девиз

1	2	3	4	5	6	7

2. Insert the word or phrase which completes each sentence. Translate the sentences into Russian:

1. Each National Olympic Committee provides… 1.clothes, 2. uniforms

for its country athletes while they prepare for

and compete in the Games.

2. The… of the Olympic Games is: Faster, Higher, Stronger. 3. symbol, 4. motto

3. A National Olympic Committee … the athletes 5. chooses, 6. selects

who compete in the Games.

4. Runners in cross-country relay bring a lighted… 7. flame,8. torch from the valley of Olympia.

5. The Olympic symbol consists of … 9. four, 10. five

interlocking rings.

3. Replace the infinitive by the correct tense form:

1. Athletes usually ( warm up) before the competitions

for 15 minutes. 1._______________

2. We ( watch) the Olympic up-date. We ( watch) TV 2._______________

since 10 o’clock.

3. I ( study) at the University for 2 years and ( make) 3._______________

a big progress in sport.

4. They ( work) at their diploma projects for 2 months. 4._______________

5. My friend ( study) English since he entered the 5._______________

University. He ( study) English before.

IV. Translate the underlined verbs:

1.Мой лучший друг профессионально играет в футбол. 1.______________

2.Он играет в футбол с детства. 2.______________

3. Уже два года как он играет в футбол. 3.

4. Что твой брат сейчас делает во дворе?- Он с ребятами

из класса играет в футбол. 4._______________

5. Наш отец долгие годы играл в футбол в ведущих

клубах страны. 5._______________

4. Choose the answer which best completes the statement:

1. The summer and winter Olympic Games are scheduled to occur on a four-year cycle………………

a. the same year, b. every year, c. two years apart, d. a year apart.

2. The most dramatic moment of the Olympiuc opening ceremony is……:

1. raising of the flag, b. lighting of the Olympic Flame, c. releasing the doves into the air, d. declaration of the Games open.

3. The IOC allowed…to pay athletes during a training period before the Olympic

Games:

1. international sports federations, b. National Olympic Committees, c. national sports federations, d. sports clubs.

4. The first-place medals are made of……….:

f. gold, b. silver, c. bronze, d. silver with a gold coating.

5. The first modern Olympic Games took place in ……..:

1. 1982, b. 1896, c.1900, d. 1904.

1	2	3	4	5

5. Read the paragraph. Write the topic and the main idea. Translate the paragraph into Russian:

The title of Olympic champion is the only sporting title that is awarded for life. The prefix “ex” can’t be added to a sportaman’s name that has been inscribed in gold in the Olympic chronicle. There are no ex-champions of the Olympic Games and never will be. Every four years new names of victors appear in the Eternal Book of Olympic History ¹ to continue the list begun by the great athletes in 1896. More than 100 athletes from Belarus occupy their rightful place among the athletes from different countries of the world.

¹ Eternal Book of Olympic History – Вечная книга олимпийской истории

Министерство спорта и туризма Республики Беларусь

Белорусский государственный университет

физической культуры

Кафедра иностранных языков

ENGLISH FOR ATHLETES

Английский язык для спортсменов

Учебно-методическое пособие

Минск 2004

АВТОРЫ УРОКОВ:

Unit 1. Athletes and Sports Ю.Н.Макаров

Unit 2. Physical Education Н.М.Карпышева

Unit 3. Sports in the Republic of Belarus Г.Н.Староверова

Unit 4. Sports in Great Britain and the USA Т.А.Ревуцкая

Unit 5. Sports Competitions С.Р. Сенько

Unit 6. Olympic Games Г.В.Жулкевская

Unit 7. Grammar Guide Г.В.Жулкевская

С.Р.Сенько