Sporting activities

types of extreme sports, competitive sports, non-competitive sports, individual/

sports team sports, water/ land-based sports, athletics (2nd), aerobics (3rd),
gymnastics (sports with equipment), martial arts (judo, karate, vovinam)

places for fitness centre – an athletics track –

sports sports centre – Football / rugby pitch –
gym – Tennis / badminton / volleyball court –
Boxing ring - (sàn đấu) locker room –

equipment badminton/ tennis - rackets, ball scuba-diving: breathing equipment,

Baseball: bat, gloves, goggles

people in athlete – competitor –

sports coach – referee – (3rd)
trainer – umpire – (2nd)
personal trainer – goalkeeper –

achievement (do your) a personal best – to break a record –

to set a record – (1st) Hold a record -

Fitness to keep fit – to cool down –

To be a fitness fanatic – to be out of condition – be unwell
Do strenuous exercise – to train hard –
to get into shape – Follow fitness programme/ regimen –
to take up (a sport) – aerobic fitness –
to warm up – to work out at the gym –
to bulk up your muscles –

Sports blow away the competition – to get a second wind –

idioms front-runner – underdog –
a home game – The upper hand -
an away game – to drop out –
supporter – to pull out –
a draw - amateur –
professional –

Part 1
1. Do you like sports?
2. Do you often watch sports on TV?
3. What is the most popular sport in your country?
4. Do you prefer watching or playing sports?

Extra vocabulary
● A couch potato - Người lười biếng
● A health / sports nut - Người cực kỳ quan tâm đến sức khỏe / thể thao
● Work out - Tập thể dục
● Hit the gym - Đến phòng tập thể dục
● Do push-ups / sit-ups -
● Shed a few pounds = lose weight - Giảm cân
 ● Put on / gain weight - Tăng cân
● Run 5k a day - Chạy 5km mỗi ngày
● Get rid of my beer belly - my spare tire - Loại bỏ bụng bia
● Keep in shape - Duy trì dáng vóc
● Get in shape - Lấy lại dáng vóc
● Take up a sport - Bắt đầu tham gia một môn thể thao
● Strenuous exercise - Bài tập nặng
● Sth is (not) My cup of tea - my thing
● Find sth fascinating / thrilling / captivating - thấy điều gì đó hấp dẫn / thú vị / cuốn hút
● Keep me on the edge of my seat - Làm tôi luôn đứng ngồi không yên
● When I've got time on my hands - Khi tôi có thời gian rảnh rỗi
● Leisure/ spare/ free time - Thời gian giải trí / thời gian rảnh rỗi / thời gian tự do
● Have fun - Vui vẻ
● Play it for pleasure/ fun - Chơi vì niềm vui / vui chơi
● Take it professionally - Chơi chuyện nghiệp
Part 1
1. Do you like sports?
Well gotta say that….
Be not that big on
2. Do you often watch sports on TV?
⇒ on a regular/ daily basis
Once in a while,
Once in blue moon,
3. What is the most popular sport in your country?
4. Do you prefer watching or playing sports?
I’d rather ….than V/ Ving
5. Are boys and girls into the same sports?
From my observation
From what I can see,
6. Do you often exercise? And how?
⇒ on a regular/ daily basis
Once in a while,
Once in blue moon,
7. Will you exercise in the future?
8. Do you know anyone who exercises every day?
9. What sports did you do at school?
10. How important is keeping fit to you?
11. What do you do to keep fit?
12. Is violence a problem at sporting events in your country?

Part 1
1. Do you like sports?
Yes, I’m really keen on sports. I hit the gym on a daily basis and have my personal trainer
help me reach my fitness goal. By taking part in some activities at the gym like running or
riding a bicycle, I also refresh my mind and recharge my batteries.

2. Do you often watch sports on TV?

To be perfectly honest, watching sport is not really my cup of tea because I find it rather
boring. Moreover, as I’m always busy with my work and study, I spare my leisure time to
pursue other interests like listening to American music or going shopping.

3. What is the most popular sport in your country?

Without a doubt, football! It is the most common sport and it also goes by The King of
Sports. This sport earns such a glorious name on account of the thrilling atmosphere it
brings and the monetary value it creates.

4. Do you prefer watching or playing sports?

Absolutely to play it! I prefer engaging in some sport activities rather than sitting in a dump
place to watch others having fun.

5. Are boys and girls interested in the same sports?

Obviously there are noticeable differences in the sporting activities that the two genders are
keen on. For boys, they are into some strenuous sports like volleyball, badminton to build up
their strengths and muscles. However, girls are more into relaxing activities like yoga or
ballet to get into shape and stay healthy.

6. Do you often exercise?

I used to be a couch potato, but then I gained a lot of weight, making me unable to put on
any of my favourite clothes. And this had pushed me to hit the gym every day to lose the
pounds. I have stuck with it for about a few months now and the result is so amazing! I can
be confident in my body again now.

7. How do you exercise?

When going to the gym, the very first step that I need to take is to do some warm up by
stretching, bending over and doing jumping jack. After this stage, I will work out very
intensely with some exercises like deadlift or squat, which can put my muscles in pain for the
first few days.

8. Will you exercise in the future?

Yes, definitely. I will take up football, which is the type of sport that I have always wanted to
try. I’ll start by practising controlling the ball with my legs, and then I will find a friend who
plays semi-professionally and ask him to teach me in more detail. If I do well with it, maybe I
will join a local football club.

