People all over the world are fond of sports and games. That is one of the things in which people of every nationality and class are united. All kinds of physical exercises are very useful to make our bodies strong enough to keep ourselves fit and healthy. The most popular outdoor winter sports are shooting, hunting and hockey, in the I countries where the weather is frosty and there is much snow- skating, skiing and tobogganing. Some people greatly enjoy figure-skating and ski-jumping. It's so nice to go to the skating-rink or to the forest on a frosty sunny day!
Summer affords excellent opportunities for swimming, boating, yachting, cycling, gliding and many other sports. Among outdoor I games football takes the first place in public interest; this game is played in all countries of the world. The other games that have firmly established themselves in favour in different countries are golf, lawn-tennis, cricket, volley-ball, basket-ball, and so on. Badminton is also very popular.
All the year round many people indulge in boxing, wrestling, athletics, gymnastics and track and field events. Scores of young girls and women go in for callisthenics. Over the last few years aerobics has become popular with young girls. It helps them to be slim, healthy and strong. The founder of this kind of sport was a well-known American actress Jane Fonda. Being a great enthusiast of aerobics she has been trying to initiate many young women from all over the world into this sport. Among indoor games the most popular are billiards, table-tennis, I draughts and some others, but the great international game is chess, of course. The results of. chess tournaments are studied and discussed by thousands of enthusiasts in different countries all he can to be healthy. Physically inactive people get old earlier than those who have plenty of exercises. If you do daily exercises you feel refreshed, have a good posture, and that makes you good. I can add that good health is better than the best medicine. You have A sound mind in a sound body, as the old Latin saying goes. The English proverb sickness in the body brings sickness to the mind expresses a similar idea, but from a different point of view.
Word List on the Subject "Sport and Games"
to be fond of smth. ,
to unite [ju:'nait] '
outdoor winter games
shooting
hunting
tobogganing
to afford excellent opportunities for smth. -
yachting ['jo:tin]
gliding
to establish oneself in favour
golf
lawn-tennis
to indulge in smth. , ()
boxing
wrestling
track and field events
to go in for smth.
callisthenics
enthusiast
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toinitiate [I'nifieit] into smth. - - -
indoor games
tournament
tomake smb. kin -
inactive ,
to feel refreshed
mind
similar
archery
artistic gymnastics -
boxing
car (motorcycle) racing ()
cycling
diving ['daivin]
fencing ['fensin]
figure-skating -
gliding
gymnastics
mountaineering
rowing and canoeing
skating
ski-jumping
sky diving (parachuting)
swimming
weight-lifting
wrestling
yachting
athletics (track-and-field) ( )
discus (hammer, javelin) throwing (, )
high (long, triple) jump ( , )
hurdle races ['ha:dl'reisiz]
marathon
pole vault (vaulting) e
race (run)
6. Travelling
Modern life is impossible without travelling. True, we often get tired of the same surroundings and daily routine. Hence some relaxation is essential to restore our mental and physical resources. That is why the best place of relaxation, in my opinion, is the one where you have never been before. And it is by means of travelling that you get to that place.
To understand how true it is you've got to go to a railway station, a sea or a river port or an airport. There you are most likely to see hundreds of people hurrying to board a train, a ship or a plane.
To be on the safe side and to spare yourself the trouble of standing long hours in the line, you'd better book tickets in advance. All you have to do is to ring up the airport or the railway station booking office and they will send your ticket to your place. And, of course, before getting off you have to make your preparations. You should settle all your businesses and visit your friends and relatives. On the eve of your departure you should pack your things in a suitcase. When the day of your departure comes you call a taxi and go to the airport
or the railway station.
For some time you stay in the waiting-room. If you are hungry you take some refreshments. In some time the loudspeaker announces that the train or the plane is in and the passengers are invited to take their seats. If you travel by train you find your carriage, enter the corridor and find your berth. It may be a lower berth, which is more convenient or an upper one. You put your suitcase into a special box under the lower seat. Then you arrange your smaller packages on the racks. In some time the train starts off. Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages; You can see the country you are travelling through and enjoy the beautiful nature. It may be an express train or a passenger one. There is no doubt it's much more convenient to travel by an express train, because it does not stop at small stations and it takes you less time to get to your destination.
But if you are in a hurry and want to save your time you'd better travel by plane, because it is the fastest way of travelling. After the procedure of registration you board the plane at last. You sit down in a comfortable armchair and in a few minutes you are already above the clouds. The land can be seen below between the clouds and it looks like a geographical map. After the plane gained its regular height the stewardess brings in some mineral water. You can sit and read a book or a magazine, look through the window to watch the passing clouds change their colour from white to black.
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Some people prefer to travel by ship when possible. A sea voyage is very enjoyable, indeed. But to my mind the best way of travelling is by car. The advantages of this way of spending your holiday are that you don't have to buy a ticket, you can stop wherever you wish, where there is something interesting to see. And for this reason travelling by car is popular for pleasure trips while people usually take a train or a plane when they are travelling on business.
When you get tired of relaxation, you become home-sick and feel like returning home. You realize that "East or West home is best," as the saying goes.
Word List on the Subject "Travelling"
surroundings [s'raundinz] ,
routine [ru:'ti:n] , ,
hence ,
relaxation , ,
to be essential
to restore , ,
railway station
airport
to board a train (ship, etc.) ( ..)
train
ship , ,
plane
to be on the safe side
to spare oneself the trouble of ,
to stand in the line
in advance
to make one's preparations
to settle one's business
on the eve
to pack ,
suitcase
departure [di'pa:tfa]
waiting-room
to announce [a'nauns]
passenger
carriage
berth ( )
package ,
rack
destination ; ()
to be in a hurry
procedure [pra:'si:d33]
height
for this reason
to become home-sick
to feel like returning home
railway ticket, railroad ticket
one-way ticket, single ticket
return ticket
round trip ticket
ticket machine
reduced fare ticket
child's ticket
