LESSON 9 • ... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Magazine: The Olympic Games - then and now

Magazine: The Winter Olympics

Story: The Skier

– These lanes of ice remind me of really big bowling alleys,
only they have these very short side walls. Why is that?

– First of all, they’re wider and longer than bowling alleys.
The walls don’t allow the stone to slide off the lane. Look
at the end of the lane. There is a large circle there called
the ‘house’, which has 3 concentric scoring rings of
different colours. The centre is called the ‘tee’.

– Do you need any special equipment?

– Of course! The most important piece of equipment is
obviously the curling stone. It’s a round stone specially

made of granite, and it has a handle on top. It’s quite heavy, too … it weighs 19 kg! We also wear special shoes.

One of the shoes has a rubber sole that grips the ice and the other one is covered with a smooth material so we
can slide on the ice too. We also use special brooms to sweep the ice in front of the stone. Sometimes we wear
gloves to keep our hands warm.

– Now, I know that matches are played between two teams of 4 players each. But how do you play?

– We slide two stones from one end of the lane to the other taking turns. The other teammates run alongside the
stone clearing its path with brooms, which makes the stone travel further. We have to be very careful, though,

not to touch the stone. We all aim close to the ‘tee’, or try to knock
the other team’s stone away from it. Each team tries to have as many
stones as possible in the ‘house’. The coloured scoring rings help us
judge which stones are closer to the centre. The team with the most
points wins!

– I’m sorry … did you say that the players are the ones who judge the
position of the stones? There are referees, aren’t there?

– No, there aren’t. Funny, isn’t it?

– It sure is. Oh … and by the way, do you know where curling comes
from?

– It probably comes from Scotland and was originally played as an
outdoor game on frozen lakes and rivers in the 1500s. Scottish players
improved it, made up rules and turned it into a sport that was carried
to other countries.

– That’s true. It’s very popular in Canada where the winters are very long and cold. Canada has got some great
curlers. Has it been an Olympic sport long?

– Since the ’98 Games in Nagano, Japan! Until then, it had appeared as a demonstration
sport in some Games … Oh, look! I’m sorry, but I’ll have to leave you here. My teammates
are waving their brooms at me! Time for practice!

– Of course, Raphael. Thank for your time, and … happy curling!

UNIT 3

LESSON 9 • ... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

2.2	Look back at the interview and answer the following questions. 1. Why is curling compared to chess, according to Raphael Duke? 2. What equipment is necessary to play the sport? 3. Why do the players use brooms?

2.3

Can you complete the following information about curling? Read the sentences below and try to
fill in as many blanks as you can. If you need help, take a peek at the interview!

1. Number of concentric rings in ‘house’: ....................
2. Curling stone weighs ................................................
3. Number of teams that play: ......................................
4. Number of players on each team: ...........................
5. Number of stones each player slides: .....................
6. Curling was invented in around ...............................
7. It became an official Olympic Game in ....................

Remarkable athletes

Listen to the story of two Greek athletes who
participated in the Olympic Games hundreds
of years ago and answer the questions.

This text will be replaced

What sport did each athlete compete in?
……………………………………………………….
What is so remarkable about these athletes?
…………………….....................……………………
How would these athletes perform at today’s Olympics?
………………………………………………….............................

The true meaning of sports

4.1

At the modern Olympic Games, the first, second and third-placed athletes are rewarded with gold,
silver and bronze medals, and in many cases, with great sums of money. At the Olympic Games
in ancient Greece, there was only one winner, who did not receive any kind of financial reward.
What was the prize for Olympic winners then? Why was it an important reward for them?

4.2	Read an extract from an article written in August 2008, during the Olympic Games in Beijing. According to this extract, doping is a phenomenon which seems to be getting worse and worse. Why do you think this is happening?

“…Doping problems in China still exist, leading to some major anti-doping violations from time to time”, said Duan
Shijie, BOCOG executive vice-president and a vice-minister in China’s General Administration of Sports. “It has
been spreading from professional athletes to amateurs and from professional competitions to sporting schools
and even social sports.”

