The annual race for “Derby” is perhaps the most famous sporting event in
the whole world. Englishmen also go in for golf, baseball, hockey,
basketball, bowling, and badminton. Athletic sports, such as running,
jumping, rowing, swimming, boxing and gymnastics, are practiced at schools
and colleges. The annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race on the river Thames
attracts lots of people and is very popular. In Scotland, where there are
good conditions for winter sports, skiing is very popular.
Great Britain and America are the birthplaces of many sports. That’s why
many of them have English names. It is easy to understand how these games
were named. For example, baseball is played with a ball and bases.
Basketball is played with a ball and two baskets. The names for other
sports come from the name of the place where they were first played.
Badminton comes from the name of a piece of land owned by an English Duke.
The game was first played on the Duke’s land in 1873. Golf was first played
in Scotland, but its name comes from the Dutch word for a hockey club
“colf.”
Almost all these games are popular in Russia. Russian people even began to
play cricket. And plenty of bowling clubs appeared in our country. This is
because we can hardly overestimate the meaning of sport in our life and day-
to-day activities. The main purpose of going in for sports is to develop a
generation of strong and healthy people. Sports prevent us from getting too
fat, and brings up a harmoniously developed generation. Sometimes playing a
sport is connected with great risks. Besides, there are violent kinds of
sports and sportsmen and fans discuss whether these kinds of sports are
necessary.
In my family we prefer swimming. I began swimming at the age of six. I
think that swimming is something like music or languages, and that’s why
it’s very good to start as early as possible if you want to be good at it.
There is no question that you can speak; there is no question that you can
walk; and there is no question that you can swim if you start at a very
early age. My parents also go to the swimming pool, but they began going in
for swimming when they were grown-ups. There are some sports which I’ve not
had a chance to experience but would really like to. They’re mostly non-
competitive sports. I love the water very much and I’d really like to try
some more water sports. For instance, being pulled by a boat whilst wearing
water-skis would, I’m sure, be a fantastic experience. And I’d also like to
try surfing. I think there’s no greater feeling on earth than riding the
top of a wave on a surfboard. I’d like to try it just to see. My parents
and I are great fans. We subscribe to a sports newspaper and like watching
nothing but football matches. We read the newspaper from cover to cover and
lie on the sofa watching sport competitions on television on Sunday.
16. Some people go in for sports, while others like to watch sports
competitions? Which is better: to watch or to participate?
The modern way of life, when people have little physical activity, use cars
instead of walking, watch television for many hours, and work on computers
is turning them into legless creatures. Although a lot of people are
interested in staying healthy, not many people do very much about it. Only
10 per cent of adults take part in sport more than twice a week.
The majority of people live in towns and cities, where space for team
sports is limited. To keep fit, most people take part in individual sports.
They usually go walking, swimming, cycling, or do aerobics. Taking part in
all of these sports is informal and casual. Most people just want to relax.
If they do aerobics or go swimming, they usually go to the sports centre;
but not many people join a sport club.
Some people argue that sports are not very useful. It takes a lot of energy
and time. As a result of going in for sports, people have broken legs and
arms and other injuries. Besides, it makes you unhappy when you lose. A lot
of people prefer to watch sports competitions rather than take part in
sports. Thousands of people go to the stadiums to support their favourite
teams and sportsmen. The most popular spectator sports are football, hockey
and figure skating. Most of the important competitions are televised, and
people enjoy watching sports programmes on TV. They needn’t buy tickets and
go to a stadium, especially in cold and rainy weather. But certainly
watching sports events and going in for sports are two different things.
In my opinion, people can’t do without sports. Sports play an important
part in our lives. I think sports help us in different ways. First of all,
it helps us to stay in good shape, to keep fit and to be healthy. It makes
people strong, fast and agile. What is more, sport builds character; it
teaches us to compete and practice sportsmanship. It makes us more
organised and better disciplined in our daily activities. Besides, it is a
good way to meet people and to make new friends.
Sports are an essential part of our everyday life. To have a healthy mind,
you must have a healthy body. But to be healthy, it is not necessary to
become a professional sportsman. You may go in for sports just for
pleasure, when you have free time. Some people jog every morning; some
follow fitness classes shown on TV. Young people usually put on their
roller-skates and skate in the streets and parks. A lot of young people
spend their holidays hiking; it doesn’t cost much, and it is a really good
way of getting away from crowds.
Physical education is an important subject at school. It helps pupils to
relax and to keep fit after a hard working day. Each school has sports
facilities. A lot of different competitions are usually held at school and
a great number of pupils take part in them. That’s why I think sports are
so popular in our country.
The most popular sports in Russia are football and hockey, skating and
skiing, track and field and swimming, tennis and basketball. It is not
always easy to decide which sport to take up. The aim of all sports
training is to improve fitness and skills, and to develop training
programmes that are both safe and effective. The important thing, however,
is that anyone who is not used to exercising should not do too much at the
beginning. Moreover, it is better to do a little regularly than a lot once
every two months. Among the be-nefits of regular exercise are a healthier
heart, stronger bones, quicker reaction times, and less susceptibility to
various illnesses. Scientists believe that if you go in for sport on a
regular basis, it could even help you to live longer.
I enjoy many sports; but best of all I love swimming. I started to learn
when I was about seven years old. When I was younger I used to go swimming
three or four times a week. Now I have less free time, but a week never
goes by without my visiting the pool at least once. Sports help me to work
off my extra energy.
Swimming is an inexpensive and simple sport. You do not need any
complicated equipment. You just need a swimming costume or trunks and
perhaps a cap. You can swim in the sea or a river, or you can go to a
special swimming pool. I love swimming because it is a very good exercise
for the whole body. I would recommend it because it is so convenient to do:
you can do it when you like and for as long as you like.
17. What does a healthy way of life mean? How do you look after your
health?
People nowadays are more health-conscious than they used to be. They
understand that good health is above wealth.
To be healthy we should avoid different bad habits that can affect our
health. In my opinion, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol, are the
worst ones. It’s common knowledge that smoking and drinking can shorten our
lives dramatically. Smoking, for example, causes a number of heart and lung
diseases, such as pneumonia, emphysema and cancer. Besides, it makes your
teeth yellow and skin unhealthy. Fortunately, in recent years smoking has
received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer people smoke nowadays. Some
companies don’t employ people who are smokers. Smoking has been banned in
most public places because everyone agrees it does harm to our health. I
don’t smoke, because I don’t want to have unhealthy skin and teeth and die
young.
Smoking and drinking are joined by less dangerous habits, such as skipping
meals, eating unhealthy food, or even overeating. Of course, they are not
quite as deadly as smoking or drinking alcohol, but they also affect our
health.
If we eat too much, we’ll become obese, and obesity leads to serious health
problems. A lot of people like drinking coca cola and coffee, and enjoy
pizzas and hamburgers. But what is tasty is not always healthy. Fast food
makes you fat, that is why Americans are the fattest people in the world.
In recent years eating habits have undergone a change. People are
encouraged to eat less fat and more fibre. Fat is believed to be one of the
major causes of obesity and heart disease. High fibre and low fat foods can
now be found in all shops and supermarkets. Salads, beans, and fruit have
taken the place of steak and ice cream. The fashion for health food is
growing all the time.
Many people feel they are too fat, even if their doctors disagree. And a
lot of people try to improve their fitness. There are a lot of ways to lose
weight and avoid gaining it. Perhaps the most popular of them is following
a diet. If you want to lose weight, you should cut out snacks and desserts,
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