Sport and Competition 61

60 Sport and 21 competition SECTION A Quiz 8 What is the name given to fishing when it is done competitively? Choose the correct answer. A angling 1 Before the 1970s, when amateur cricketers were called B baiting ‘gentlemen’, what were professional ones called? C reeling A players 9 Which of these has been called ‘the sport of kings’? B sta A athletics C workers B greyhound racing 2 Which of these sports is the most popular in Britain? C horse racing A cricket 10 If someone asks ‘Who won the 3.30 at Chepstow?’, to B football what sport are they referring? C golf A athletics 3 In which of these sports are Yorkshire, Lancashire, and B football Middlesex top-class teams? C horse racing A cricket 11 Which of these names is not used for people who B rugby league organize gambling on sports events? C rugby union A bookmakers 4 In which of these sports are ‘test matches’ played? B card markers A cricket C turf accountants B football 12 How many times has a British team won the football C golf World Cup? never 5 In England, which of these sports was traditionally A confined to the middle classes? B once A cricket C twice B rugby league 13 If a British person thinks that something is unfair or C rugby union unjust, what might they say? ‘It’s not cricket.’ 6 In England, at which of these sporting events is crowd A trouble a possibility? B ‘It’s not football.’ A a cricket match C ‘It’s not sporting.’ B a football match 14 Which two national teams often compete for ‘the C a rugby match Ashes’? England and Australia 7 By what name is the practice of killing birds with A guns generally known? B England and Scotland A tracking C England and the USA B rifling C shooting

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SECTION B Sporting associations Match each of the items 1–20 with one of the sports in the box.

boxing cricket football horse racing rugby tennis 1 the Ashes 2 the FA 3 the Grand National 4 Hampden Park 5 Lords 6 on the ropes 7 oval ball 8 the Oval 9 Paciﬁc islands 1 0 racquet 1 1 Royal Ascot 1 2 saved by the bell 1 3 the Six Nations 1 4 steeplechase 1 5 a straight bat 1 6 Twickenham 1 7 village green 1 8 Wembley 1 9 wicket 2 0 Wimbledon

SECTION C British words and phrases Find the word or phrase in chapter 21 of Britain which is used to mean or describe: 1 the achievement of doing something three times in a row or within a certain period (e.g. scoring three goals in the same match) 2 football (the word used in America, but also sometimes in Britain) 3 in a dicult situation (from cricket) 4 a reliable person (from sports involving a ball) 5 a long life (from cricket) 6 a low-ranked team or player who beats a high-ranked team or player very unexpectedly 7 a person who is good at cooperating in a group 8 a person who goes to watch sporting events 9 people (sometimes dressed in silly costumes) who take part in sporting events such as the London Marathon in order to raise money for charity

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SECTION D Extension Fill in the gaps in this text with the words from the list below.

Midway between England and Ireland lies the Isle of Man. Far back in prehistory, when sea travel was much easier than land travel, it was at the centre of a 1 stone-age world. But for the last two millennia, it has been a largely 2 lump of rock in the Irish Sea. It has just 72,000 inhabitants – except, that is, for two weeks each year in early summer, when the population of the island increases by over 50%. At the same time, it plays host to around 13,000 temporarily 3 motorcycles. It is the time of the 4 TT (‘tourist trophy’) races, when the Isle of Man becomes the centre of the motorbike racing world. There are road signs all over the island in French, German, and Italian, reminding bikers to drive on the left. But in general, the police take a 5 attitude to the invasion, allowing bikers, 6 at the prospect of a complete lack of any speed limit outside built-up areas, to indulge their fantasies. The ﬁrst ever TT race was won at an 7 speed of 61 kph. But things these days are a little dierent. The 8 record for the 60-kilometre lap is around 200 kph. The course is not a specially made one. It is just 9 streets passing houses, shops, and ﬁelds. As you see, the TT races are not exactly 10 . An average of two and a half people die there every year. But the danger seems to be part of the attraction, because every year the numbers of competitors grow.

annual excited imported present safety-conscious average ignored ordinary relaxed thriving

Now answer these questions. About how many people visit the Isle of Man for the TT races? Are the TT races dangerous? What is done about safety during the time of the TT races?

SECTION E Talking points

1 In general, and especially to watch, sports such as football, rugby, and cricket are more popular than sports such as athletics, cycling, golf, or tennis in Britain. Why do you think this is? 2 In the 1970s, the manager of Liverpool football club once said: ‘Football is not a matter of life and death to me – it’s more important than that’. What do you think he meant? Is his comment typical of the British attitude to sport? 3 Would you say that sport has the same public importance in your country as it has in Britain? Does it play the same kind of role? 4 A big problem for cricket is that it cannot be played during or immediately after rain because the grass is too wet. To solve this problem, somebody once suggested that, instead of grass, cricket should be played on plastic surfaces, so that play could begin again as soon as the rain had stopped. English cricket enthusiasts were horriﬁed at this idea. One member of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club, the organization which partly controls the game in England) commented ‘The man must have been drunk when he thought of it’. How do you explain this extreme reaction?

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