UNIT 3

LESSON 9 • ... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Language focus

5.1

Look at the examples and complete the rules.

Curling is so demanding that it is referred to as ‘chess on ice’.

We use so + .................................... (without a noun)

Curling is such a demanding sport that it is referred to as ‘chess on ice’.

We use such + (a/an) + (adjective) +..................................

5.2

Circle

Curling is too demanding (for me) to play it x.

This sentence means:

a) Curling is very demanding, but I can play it.
b) Curling is extremely demanding and I can’t play it.

Too comes before / after an adjective. It has a positive / negative meaning.

Enough comes before / after an adjective and before / after a noun.
It has a positive / negative meaning.

5.3	Read the examples.

The short questions in bold are called questions tags. They are used to
check information or to ask for confirmation. How are they formed?

UNIT 3

LESSON 9 • ... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Let’s talk about sports, shall we?

Work with your partner. One of you is a young athlete, a snowboarder, and the other is a reporter
interviewing the athlete. The reporter uses the ideas in box A and the snowboarder uses the answers
in box B. Act out the dialogue.

e.g. Reporter: You started training at the age of seven, didn’t you?
Snowboarder: Yes, I did, but only for an hour a day.

A (reporter)

1. start training at the age of 7
2. train more hours later
3. enjoy training
4. too difficult to train and do schoolwork
5. have enough free time
6. participate in a national event last month

B (snowboarder)

a. Yes. Only for an hour a day.
b. Yes. 5 hours a day.
c. Yes, a lot.
d. Yes, quite / not impossible.
e. No, not enough.
f. Yes, very nervous but won/gold medal.

Sports quiz

Here’s a fun test for you to do. Let’s see what you really know about sports!

1. The tallest basketball player in the world was … tall.
2.05m	2.45m	2.30m

2. The country that has won the FIFA World Cup the most times is ...
Brazil	Spain	Italy

3. The most goals to be scored in an official football game were …
12	24	36

4. The fastest speed reached on a skateboard is …
100.66km/h	85.50km/h	48.16km/h

5. The highest speed reached by a skier is …
120.3km/h	180.5km/h	250.7km/h

6. In bicycling, who has reached the fastest average speed of 40.27km in the Tour of France?
Louis Armstrong	Lance Armstrong	Neil Armstrong

7. The fastest tennis serve is … by Andy Roddick (USA).
241.4km/h	283.2km/h	312.4km/h

SCORE: If you knew the answer to at least 3 questions, you are a true Sportsmaster!

UNIT 3

LESSON 9 • ... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Project time: More about sports!!!

There are other sports such as shot put, archery, fencing,
relay, etc. that we don’t know so much about. Find
information about one of them.

Write about a sports event you participated in
that was very important to you.

Interview an athlete you know. Prepare
and ask him / her questions your
classmates would like to ask.

Find pictures of ancient pottery, paintings of the Olympic Games
or modern art showing athletic events and explain what they
show.

A famous athlete, Jesse
Owens, has the World record
for breaking the most
World records in one day.
He broke 6 World records in
45 minutes in Michigan, USA in
1935. Can you find other athletes
who have unbelievable achievements like this?

Explain how the sport of curling
works using Laws of Physics.

Conduct a survey to find the
most popular sports for boys
and girls in your class.

Choose one of the following people and find out
how he is connected with the revived Olympic
Games: Pierre de Coubertin, Dimitrios Vikelas,
Spyros Louis, Georgios Averof.

