ABOUT YOU
What are the most popular sports in Ukraine? Can you name any typical sports from other countries? What are the advantages of playing team sports?
The most popular sports in Ukraine are football, boxing, gymnastics, basketball, and track and field.
Typical sports from other countries include baseball and American football in the USA, cricket and rugby in the UK and Australia, ice hockey in Canada, and sumo wrestling in Japan.
Playing team sports has many advantages: it teaches cooperation, improves communication and leadership skills, builds self-discipline, and helps players stay fit while making strong friendships.
CULTURE
1 Match the words in the box to the equipment (A–F) in the photos opposite.
A puck B stick C helmet D pads E hoop F bat
2 Read the article. For each sport, how many professional teams are there in Canada?
- Ice hockey: There are 7 professional teams.
- Canadian football: There are 8 professional teams.
- Basketball: There is 1 professional team (the Toronto Raptors).
- Baseball: There is 1 professional team (the Toronto Blue Jays).
3 Answer the questions with information from the texts.
1 Where do many Canadians go skating for the first time? Many Canadians learn to skate as children at public ice rinks or on frozen lakes.
2 What did Frederick Stanley do for Canadian ice hockey? Lord Frederick Stanley established the competition for the Stanley Cup in 1893.
3 How are Canadian and American football different? Canadian football teams have twelve players instead of eleven, and the playing field in Canadian football is larger.
4 In what sport do athletes compete for the Grey Cup? Athletes compete for the Grey Cup in Canadian football.
5 Why could softball be easier for children than baseball? Softball could be easier because the ball is softer and bigger, which makes it easier to hit with a bat.
6 Which baseball team won the World Series in 1992? The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992.
7 Why can we say that basketball is a Canadian sport? We can say that because a Canadian teacher, James Naismith, invented the game in 1891.
4 Match the highlighted words in the text to the meanings.
1 free time – leisure time 2 something that keeps you safe – protection 3 started or created – established 4 at the present time – nowadays 5 cold, solid and hard, like ice – frozen 6 not professional players – amateurs
5 Listen to a presentation about lacrosse, another Canadian national sport. Number the topics in the order you hear them.
a the number of players — 5 b the people who invented it — 1 c the international federation — 8 d the stick that players use — 3 e how long the matches are — 7 f the national association — 2 g equipment for protection — 6 h the size of the lacrosse ball — 4
6 Listen again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 A French explorer invented lacrosse in 1637. — False (Native people of Canada invented it; a French explorer was the first person to write about it.) 2 The national association was created in 1867. — True 3 Players pass the lacrosse ball with their hands. — False (Players cannot use their hands; they must use a special stick.) 4 There are two teams with ten players each. — True 5 Matches are two hours long with four periods. — False (Matches are one hour long, with four 15-minute quarters.) 6 The international federation has more than 50 member countries. — True (There are 52 member countries.)
7 Read the Useful language phrases. Complete them with the words in the box.
1 Each team has got (ten) players. 2 The players have to (run) a lot. 3 They win by scoring more points. 4 Players can / can’t use their hands. 5 They must use special equipment. 6 The matches are (one hour) long.
PROJECT
Prepare a presentation about a national sport. Use the topics in Exercise 5 and the questions below to help you. Make your presentation to the class.
Presentation: Cricket — The National Summer Sport of the UK
Good morning, everyone. Today, I would like to tell you about cricket, which is the national summer sport of the United Kingdom.
1 Where it is popular: Cricket is widely played in England, Australia, India, South Africa, and New Zealand by both professional athletes and school students. 2 How it is played: Two teams of eleven players take turns batting and fielding. The fielding team bowls the ball to hit the wooden wickets, while the batsman tries to hit the ball away and score runs. 3 Equipment: Players must use a flat wooden bat, a hard leather ball, and protective equipment such as helmets, leg pads, and gloves. 4 Similar sports: It is quite similar to American baseball, but the field is oval and the rules of scoring runs are different. 5 History: Cricket originated in England in the 16th century and became an organized sport with official written rules during the 18th century. 6 Competitions: The most famous international tournament is the ICC Cricket World Cup, as well as the historic rivalry test series called The Ashes.
05 NOW WATCH THE CULTURE VIDEO
Watch the culture video about Canadian sports to learn more about team traditions, popular winter and summer sports, and youth athletic leagues in Canada.
ABOUT YOU
How important is music to you? What’s your favourite kind of music? When and where do you listen to music?
Music is very important to me because it helps me relax and concentrate while doing homework. My favourite kind of music is pop-rock and indie, but I also enjoy listening to electronic music. I usually listen to music on my headphones on the bus to school and in the evening in my bedroom.
VOCABULARY
1 Look at the photos. Where do you think the people are? What are they doing?
In photo A, a group of young men in a boy band are singing and playing instruments, probably filming a music video. In photo B, musicians and a pianist are on stage performing in a large concert hall with an orchestra. In photo C, people are in a crowd watching an outdoor music festival or a concert. In photo D, a sound technician is working in a recording studio at a mixing console. In photo E, a radio DJ and a guest are talking in a broadcasting studio.
2 Listen and match the recordings to the photos.
1 E (radio studio with a presenter and a guest)
2 C (crowd at a live music festival)
3 B (classical performance in a concert hall)
4 A (boy band / music channel TV report)
5 D (sound technician in a studio)
3 Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Listen again and check.
1 I’m DJ Mike playing your favourite music. 2 And this morning, Gina is in the studio with us. 3 I guess you could say I’ve been a celebrity at home for about three years now. 4 But tonight is my first gig in Europe. 5 The bass guitarist is amazing, don’t you think? He plays so well. 6 These lyrics make no sense. They’re awful. 7 And it’s all recorded anyhow – not even live! 8 They shouldn’t call this event a live music festival! 9 We are live from the Sydney Opera House – a concert hall that is familiar to our regular listeners. 10 And this is VVTV – the only music channel that plays your music. 11 Go to our website to watch a clip of the band’s recent show in Boston. 12 Let’s take a look at boyband EE’s latest music video. 13 Like me, you probably think the musicians record their music and that’s it. 14 I’ve just come back from the London Sound Studio where I spoke to sound technician Bob Jackson. 15 He has introduced me to a whole new world: the world of sound production.
4 Ask and answer the questions.
1 I have never been to a big music festival, but I would really love to go to Atlas Weekend in Kyiv. It must be an incredible experience to hear my favourite artists live with thousands of other fans.
2 Yes, I watch music videos quite often. I usually stream them on YouTube on my smartphone or laptop whenever a new song comes out.
3 Some of the most famous celebrities in Ukraine include musicians like Jamala, Monatik, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, and the band Kalush Orchestra, as well as sports stars like Oleksandr Usyk.
4 I really admire Kalush Orchestra and Jerry Heil because they create modern music that combines Ukrainian folk traditions with hip-hop and pop, making Ukrainian culture famous all over the world.
5 My favourite music video is “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra. It has very emotional scenes, beautiful traditional costumes, and powerful storytelling that matches the rhythm and message of the song perfectly.