L esson 23.

1. Speaking

C an you identify the extreme sport in the picture?

Do you practice any sport/extreme sport? Why?

An extreme sport is any sport featuring speed, height, danger, a high level of physical effort, highly specialized equipment, or spectacular acrobatics. Another characteristic of extreme sport is they tend to be individual rather than team sports. They can include both competitive and non-competitive activities.

http:.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_sports

2. More extreme activities

Match the words and phrases with the pictures:

water skiing	climbing	scuba-diving	hang-gliding
paragliding	bungee jumping	parachute jumping	snowboarding

3. R eading

Read the text very carefully.

Parkour

Is the ultimate extreme sport!

Parkour, often abbreviated to PK, is a physical discipline of French origin, created by Sebastien Foucan, in which the participant – called a traceur – attempts to overcome obstacles in the fastest and most direct way possible, using skills such as jumping, vaulting and climbing, or the more specific Parkour moves. The obstacles can be anything in the environment, so Parkour is often practiced in urban areas because of many suitable public structures, such as buildings, rails, and walls.

Life is made of obstacles and challenges – to overcome them is to progress. If you become skilled at Parkour, you gain something for the rest of your life.

Understanding the philosophy of parkour is to look further than just the simple movement or the performance of the movement. You should try to internalize the philosophy behind it – an essential element of learning parkour.

“Without philosophy, action has no meaning” Sebastien Foucan

• Parkour isn’t a fashion phenomenon; it’s an evolution of the mind.

• The most important advice about parkour is to learn to follow your own path, your intuition – make progress step by step.

• In practice, focus your attention on yourself more than on the outside world.

• One link alone is nothing – humanity must be made up of a large chain. If you discover something positive while doing parkour, you should pass it on to others!

• Remember to have a sense of fun, which is central to parkour.

• Remember to find your own rhythm. It is essential to enjoyment and understanding of parkour.

M atch the words from the first part of the text in column A with their equivalents in column B.

1. ultimate	A. intellect
2. attempts	B. concentrate
3. vaulting	C. most exciting
4. appropriate	D. instinct
5. challenges	E. jumping over
6. overcome	F. difficulties
7. mind	G. beat
8. intuition	H. tries
9. focus	I. suitable

Find evidence fort the following sentences in the last part of the text

1. Parkour is the development of the intellect.

2. Parkour teaches us how to find our way.

3. Inner concentration is important.

4. Amusing yourself is essential.

Answer the following questions:

1. W ho invented parkour? Where?

2. What is the aim of this extreme sport?

3. Is there a specific place to practice parkour? Why?