THE WORLD’S GAME The story of soccer in Africa is a long one.

In the mid-1800s, European colonists 3

brought the game to Africa. Early matches were first played in the South African
Throughout history, humans have played some
kind of kicking game. What the world now calls cities of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in 1862, and in time, the sport spread across
football, or soccer in the U.S., began as far back the continent. In the past century, as countries in Africa urbanized and became
as 2500 B.C.E with the Chinese game of tsu chu. independent, they joined the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
The sport we know today originated in Britain. By Today, some of the game's best players come from African nations, including
the 1840s, England's Football Association Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria, and all over the continent, thousands of
established a set of rules, and the modern game was born. Today, more than 120 soccer academies now recruit boys from poorer cities and towns to play the game.
million players all over the globe participate in the game, truly making soccer the Many learn to play in their bare feet 4, and they are tough, creative competitors. Their
world's sport. dream is to join a national team the big clubs in Europe someday. For some, the
dream comes true, but for most, it doesn't.
So, why is soccer so popular? Maybe it's the game's camaraderie 1: the feeling that
the team on the field is your team; their win is your victory, and their loss is your But joining a professional team and making a lot of money isn't the main reason that
defeat. Or maybe it's the game's international quality. In countries like France, soccer is so popular all over Africa, says Abubakari Abdul-Ganiyu, a teacher who
England, Spain, and Brazil, major teams have players from many different nations, works with youth clubs in Tamale, Ghana. “Soccer is the passion of everyone here,"
and these clubs now have fans all over the world. Or perhaps it's the promise of he says. "It unifies us." In fact, more than once, the game has helped to bring people
great wealth. A number of professional soccer players, including Cameroon's together. In Ivory Coast, for example, immigrants 5 and Muslims faced discrimination6
Samuel Eto’o and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, come from poor families. Today, for years. Yet many of the country's best soccer players are from Muslim and
both of these players make millions of euros every year. immigrant families. As a result, the national team has become a symbol of unity and
has helped to promote peace throughout the country.
Soccer is popular for all of these reasons, but ultimately, the main reason for its
universal appeal may be this: It's a simple game. It can be played anywhere with All over Africa, soccer is popular with parents and teachers for another reason: It
anything – a ball, a can, or even some bags tied together. And anyone can play it. keeps young people – especially boys – in school and out of trouble. "Most clubs in
"You don't need to be rich . . .to play soccer," says historian Peter Alegi. "You just Tamale, Ghana, don't allow boys to play if they don't go to school," explains
need a flat space and a ball." Abubakari. "We're trying our best to help young people and to make them
responsible in society. Soccer helps us do this. For us, soccer is also a tool for hope."
It is this unique simplicity that makes soccer the most popular sport in Africa. Here,
even in rural areas far from the bright lights and big stadiums, children and adults
play the game, often with handmade balls.
1
Camaraderie is a feeling of friendship or team spirit among people who share an
A Passion for Soccer
2
experience together.
2
Passion is a powerful emotion or feeling.
3
Colonists are people from one country who take control of another country.
 4
If you do something in your bare feet, you do it without shoes.
5
An immigrant is a person who comes to live in a country from another country.
6
If you face discrimination, you are not treated fairly by others in society. Critical Thinking Evaluating: The writer states that soccer can help bring people
Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question. together What evidence is given to support the claim? In what ways might a sport
1. What is this passage mainly about? such as soccer divide people rather than bring them together?
a. the history of soccer c. the popularity of soccer
b. soccer clubs d. how African soccer began Discussion: Do you agree with the writer's arguments for why soccer is so popular?
2. In the second paragraph, which of these is NOT given as a possible reason for What other reasons could account for its global popularity?
soccer's popularity?
Completion. Complete the information by circling the correct word in each pair.
a. the team spirit among players
Over the past two decades, Asian soccer-playing nations such as Japan, China, and
b. famous players from many different countries
South Korea have worked together to raise interest in the sport. This led to the first
c. the number of soccer games shown on TV
World Cup to be held in Asia, in 2002. The 1. ( competition / defeat ) was 2.
d. the possibility of making a lot of money
( unique / universal ) because it was co-hosted by two countries: South Korea and
3. What does the author mean by It's a simple game. (in paragraph 3)
Japan. A total of 32 teams 3.
a. The rules are easy for people to understand
( participated / established ) in the
b. You can play it anywhere with anything.
tournament. The eventual winner
c. You don't need talent to play soccer well.
was Brazil, who achieved 4. ( defeat
d. There are many local versions of soccer.
/ victory ) by beating Germany 2-0
4. Where did soccer originate in Africa?
in the final. Overall, the event was a
a. Ivory Coast c. South Africa
great success: It helped to 5.
b. Ghana d. Cameroon
( participate / promote )
5. What does some (in paragraph 4) refer?
cooperation among nations and was
a. poor boys c. national teams
6. ( responsible / unified ) for
b. soccer academies d. cities and towns
creating a new generation of soccer
6. Which of these statements about the Ivory Coast national team is NOT true?
fans across Asia.
a. Many of its best players are from immigrant families.
b. There are Muslim players on the team. Words in Context. Complete each sentence with the correct answer.
c One of its players is Abubakari Abdul-Ganiyu 1. If someone establishes something (e.g, an organization), they ______ it.
d. It has helped to encourage peace in the country. a. create b. destroy
7. What is the main idea of the last paragraph? 2. In sports, if you defeat another team, you ______.
a. More schools in Africa are opening soccer clubs. a. win and they lose b. lose and they win
b Soccer helps people get better grades in school. 3. If something is universal, it relates to ______ in the world.
c. Soccer helps young people be more responsible. a. few people b. all people
d. Older soccer players help younger ones fit into society.
 4. Something or someone that unifies people causes them to ______. For some Olympic competitors, size is important. Most male champion swimmers are
a. come together b. separate 180 cm (six feet) or taller, allowing them to reach longer and swim faster. For both male
and female gymnasts, though, a smaller size and body weight mean they can move with
WHAT MAKES AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION? greater ease, and are less likely to suffer damage when landing on the floor from a height
of up to 4.5 meters (15 feet).
How does a person become an Olympic
champion – someone capable of Some athletes' abilities are naturally enhanced by their environment. Those raised at high
