People all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sports keep people united; make everyone healthy and strong; and bring a lot of positive emotions. Would you like to know what kinds of sports in Great Britain bring the British the joys mentioned above?
According to the recent National Sports Quiz results, the British consider the following kinds of sports as popular: football, cricket, rugby, golf, and racket sports. Let’s have a quick look at each of them. Football is the national sport in England and Scotland. It is an obsession for many British people. The English Barclays Premier League is generally seen as the best league in the world, while the Scottish Premier League is also very successful. People worldwide support famous English clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Cricket is the main summer sport in the UK and is played at various levels from village standard up to the England national team. The England team plays home Test matches, one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches every summer and goes on tour every winter. The undoubted highlight is the Ashes - England against Australia - contested every two years.
British rugby union is currently booming. British clubs are highly successful in the Heineken Cup - otherwise known as the European Cup. The English Guinness Premiership and Celtic League are both highly competitive and watched by sell-out crowds every week. The Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years and was won by South Africa in 2007the biggest event in the rugby calendar. Rugby league is mainly played in the north of England, although the Super League includes a team based in Perpignan, France and London - the Harlequins. Rugby teams from England, Scotland and Ireland are going to participate in the Rugby League World Cup in 2008.
The UK is renowned as the home of golf and boasts hundreds of world-class courses. They include St Andrews, Wentworth, the Belfry and Carnoustie - four of the most famous course in the world. The British Open is held every July at different courses in the UK. It is the oldest and most famous of golf’s four major championships.
Racket sports include tennis badminton and squash. Tennis, badminton and squash are all hugely popular sports in the UK. Tennis is probably the most widely-known, with tournaments such as Wimbledon and the Stella Artois Championships at Queen’s Club and is a major part of every summer. British badminton players have been highly successful in recent years. The highlights are Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson, who won silver medals in the mixed doubles at the 2004 Olympic Games. The Yonex All England Open in Birmingham takes place in March and is the biggest tournament in the British calendar. Squash is another highly successful British sport, with players such as James Willstrop and Nick Matthew ranked among the top players in the world.
Словарь
to have a quick look at smth - что-то быстро просмотреть
Twenty 20 matches - вид соревнований в Англии по крикету, в котором команды играют друг против друга в коротких матчах, выполняя 20 серий бросков с каждой стороны
to be currently booming - процветающий в данное время
Unusual Sports in Great Britain
Football, tennis, and other famous sports, came to us from the UK. But the British have become famous for unusual competitions, which at first caused joy and fun, and afterwards they were recognized as sports games in many countries of the world, which can not helping a smile.
- Competitions with eggs.
In England, there are whole tournaments on throwing eggs. All interested persons can take part in this games. Eggs throw at the accuracy, at a distance, run with them race in the mouth or in a spoon. There is also an egg English roulette: 6 stone eggs and 1 fresh egg are put in a basket, let in a circle, and start to beat them to each other on the forehead. On whom the liquid egg is broken, he is eliminated from the game.
- Race Lawn Mowers
The appearance of the lawn is the face of any English landlord. Cutting gnazons became a tradition in all houses. In 1972, a group of young neighbor"s children decided to organize a competition who would swiftly mow the lawn in front of their house. Everyone was sitting on his mini-car and the real races began. The very first race on lawn mowers was officially opened in 1992.
- Hockey in the water
Such an entertainment the British invented in 1954, now this kind of entertainment is popular in many countries. The main condition is to install a gate at the bottom of the pool, carry an underwater mask, fins, a plug of the ears, and a tube to breathe. Stick - 40 centimeters, allows you to score goals in the direction of the opponent.
- Skating cheese.
This fun competition is arranged in Gloucester meeting the first day of spring. The huge heads of cheese start rolling down a steep hill, and a group of daredevils runs after cheese to be the first to catch it. In this competition, both men and women participate. The winner takes home a big head of the most delicious cheese in the neighborhood. Of course, it does not do without injuries and injured limbs, but the joy of victory and general fun outweigh these unpleasant moments.
Перевод
Футбол, теннис, и другие известные виды спорта, пришли к нам из Великобритании. Но британцы прославились и необычными соревнованиями, которые по началу вызывали радость и веселье, а после были признаны спортивными играми во многих странах мира, которые не могут не вызвать улыбку.
В Англии проводятся целые турниры по киданию яйцами. Все желающие могут принять участие. Яйца кидают на меткость, на расстояние, бегут с ними наперегонки держа во рту или в ложке. Существует также яичная английская рулетка: в корзину кладут 6 каменных яиц и 1 свежее, пускают по кругу, и начинают бить их друг другу об лоб. На ком разбивается жидкое яйцо, тот выбывает из игры.
Внешний вид газона - это лицо любого английского домовладельца. Подстригать газоны стало традицией во всех домах. В 1972 году группа молодых соседских ребят решили устроить соревнование кто быстрей покосит газон перед своим домом. Каждый садился на свою мини-машину и начинались настоящие гонки. Самая первая гонка на газонокосилках была официально открыта в 1992 году.