UNIT 3

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Unit 3

1. Vocabulary

1.1	Match the words with the definitions.


	1. book (v)	a. exciting, surprising
	2.spectacular	b. a place to go
	3.accommodation	c. a place for a holiday
	4.resort	d. reserve
	5. variety	e. a place to live or stay
	6. destination	f. many different types

... / 6

1.2	Complete the sentences with the words from 1.1.

1.	Parnassos is a well-known ski-……………… in Greece.
2.	We didn’t …………..........……… tickets for the performance yesterday.
3.	There is a …………..........……… of activities to do in the park.
4.	The demonstration of bungee jumping was …………...........……… ! I think I’ll have a try.
5.	Greece is a popular holiday ……….......……… .
6.	The price is good because it includes travel expenses, .............................., and a tour around the city.

... / 6

1.3	Where do we do the following sports?

1. tennis	................................
2. football	................................
3. basketball	................................
4. running	................................
5. weight lifting	................................

... / 2,5

1.4	What do we need to do the following sports?

1. tennis	r _ _ _ _ _
2. climbing	b _ _ _ _
3. golf	c _ _ _
4. running	t _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. curling	g _ _ _ _ _

... / 2,5

2. Language focus

Circle the correct answers.
1. What are you doing tonight?
a. I’m staying at home.	b. I’ll stay at home.
2. Look at this runner. He looks exhausted!
a. He’ll fall.	b. He’s going to fall.
3. I’ll pack my suitcase when...
a. I will get home.	b. I get home.
4. Any plans for the summer?
a. We travel to South Africa. b. We’re going to travel to South Africa.
5. Don’t worry! I promise …
a. I’ll join you later. b. I’m going to join you later.
6. The plane ……….....................……… at 9:30. Be at the airport two hours earlier.
a. leaves	b. is leaving
7. Tim practises every weekend, …
a. doesn’t he?	b. doesn’t Tim?
8. The footballers didn’t get any rest, …
a. did they?	b. got they?
9. Do you have ……….....……… time to take up a sport?
a. such	b. enough
10. The equipment is ………....… expensive to buy.
a. enough	b. too

... / 10

3. Everyday English

Complete the dialogue using the prompts.
A:	(1) ............................................... (you/enjoy/do) extreme sports?
B:	Yes, I do. Actually I (2) ............................................... (keen on/rafting).
A:	Really? I’ve never gone rafting but I (3) ............................................... (would like/try) it.
B:	I’m going next Friday. (4) ............................................... (fancy /come) with me?
A:	Great! I (5) .................................. (would love /join) you.
B:	Something else I want to ask you. Rapid streams or something easier?
A:	I (6) ............................................... (rather/try) something easy. You know it’s my first time!

... / 3

UNIT 2

SELF-ASSESSMENT

4. Writing

You are going on a holiday and have made all the
necessary arrangements. Write a short letter to
your English friend to let him/her know about your
plans. You can write about your destination,
accommodation, activities, etc. (about 100 words)
.................................................................................................
.................................................................................................

......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................

... / 10

Work by yourself and tick the sentences that are true for you. You can discuss your answers in class.

Writing

1. When I have to write something,

I think about the topic and make notes.
I make a plan and put my ideas in logical
or chronological order.
I read the ‘Useful tips’ and take them into
consideration.
I read a model text.
other ………….............................………

2. While I am writing,

I write my text based on my plan.
I write important details about the topic.

I read to check what I have written.
I read to think about what to write next.
I change words / sentences.
other ………….............................………

3. After I have finished writing,

I replace words with others which make
my writing more vivid and clear.
I replace words with others which make
my writing more vivid and clear.
I proofread my work and correct mistakes.
I omit words and ideas that are often
repeated.
I connect sentences using linking words.
other ………….............................………

In Units 1, 2 and 3 you wrote different types of writing tasks. Did you have any problems? Did you enjoy
writing? Why / Why not? Share your ideas in class.

Reflecting on your Learning

Tick the sentences that are true for you.

At the end of Lessons 7, 8 and 9, I think I can

talk about about travel, entertainment
and sports
talk about future plans, intentions
and predictions
express likes, dislikes and preferences

ask for and give directions
ask for confirmation and answer
make, accept and refuse suggestions
write a personal letter
make a leaflet about my area

UNIT 3