Speaking : Sport

• Do you play any sports?
• Are you a good soccer player? Basketball player? ...
• Are you a member of any sports team? ...
• Are you good at sports? ...
• Did your high school have a good baseball team?
• Do you ever listen to baseball games on the radio?
• Do you jog more than once a week?

Make complete sentences by selecting the best expression for each blank.

a. Before we can try out, we need to _____________ practice.

Model Dialog
Listen as the teacher reads the model dialog.
(Scenario – Two women, Janet and Irema, are resting in the tennis club lounge after playing.)

Janet: I saw you play today. You are really quite good.
Irema: Thank you. My name is Irema. What’s yours?
Janet: Oh, sorry. I’m Janet. I was playing doubles on the court beside yours.
Irema: It looked like a good match.
Janet: Yes, it was. We have a good workout whenever we play that team.
Irema: You have teams at this club?
Janet: Only when we have tournaments. Four times a year.
Irema: How can I sign up for a team?
Janet: When I finish my coffee, I’m going to the office. You could tag along.
Irema: What should I do?
Janet: Most people have to pay a tournament fee and try out for a team.
Irema: What do you mean?
Janet: I saw you play and I want you on our team. You can skip the tryout.
Irema: So I’ll just pay the fee?
Janet: Yes. Just pay, and I’ll tell them you’re ready to play for Team Spirit.
Irema: Sounds great. When will I meet the rest of the team?

Grammar Focus (present tense in temporal and conditional clauses)

• When I finish my coffee, I’m going to the office.
• Kelly will contact you when she decides.
• If Mike completes his work by 7:00, he will join you at the basketball court.
• If we jog around the park just once, we’ll have a good workout.

Read the following passage, and answer the questions.
Use the words provided below each question.

Extreme Sports

For most of us, when we think of sports, we think of volleyball, basketball, tennis, and the like. However, for some, sports mean skydiving from an airplane thousands of feet above the ground, scaling a tall wall of ice, or snowboarding down the steepest of hills. Such sports are called “extreme sports.”
Extreme sports are activities that typically involve great speed or height. They also involve an element of danger, and require specialized equipment. Those who enjoy such sports push themselves to their physical limits. The point is to defy all personal and environmental obstacles to reach personal goals.
Extreme sports have always been considered counter-culture. They most appeal to people who really want to do something different. For example, you may want to try reaching great underwater depths without any form of breathing apparatus. You need to try the sport known as “free diving.” Or you can try “free running,” a sport in which participants include natural obstacles, like a wall or stairwell, in their course. The result is a series of graceful stunts requiring both speed and agility.
What appeal do these sports have? Psychologists say that some people crave the adrenaline rush that comes from risk-taking. Adrenaline results in an increased heart rate, higher rate of metabolism, and much greater strength. Psychologists believe that these sports give people the feeling that they are unstoppable and that they are able to defy the odds. As a result, there is an incredible sense of accomplishment when a task that seems impossible is done in style.

scale: to climb up
defy: to challenge
apparatus: device; tool
agility: an ability to move quickly and easily
crave: to want greatly
metabolism: energy producing functions of a living body

1. According to psychologists, what appeals do extreme sports have in common?

crave, adrenaline, feeling, unstoppable, odds
Your answer may begin like: They give some people an adrenaline rush which ....

2. What kinds of extreme sports are popular in your country?

in-line skating, skateboarding, artificial climbing wall, hang gliding
Your answer may begin like: In the U.S., extreme sports are so popular that...