Подобную забаву англичане придумали в 1954 году, сейчас этот вид развлечения популярен во многих странах. Главное условие, установить на дне бассейна ворота, иметь при себе подводную маску, ласты, заглушки доля ушей, и трубку чтобы дышать. Клюшка - 40 сантиметров, позволяет забивать шайбы в сторону соперника.
Think of your favourite sport. Whatever it is, there is a good chance that it was first played in Britain, and an even better chance that its modern rules were first codified in Britain. The public schools of the Victorian era believed that organized competitive games had many psychological benefits. These games appealed to, and developed, the British sense of "fair play". You had to be a "good loser". To be a cheat was shameful, but to lose was just "part of the game". Team games were best, because they developed "team spirit".
Modem sport in Britain is very different. "Winning isn"t everything" and "it"s only a game" are still well-known sayings, but to modern professionals, sport is clearly not just a game. These days, top players in any sport talk about having a "professional attitude" and doing their "job" well, even if, officially, their sport is still an amateur one.
Sport probably plays a more important part in people"s lives in Britain than it does in most other countries. For a very large number, this is especially true for men, it is their main form of entertainment. Millions take part in some kind of sport at least once a week. Many millions more are regular spectators and follow one or more sports. There are hours of televised sport each week. Every newspaper, national or local, quality or popular, devotes several pages entirely to sport.
Sometimes the traditions which accompany an event can seem as important as the actual sporting contest. Wimbledon, for instance, is not just a tennis tournament. It means summer fashions, strawberries and cream, garden parties and long, warm English summer evenings.
Many of such events have become world-famous. Therefore, it is not only the British who tune in to watch. The Grand National, for example, attracts a television audience of 300 million. The cup finals of other countries often have better quality and more entertaining football on view - but more Europeans watch the English Cup Final than any other. The standard of British tennis is poor, and Wimbledon is only one of the world"s major tournaments. But if you ask any top tennis player, you find that Wimbledon is the one they really want to win. Every footballer in the world dreams of playing at Wembley, every cricketer in the world of playing at Lord"s.
National sports in Great Britain... It is a very interesting question, because many kinds of sport have taken the origin in England. The Englishmen love sports, they are called sports-lovers in spite of the fact that some of them neither play games nor even watch them. They only like to speak about sports.
Many traditional sporting contests take place in England, for example, cricket. It is played from May till September. This game is associated with England. There are many cricket clubs in this country. English people like to play cricket. They think that summer without cricket isn"t summer. Cricket is the English national sport in summer. If you want to play cricket you must wear white boots, a white shirt and white long trousers. There are two teams. Each team has eleven players. Cricket is popular in boys" schools. Girls play cricket too.
Football has got a long history. It was played by the whole village teams in the middle ages in England. Now football is the most popular game in Britain. It is a team game. There are some amateur teams but most of the teams are professional ones in England. Professional football is a big business. Football is played at schools too.
Rugby football. You can see a ball in this game, but it is not round. It is oval. This is a team game. There are fifteen players in each team. It is a popular game in England. There are many amateur rugby football teams in this country. If we speak about football we can mention an American football too. It is a game that is played between two teams of players using an oval ball that can be handled or kicked. The captain of the team must be the oldest or best player.
Englishmen heard about table tennis in 1880. Then the International Table Tennis Association was formed and the international rules were worked out. Many people like to play table tennis. This game is played by men and women. There are some tennis clubs in England, but if you play there it is necessary to pay money for it. Englishmen like playing tennis but many of them prefer to watch this game.
Wimbledon is the centre of lawn tennis. Some years ago Wimbledon was a village, now it is a part of London. The most important tennis competition takes place there every summer.
There are some racing competitions in England. They are motor-car racing, dog-racing, donkey-racing, boat-racing, horse-racing. All kinds of racings are popular in England. It is interesting to see the egg-and-spoon race. The runner, who takes part in this competition, must carry an egg in a spoon. It is not allowed to drop the egg.
Think of your favourite sport. Whatever it is, there is a good chance that it was first played in Britain, and an even better chance that its modern rules were first codified in Britain. The public schools of the Victorian era believed that organized competitive games had many psychological benefits. These games appealed to, and developed, the British sense of «fair play». You had to be a «good loser». To be a cheat was shameful, but to lose was just «part of the game». Team games were best, because they developed «team spirit».
Modern sport in Britain is very different. “Winning isn’t everything” and «it’s only a game» are still well-known sayings, but to modern professionals, sport is clearly not just a game. These days, top players in any sport talk about having a «professional attitude» and doing their «job» well, even if, officially, their sport is still an amateur one.
Sport probably plays a more important part in people’s lives in Britain that it does in most other countries. For a very large number, this is especially true for men, it is their main form of entertainment. Millions take part in some kind of sport at least once a week. Many millions more are regular spectators and follow one or more sports. One of the chief spectator sports in British life is horse-racing. Lots of people are interested in the races and risk money on the horse which they think will win. The Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event.
There are hours of televised sport each week. Every newspaper, national or local, quality or popular, devotes several pages entirely to sport.
