Lance Armstrong

The early years. Lance Armstrong was born on 18^th September 1971 in Texas in the USA. His parents got divorced when he was a baby, and his mother remarried when he was three years old. He got his first bicycle in 1978.

He liked swimming and running, but his favourite sport was cycling. In 1988 he graduated from high school and joined the US Olympic team.

Professional life. In 1992, after the Barcelona Olympics, he became a professional cyclist. He lost his first important race in San Sebastian in Spain. He finished last! But after that he won many important races and in 1996 he became the number one cyclist in the world.

After the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he had cancer. He had two operations and chemotherapy and finally, he recovered. Later he started the Lance Armstrong Foundation and helped other people with cancer. In 1998, he started racing again, and in 1999, he won the Tour de France for the first time. He won the Tour de France for the seventh time in 2005 and then retired.

Personal life. In 1997 he got married to Kristin Richard and had three children. After four years they got divorced, and in 2004 he started a new relationship with Sheryl Crow. They separated in 2006.

11. Read the text and translate it with the help of the dictionary.

Football

Almost every boy played football or watched a football match. This game is one of the most popular among other games more than a hundred years.

The game itself is not new. There are many records that foot-and-ball games were known and played during many cen­turies before our era. In old Japan and China a game like football was very popular. There winners were awarded flowers or vases and loosers... caned.

Two thousand years later in Greece a football-like game was popular among both boys and girls. Beside players there was an arbiter. When ancient Romans conquered Greece, they learned and used different Greek achievements in engi­neering, arts and sports too. The foot-and-ball game called "harpastum" was played all over the Roman Empire, which occupied most of Europe including England.

Football in England was widely spread among peasants. The game was cruel and dangerous, that is why football was officially banned by King Edward II and several others. In one of Shakespeare's plays we learn that "footballer" was used as a swear-word. In spite of royal orders football re­mained the game of English common people. Sometimes football matches lasted for several days!

The history of modern football began in the end of the 19th century. At that time the football rules allowed to play by both feet and hands. There were arguments between play­ers. One side demanded that only feet should be used, while the other insisted on "feet-and-hands" rules.

The argument was so hot that when the representatives of several football clubs gathered in October 1863 in London, their opinions parted. The supporters of the "feet-and-hands" rules demonstratively left the meeting, and their opponents formed their own "Football Association". A week later new rules were discussed and accepted. Those rules were changed, and many times. Almost every year there were inno­vations and additional rules.

The football referees appeared only in 1878. They sig­nalled with a bell which later was changed for a whistle. The first goal nets were first seen in 1891, when sportsmen from Liverpool proposed to use them so that the ball would not fly out of the pitch. In the same year the 11-metres penalty kick was also introduced. The numbers on the players' shirts appeared only in 1939.

Football found its supporters not only in England. The first international match between the teams of England and Scotland was held in 1872. The International Football Fed­eration (FIFA) was formed in 1904 in Paris, France. Oddly enough, but England joined it only two years later, though English players had been the best in Europe then.

The Federation decided to hold the football world cham­pionships in 1906, but in due time there was no country wish­ing to send its national football team. That is why world football championships began only in 1930. Olympic cham­pionships began earlier, in 1908. Such was the dawning of the era of football — the most popular game all over the world.

12. Tell about your favourite kind of sport (try to find some information from the history of this sport).

Литература:

1. Karen Hewitt. Understanding British Institutions. Perspective publications Ltd. 6 Rawlinson Road, Oxford OX2 6UE, England, 2006. – 297p.

2. Mark Powell. “In company. Upper intermediate”. Macmillan. 2008. – 160 p.

3. Philip Kerr. “Inside out. Workbook with key. Upper intermediate”. Macmillan. 2008. – 960 p.

4. Philip Kerr, Sue Kay & Vaughan Jones. “Inside out. Workbook with key. Elementary”. Macmillan. 2008. – 80 p.

5. Peter Maggs & Catherine Smith. Series authors: Sue Kay & Vaughan Jones. “New Inside Out. Beginner. Workbook with key”. Macmillan. 2010. – 80p.

6. Simon Greenall. Diana Pye. “Reward. Practice book. Intermediate”. Macmillan Heinemann. English Language Teaching. 2010. – 96p.

7. Simon Greenall. “Reward. Student’s book. Intermediate”. Macmillan Heinemann. English Language Teaching. 2009. – 123p.

8. Peter Maggs & Catherine Smith. Series authors: Sue Kay & Vaughan Jones. “New Inside Out. Beginner. Workbook with key”. Macmillan. 2010. – 80p.

Интернет источники:

1. htpp://www.circleyou.com/

44