Сan Russia be proud of its sport achievements?
Does Russia deserve to hold Winter Olympic games in 2014 in Sochi?
- Is sport popular in Russia?
- Is our young generation interested in sport?
- What achievements do Russian sportsmen have in different kinds of sport?
- What sportsmen brought fame to our country?
- Is Russia winning or loosing its position in the world of sport?
Popular sports in Russia
Describing Sporting Events.
I. Badly, beat, brilliantly, match, score, scored, sets.
Dialogue 1.
A: Did you see the ___________ last night?
B: No, what was the _____________ ?
A: Liverpool won three-one.
B: How did they play?
A: They played _________ in the first half but then Gerrard __________ two goals.
Dialogue 2.
A: Did Sharapova ____________ Serena Williams last night?
B: She won two ____________ to one.
A: How did they play?
B: _________________ !
II. –what happened – who was in it – who won – who played well/badly – your opinions about it
Example.
European Nations Cup Final; Greece and Portugal; Greece won; the Greek defence played well; not a very good game
match
score
badly
scored
beat
sets
Brilliantly
People who go in for different sports have different names.
How do we call people who:
- play football => football player.
cricket, rugby, tennis.
- do judo => judder
weight lifting
- go swimming => swimmer
jumping, running, boxing.
- ride a bike => cyclist
Who brought fame to our country?
It’s ___ .
She/he is good at ___ .
She/he is a famous ___ .
She/he brought fame to our country in ___ .
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
At the age of seventeen, Maria Sharapova won the Wimbledon tennis championship. She was the third youngest champion in Wimbledon’s 118-year history. This success quickly made her one of the world’s best-know sports celebrities.
Born in 1987 in a small Siberian town, Maria started hitting tennis balls at the age of four. Her first tennis teacher was her father, Yuri Sharapov. When Maria was nine, she and her father moved to America. She went to a special tennis school in Florida, where she practiced every day. Maria’s mother had to stay at home in Russia. Maria didn’t see her for two years. She missed her mother and her family. But now this tall, good-looking young woman is the Number 2 player in the world.
Playing tennis is not Maria’s only interest. She does not go to high school but she studies all her school subjects through an internet school. She enjoys reading. The Sherlock Holmes stories are among her favorite books. Her other off-court interests are fashion, singing, dancing and movies. In 2005, Maria designed her tennis dress for the championships, and she produced a new perfume.
However, Maria’s main love is still tennis. She often plays charity matches to raise money for people in need, and she practises hard to be a champion. ‘Everyone’s trying to beat the world’s Number 2 player,’ she says. ‘It’s absolutely normal. But I want to beat them as well. I love the competition.’
Read the article again, and complete these notes for a mini-biography.
Maria Sharapova
Born in ___ (date), in ___ (country)
Age when she started tennis: ___ years old
Age nine: moved to ___
Off-court interests: 1 ___
2 ___ 3 ___
Championships: ___
Complete questions for the answers
1. ___ Maria born? In 1987.
2. ___ her first tennis teacher? Her father.
3. ___ her special tennis school?
In Florida, USA.
4. ___ miss her mother?
Yes, she didn’t see her for two years.
5. ___ look like? She’s tall and good-looking.
6. ___ reading?
Yes, she does. Especially Sherlock Holmes stories.
7. ___ practise hard?
Because she wants to beat the other players.
Find words and phrases in the text to match these definitions.
1. a sports competition to find the best player or team
2. a famous person
3. to feel sad because someone you love is not with you
4. not connected with tennis
5. a match where the players give away the money they get
6. not unusual
Is Russia loosing or winning its position in the world of sport?
Analyze some facts. Are they in favor or against Russian sport?
- From 1950s till 1980s our country took the first place according to the number of medals.
- Russian President Medvedev is fond of sport. He goes in for judo and skiing.
- Many talented sportsmen prefer to work abroad, because they can make much more money than in Russia.
- The government began to pay much attention to the development of sport in the country.
- Russia won the right to hold winter Olympic Games in Russia.