Sometimes the traditions which accompany an event can seem as important as the actual sporting contest. Wimbledon, for instance, is not just a tennis tournament. It means summer fashions, all white, strawberries and cream, garden parties and long, warm English summer evenings.
Many of such events have become world-famous. Therefore, it is not only the British who tune in to watch. The Grand National, for example, attracts a television audience of 300 million. The cup finals of other countries often have better quality and more entertaining football on view – but more Europeans watch the English Cup Final than any other. The standard of British tennis is poor, and Wimbledon is only one of the world’s major tournaments. But if you ask any top tennis player, you find that Wimbledon is the one they really want to win. Every footballer in the world dreams of playing at Wembley, every cricketer in the world of playing at Lord’s. Wimbledon, Wembley and Lord’s are the “spiritual homes” of their respective sports.
Sport is a British export!
TEXT 12. Read and translate the text. Be ready to discuss.
Four Characters of the British
It is interesting to know something about the people who live in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The best way of describing them to you is to «invent» four different characters on our own. They are Michael Wallingford-Smith, from England; Paddy O’Donoghue, from Ireland; Robby McGregor, from Scotland; David Jones, from Wales.
The stories about them are meant to be funny.
What Is an Englishman?
This is Michael Wallingford-Smith. He is an Englishman. He was born on November 23 rd, 1960. He lives in a small country town outside London. Every morning, he goes to his local station, buys a copy of The Times and catches the 8.14 train to London. (He says: «I catch the 8.14 to Town».)
Mr. Wallingford-Smith works there for a bank in the City. He has worked there for twenty-four years, and he has never missed the 8.14 train. Mr. Wallingford-Smith has a pretty wife, called Marion. They have two children: a boy, called Mark, who is thirteen, and a girl, called Sylvia, who is nineteen. Mark goes to the same school his father went to, and Sylvia is engaged to a young man who also works for a bank in the City.
Mr. Wallingford-Smith likes: The Times, the Queen, money, people who call him «Sir», big dogs, and his umbrella.
He doesn’t like: the Rolling Stones, and girls in mini-skirts.
What Is an Irishman?
This is Paddy O’Donoghue. He is an Irishman. He was born on March 15th, 1963.
Paddy lives in a grey brick house with five rooms, in Dublin, the capital of Southern Ireland. He dislikes work very much; if he didn’t have to work, he would be a very happy man. He says: «Well, you see, I’ve got a wife and six children and they all need food and clothes». So to earn money, Paddy writes about horse-racing every week for a Dublin newspaper.
Paddy loves talking and telling stories. If he didn’t have to work every day, he says, he knows exactly what he would do: he would get up late in the morning and eat a big plate of bacon for breakfast. He would then go to his favourite «pub» and have three glasses of beer, and tell everybody what he did the day before. In the evening, he would have a big meal and then dance and sing with his wife, and friends.
Paddy likes: a good fight, his coloured ties, the bar-maid in the pub, singing, beer, and Ireland.
He doesn’t like: rich Englishmen, people who don’t listen to his stories, and work.
What Is a Scotsman?
This is Robby McGregor. He is a Scotsman. He was born on August 6th, 1965.
Robby’s house is in the hills, in the north of Scotland. He is married and has three children – all boys. He is very proud of his kilt and the McGregor family tartan. He goes to work every day wearing trousers but he wears a kilt at the weekend and on special occasions.
Robby works in a factory which makes tartans. He says: «Only true Scotsmen should wear the kilt. I am a true Scotsman».
Robby, like most Scotsmen, is a proud man. He likes to work hard and earn a lot of money, but doesn’t like to spend it. (He always feels guilty if he goes out for an evening and enjoys himself.)
Robby’s youngest son is learning to play the bagpipes – Scotland’s traditional instrument. This makes Robby feel very proud. The bagpipes, however, are a difficult instrument to play: they sound beautiful if someone plays them well but they sound horrible if a learner tries to play them.
Robby likes: his kilt, fishing, Scotch whisky, and the Highland Games.
He dislikes: people who say he looks stupid in his kilt, the English, and people who wear kilts and are not Scotsmen.
What Is a Welshman?
This is David Jones. He is a Welshman. He was born on March 1st, 1958.
David lives in a mining village in South Wales. Most of the men in his village work in a coal-mine. Every day, after work, they meet in «The Black Spade» and drink and sing together. David loves to sing: he sings in chapel every Sunday, and he sings in the coal-mine when he is working. David’s wife, Glynis, says: «He sings in his bath every night, too».
David speaks Welsh, his country’s language. But if he speaks Welsh in England, Ireland or Scotland, nobody can understand him. He thinks that everybody should speak Welsh because it is a very musical language.
David’s eldest son, John, plays rugby for his school team; his daughter, Jenny, is learning to play the harp, the national instrument of Wales.
David sometimes takes his wife and children to London, but he thinks it is too big. He doesn’t like London very much because none of his friends live there, and there are no mountains in London.
David likes: music, poetry, fresh air, singing in the bath, his family, and his friends in the coal-mine.
He doesn’t like: people who say the Welsh language is old-fashioned, big cities, and English cuisine.
TEXT 13. Read and translate. Name 3 things you associate with the English.