winning the gold? In reality, a altitudes in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco have blood that is rich in
combination of biological, hemoglobin. Large amounts of hemoglobin carry oxygen 4 around the body faster, enabling
environmental, and psychological these athletes to run better. Cultural factors also help some athletes do well at certain sports.
factors, as well as training and practice, Tegla Loroupe, a young woman from northern Kenya, has won several marathons. She
all go into making a super athlete.
attributes some of her success to her country's altitude (she trains at about 2,400 meters, or
Perhaps the most important factor 8,000 feet) and some to her cultural background. As a child, she had to run ten kilometers to
involved in becoming an elite1 athlete is genetics. Most Olympic competitors are school every day. "I'd be punished if I was late," she says.
equipped with certain physical characteristics that differentiate them from the average
Although genetics, environment, and even culture play a part in becoming an elite athlete,
person. Take an elite athlete's muscles, for example. In most human skeletal muscles (the
training and practice are needed to succeed. Marathon runners may be able to control
ones that make your body move), there are fast-twitch fibers 2 and slow-twitch fibers.
fatigue and keep moving for long periods of time, but they must train to reach and maintain
Fast-twitch fibers help us move quickly. Olympic weightlifters, for example, have a
large number of fast-twitch fibers in their muscles-many more than the average person. their goals. Weightlifters and gymnasts perfect their skills by repeating the same motions
These allow them to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground and over their heads in again and again until they are automatic. Greg Louganis, winner of four Olympic diving
seconds. Surprisingly, a large, muscular body is not the main requirement to do well in gold medals, says divers must train the same way to be successful: "You have less than
this sport. It is more important to have a large number of fast-twitch fibers in the three seconds from takeoff until you hit the water, so it has to be reflex. You have to repeat
muscles. the dives hundreds, maybe thousands, of times." Training this way requires an athlete to be
not only physically fit but psychologically healthy as well. "They have to be," says Sean
The legs of an elite marathon runner, on the other hand, might contain up to 90 percent McCann, a sports psychologist at the Olympic Training Center in the U.S. "Otherwise, they
slow-twitch muscle fibers. These generate energy efficiently and enable an athlete to couldn't handle the training loads we put on them. [Athletes] have to be good at setting
control fatigue and keep moving for a longer period of time. When we exercise long or goals, generating energy when they need it, and managing anxiety."
hard, it's common to experience tiredness, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing. These
feeling are caused when the muscles produce high amounts of lactate 3 and can't remove How do athletes adjust to such intense pressure? Louganis explains how he learned to
it quickly enough. Athletes with many slow-twitch muscle fibers seem to be able to clear control his anxiety during a competition: "Most divers think too much. .. ," he says. "They're
the lactate from their muscles faster as they move. Thus, the average runner might start too much in their heads. What worked for me was humor. I remember thinking about what
to feel discomfort halfway into a race. A trained Olympic athlete, however, might not my mother would say if she saw me do a bad dive. She'd probably just compliment 5 me on
feel pain until much later in the competition. the beautiful splash."6
 1
Elite refers to the most powerful, rich, or talented people within a particular group.
2
Muscle fibers are thin, threadlike pieces of flesh that make up the muscles in your body.
3
Lactate is a substance produced by your muscles when you have been exercising a lot.
4
Oxygen is a colorless gas in the air that is needed by all plants and animals.
5
If you compliment someone, you say something polite about their appearance or something they did.
6
A splash is the sound made when something hits water or falls into it.
Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question.
Critical Thinking
1. What is this reading mainly about?
Interpreting: What do you think Louganis means when he says most divers are too
a. factors that make someone a super athlete
much in their heads? How might this effect an athlete’s performance?
b. the different muscle types of a super athlete
Discussion: One of the aims of the Olympic Games is to improve relationships
c. the size of a super athlete
among countries. Do you think they achieve this?
d. how to qualify for the Olympics
2. The word more in paragraph 2 refers to _____. Completion. Complete the information with the correct form of the words
a. Olympic weightlifters c. muscles from the box. Three words are extra.
b. fast-twitch fibers d. average people adjust attribute automatic champion differentiate
3. Having a lot of slow-twitch muscle fibers is particularly important for _____. enhance generate genetic motion psychological
a. cyclists b. divers c. weightlifters d. table tennis players In September 2013, 1. ______________________ swimmer Diana Nyad became the
4. When lactate builds up in their muscles, people feel _____. first person to swim from Cuba to the U.S. state of Florida without using a shark cage.
a. strength b. energy c. dizziness d. pain She had unsuccessfully attempted the 177-kilometer (110-mile) swim several times
5. What advantage do athletes from high-altitude countries have? before, but at age 64, she finally completed the historic swim. In total, she spent a little
a. strong sense of culture under 53 hours in constant 2. ______________________ in the water. She was fit, had
b. hemoglobin-rich blood a team along to help her, and wore a special suit and mask to keep jellyfish off her
c. lower amounts of lactate in their muscles skin. Some suggested this equipment 3. ______________________ speed, though
d. more muscles in their legs Nyad claimed it actually slowed her down.
6. What is the main idea of the sixth paragraph?
a. Genetics is an important part of athletic success. What 4. ______________________ this successful attempt from Nyad's four previous
b. Divers must train to be successful. attempts? Experts 5. ______________________ her success to Nyad’s mental
c. Marathon runners must train hard to succeed. determination. They believe that her struggle was just as much 6.
d. Success in sports comes from a lot of practice. ______________________ as physical. She was not allowed to grab the boat when the
7. What statement would diver Greg Louganis probably agree with? water was rough, because this would 7. _____________________ disqualify her. Her
a. Athletes cannot perform well unless they are under pressure. determination was so strong that even though she felt sick for much of the journey, she
b. It's key take things too seriously never gave up.
c. It's important to joke around with your teammates before you perform any sport. Definitions. Match the definition to words from the box above.
d. A professional athlete should never feel anxiety. 1. Working by itself _____________________
2. The act of moving _____________________
 3. Related to human mind _____________________Responsible
4. To make something better, improve it _____________________
5. To produce or cause something to begin _____________________
6. Relating to your DNA _____________________
7. To move or change something slightly _____________________
VOCABULARY SYNONYM ANTONYM VOCABULARY SYNONYM ANTONYM
Establish Champion

