Baseball has a reputation of being a “typically American sport”. It's played with
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 609.
Sports in the USA
Text 4 B
Note the pronunciation: Springfield [
Massachusetts [
American sports are in many ways different from European sports. Hockey,baseball,
football and basketball are the four most popular sports in the USA. There are many other sports and sports activities which Americans like. Among them are golf, swimming, tennis, marathon,
track-and-field, skiing, skating, squash, badminton, rowing, sailing, boxing, and wrestling.
The size of America and the different climates found in it have provided Americans with a large choice 1of summer and winter sports. The American statistics shows that swimming, bicycling, fishing, jogging, gymnastics and bowling are American's favourite participatory sports.
a wooden bat and hard ball by two teams of nine players. The game is played on a field with four bases at the corners of a square called diamond 2. Each player from one team hits a ball with a bat and then tries to run round all four bases before the other team can get the ball back.
This typical American game dates back long before the Civil War 3
Baseball is mainly a professional sport, the players receive a salary 4. There are sixteen major teams and each one represents an American city. There are two leagues of eight teams each and in the fall 5 of the year the winner of the league plays the winner of the other. This contest is called the World Series,6 though it is a national competition.
American football is a very popular outdoor team sport in the USA. It's rather like rugby, played between two teams of 11 players using an oval ball that can be handled or kicked.
But it still differs from European rugby and soccer. The difference is not only in the size, speed and strength of the players, but in the specific rules which the game has. The countless rules of American football which state what each player in each position may or may not do and when7 make people call American football the most “scientific” of all outdoor team sports.
Basketball which is one of the most popular participant sports in the world is American in origin. The first basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891. Large number of fans attend basketball games in the USA. Live TV broadcasts 8of basketball matches at state, national and international levels have a wide TV audience.
Basketball is among the favourite sports of American young people. There are basketball teams almost in all American schools and universities and “shooting baskets” with friends is a pastime many young people like most.
Notes:
1have provided Americans with a large choice – ïðåäëàãàþò àìåðèêàíöàì øèðîêèé âûáîð
2The game is played on a field with four bases at the corners of a square called diamond. –
 èãðó èãðàþò íà ïîëå â ôîðìå ðîìáà ñ ÷åòûðüìÿ áàçàìè ïî óãëàì.
3 …before the Civil War – ïåðåä Ãðàæäàíñêîé âîéíîé
4the players receive a salary – èãðîêè ïîëó÷àþò çàðïëàòó
5in the fall (am.) – îñåíüþ
6 the World Series – Ìèðîâàÿ Ñåðèÿ ( âèä ñîðåâíîâàíèé)
7 The countless rules of American football which state what each player in each position may or may not do and when… - Áåñ÷èñëåííûå ïðàâèëà àìåðèêàíñêîãî ôóòáîëà, êîòîðûå îïðåäåëÿþò, ÷òî è êîãäà èìååò ïðàâî âûïîëíÿòü êàæäûé èãðîê â êàæäîé ïîçèöèè…
8live TV broadcasts – ïðÿìûå òåëåâèçèîííûå òðàíñëÿöèè
Vocabulary and Speech Exercises
Ex. 1. a. Match a verb in A with a noun in B:
A B
to represent a ball
to handle a game
to kick a city
to attend a ball
to shoot football
to play a basket
b. Fill in the gaps with the above word combinations to describe sports in the USA:
1. Every baseball team … … an American ….
2. American football players can… or… …
3. Lots of basketball fans… basketball… in the USA.
4. Young Americans enjoy … … as a pastime.
5. To… American … the players use oval balls.
Ex. 2. To prove the above statements find in the text the paragraphs describing:
how American football differs from European football;
what participatory sports the Americans go in for;
what game baseball is
Ex. 3. Mark the sports which are popular with the Americans and Belarusians:
___________________________________
Sports Americans Belarusians
_________________________________________
Baseball
Football
Basketball + +
Golf
Tennis
Squash
Sailing
Jogging
Bowling
Rugby
Fishing
Soccer
Ex. 4 a. How do American and European sports differ? Read the statements below and agree to them saying “That's right” or disagree saying “That's wrong”:
1. American sports are in many ways different from European sports.
2. The Americans have a very limited choice of summer and winter sports.
3. Basketball is no longer popular with the American young people.
4. The difference between European and American football is in the specific rules the latter has.
5. Baseball is considered to be a typically American sport.
b. Find in the text and read aloud the sentences that prove your answers.
Ex. 5. Comment on the statement:
“Shooting baskets” with friends is a pastime many young people like most.”
Task 6. Learn the following sporting terms you will come across in Text 4 C:
1. sport title-holder - îáëàäàòåëü ñïîðòèâíîãî çâàíèÿ
2. all-round athlete - ìíîãîáîðåö
3. breaststroke n - áðàññ
4. decathlete n - äåñÿòèáîðåö
Task 7. Skim the text and say which of the names you knew before.
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