Participate Psychological

Victory Genetics

Defeat Differentiate

Universal Generate

Unique Enhanced

Competitors Attributes

Unifies Motions

Promote Automatic
 Adjust Responsible

VOCABULARY SYNONYM ANTONYM VOCABULARY SYNONYM ANTONYM

Establish Champion

Participate Psychological

Victory Genetics

Defeat Differentiate

Universal Generate

Unique Enhanced

Competitors Attributes

Unifies Motions

Promote Automatic
Adjust
VOCABULARY – 1 A VOCABULARY SYNONYM ANTONYM
authorize achievement failure prevalent breakdown cooperate Establish

build create unparalleled form singular start

install destruction challenger engage extraordinary play Participate
ubiquitous partake opponent triumph grand slam extensive
collapse comprehensive drubbing bring together common consolidate
Victory
global culpable unlimited increase exceptional uncommon
weird contestant liable rival adversary pledged
merge subject advance elevate favor raise Defeat

upgrade answerable guilty

Universal
destroy subservience accomplishment ruin boon cease
neglect associate loose familiar remove forfeit
Unique
block hinder impede obstruct failure lower
restricted inferiority ally weakness achievement divide
uncommon unaccountable limited inferior familiar drop Competitors
helper innocent separate decrease disconnect diminish
disjoin part degrade lessen right Unifies

Promote

Responsible
VOCABULARY – 1 B VOCABULARY SYNONYM ANTONYM
challenger emotional comprehend individualize champ Champion

defender passage ascribe hero medalist

characterize bring about conqueror natural cognitive Psychological
appreciate intellectual modify mental augment
subjective impute ancestry increase lineage
Genetics
heredity standardize distinguish unconscious separate
segregate allot set up mechanical develop
cause accustom add to routine boost Differentiate

strengthen enlarge rearrange apply associate

gesture credit act reflex alter Generate

disarrange loser acquirement physical opponent

Enhanced
destroy diminish integrate terminate end
fail discourage immobility reduce by hand
manual lessen decrease finish stiffness Attributes
idleness ruin scatter stagnation thought-out
stillness stilted unnatural Motions

Automatic

Adjust
SYNONYM UNIT 1-A being the only one of its kind; particular, exceptional, extraordinary, strange,
Originated Come from, derived, emanated, emerged weird
unlike anything else.
Began
Established Step up, organize, built, create, found, enact, Simplicity Ease, practicality
To be found, institute, built or settle ordinary, traditional, or
bring to being, on a firm or natural, and not complicated
stable bases
Participate Engage in, compete, play, perform(ed) Rural Remote, sub-urban, isolated, desolate
Take part, involve, join characteristic of the
Truly Really, doubtlessly, actually, definitely, exactly, countryside rather than the
In accordance with fact or truth absolutely, sincerely town
Camaraderie Friendship, companionship, togetherness
Passion Desire, ambition, appetite, craving, longing,
mutual trust and friendship
an intense desire or enthusiasm eager, inclination, love, devotion
among people who spend a lot
for something
of time together.
Victory Win, success, achievement, triumph Colonist Settler, conqueror, colonizer
defeating or overcoming an inhabitant of a colony
opponent
Defeat loss, failure, setback, collapse Tough Strong, powerful, strong heart, mighty,
win a victory; overcome or beat able to endure hardship or pain tenacious, vigorous
Wealth Richness, abundance, affluence, prosperity,
an abundance of valuable pleasure, revenue Competitors Rivals, opponent, adversary, challenger,
possessions or money a person who takes part in an contestant
athletic contest
Popular Well-known, famous, favorite, attracted,
liked, admired, or enjoyed by prominent, in demand Unifies Unite, bring together, consolidate, merge,
many people  become united, uniform, or join, connect, link
Ultimately Basically, eventually, finally, conclusively, whole
finally; in the end sooner, later,
at the most basic level worldwide, entire, common, global, extensive, Discrimination In justice, intolerance, unfairness, inequity,
prevalent, vast, the unjust or prejudicial partiality, bias, bigotry
Appeal Attraction, allure, charm, attractiveness treatment; make distinction
the quality of being attractive or toward others
interesting
Unique Unusual, uncommon, special, different,
 Promote Improve, increase, develop, boost, stimulate,
an absence of comfort or ease disturbance, inconvenience
further the progress; support or support, encourage Gymnasts Acrobat, jumper, tumbler
actively encourage
a person trained or skilled in
Responsible gymnastics
Accountable, in charge, liable, trustworthy,
having an obligation to do able, reliable Ease Calmness, comfort, relaxation, simplicity,
something absence of difficulty or effort serenity, peace, quietness, tranquility
Enhanced Add to, upgrade, improve, strengthen,
SYNONYM UNIT 1-B intensify, increase, or further reinforce, intensify, raise
improve the quality, value, or
Champion Winner, defender, defeater, challenger,
extent of
a person who has defeated or medalist
surpassed all rivals Attribute Relate, connect, refer, associate, apply,
Psychological Cognitive, emotional, intellectual, mental,
regard something as being caused ascribe
related to the mental and subjective by
emotional state
Genetics Lineage, heredity, ancestry Perfect Develop, polish, improve, complete,
relating to genes or heredity, polish; achieve ameliorate
origins
Differentiate Arm, supply, provide, endow, furnish, gear,
ascertain what makes different prepare
Motion Movement, action, gesture
Surprisingly Exceptionally, strangely, uncommonly,
Moving or changing position
in a way that causes surprise; extraordinary, amazingly, remarkably,
unexpectedly
astonishingly Automatic Natural
Generated Bring out, set up, create, develop, form, done or occurring spontaneously,
cause to arise or come about produce without conscious thought or
intention
Fatigue Exhaustion, lethargy, tiredness, weariness
extreme tiredness resulting from Requires Need, demand, expect, ask, want, instruct,
mental or physical exertion or need for a particular purpose request, order
illness.
Discomfort Annoyance, displeasure, hardship, uneasiness,
Anxiety Worry, doubt, nervousness, uneasiness,
a feeling of worry, nervousness, or tension
unease

Adjust Adapt, accustom, modify, conform

change something to a better fit or
to be more usable

Compliment Praise, congratulate, commend, applaud,

a polite expression of praise or flatter, laud
admiration