9. Do you know anyone who exercises every day?

Yes, one of my friends is a semi-professional and he has been playing for the local football
team. He has had a great passion for the ball since we were both children and he goes to
mini-stadium to play with his team every week. I have to say that I learn a lot from his
persistence.

10. What sports did you do at school?

Sport was my favourite thing at school. In the autumn and spring terms I played hockey and
during the summer months we did athletics. I even enjoyed cross-country running which
most people hated.
11. How important is keeping fit to you?
Keeping fit is a very important part of my life. In fact, my friends would say I’m a bit of a
fitness fanatic. It helps to keep me healthy and I also work out to be in good shape for taking
part in my sport of rowing.

12. What do you do to keep fit?

I do several things to keep fit. I take weight training classes, go jogging, train on the water
with my rowing crew and walk my dog twice a day.

13. Is violence a problem at sporting events in your country?

There used to be a serious problem with football fans getting involved in fights both inside
and outside stadiums but a lot has been done to stop this happening. It’s much safer to go to
matches now and they have become family events again.

Part 2
Question 1
Describe a sports club you belong to or used to belong to.
You should say:
● what club it is
● Where it is
● when and why you joined
and explain the benefits of belonging to your club.

Question 2
Describe a sport that you enjoy watching or playing
You should say:
● what kind of sport it is
● who you play/ watch it with
● where you play/ watch it
and explain why you enjoy playing/ watching it.

Part 2
Question 1
I belong to Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club. It’s a rowing club but we row a very special type of
boat called a pilot gig. They’re traditional wooden boats, about 30 feet long and with six
rowers and a cox. In the old days, these gigs would have been used to take a pilot out to
sailing ships coming into port and they were also used as lifeboats. Now gig rowing has
become a competitive sport which is gradually growing in popularity.
I joined the club when it started back in 2010. I’d wanted to row pilot gigs from the age of 12
when my family started taking holidays in the Isles of Scilly where gig races between the
islanders took place every Friday evening in the summer. I loved going out on the passenger
boats to watch and cheer on the crews. As soon as I heard about a gig club starting in my
own town I jumped at the chance to join.
Back when I was young, I never imagined that one day I’d be racing in the Pilot Gig World
Championships in the Isles of Scilly but I’ve done so with my club several times now. It’s an
amazing experience with over 140 boats taking part. …a bit different to all those years ago
when I used to watch just seven or eight boats racing while on my holidays.
Although we mostly row on the river, we also train on the sea to prepare us for rowing in
competitions. We compete in regattas all year round but the main season is from March to
September.
Rowing is very strenuous exercise and you need a high level of aerobic fitness as well as
strength. We train hard both on the water and in the gym and I really enjoy working out and
training with the other club members. We’re all close friends and often enjoy social activities
together. I’d go as far as to say that the club is my social life as well as my sport.
I guess that sums up the main benefits of belonging to my club. It contributes so much to
both my physical and mental well-being that I can’t imagine it not being a part of my life.

Question 2
Speaking of a sport that I enjoy, swimming will definitely be the one worth mentioning here.
10 years ago when I was in high school, my mom signed me up for a swimming course at a
sports centre, which really pissed me off since I was not really into water back then.
However, I told myself that I would give it a try to please my mother. Then, the purpose of
swimming was explained to me that it would save my life some day in the future. To be
honest, my mom was right, because it really saved me twice when I fell into the water while
riding a sinking boat. And now, I can safely say that I have mastered swimming and go to the
pool twice a week as I love the feeling of swiftly sliding through the water.
Actually, this skill requires little investment, but the most important thing that you need to
bear in mind is that swimming is the combination of frequent practice and bravery.
At first, it could be a trouble for many people since they may be afraid of getting into a
deeper water body, but when they have overcome their fear, any place with water cannot
pose any threat to them. In terms of equipment, as I mentioned before, this kind of skill
needs not much equipment except for those protecting your eyes like goggles or ears like
earbuds. Perhaps some people may need supporting devices but then they have to leave
them aside to truly swim.
Personally, I think this is a good skill to adopt which can save not only your life but also
others. Moreover, it is a nice sport for us to keep fit and benefit our cardiovascular system.
Honestly, if everything goes well, this may become my second job in the future.

Part 3
1) Do you think people in your country exercise enough? If not, why?
In my opinion, the majority of adults in the UK definitely don’t get enough exercise. You only
have to look around at the level of obesity to see that this is true. I’d go as far as to say that
the majority of people are very out of condition and never do any strenuous exercise. I really
don’t understand why this is the case. There’s more knowledge than ever before about the
advantages to both physical and mental health of keeping fit, and the negative effects of not
taking enough exercise are well-known. Every town has a range of sports facilities including
fitness centres, gyms and swimming pool for people to use. Or they could just walk more or
maybe cycle to work. There really isn’t any excuse not to take at least some exercise every
day. Many doctor’s surgeries even run their own fitness programmes or will recommend
some that you can join to help you get in shape. I wish more people would take their fitness
seriously and take advantage of the opportunities to stay healthy.

2) Do you think competitive sports should be part of the school curriculum?

Yes, I definitely think it’s important for children to take part in competitive sports at school. In
recent years there’s been a trend of having non-competitive sports days so that less sporty
kids can take part without always being the loser. I disagree with this. I was good at sport
and it was the only thing I really achieve a high level of success in at school. This was
extremely important to me, so it works both ways. Life is competitive and schools need to
help children to cope with this. I’m not saying that those children who hate sport and always
fail at it should put through this negative experience. Rather, I think schools need to rethink
how sport is taught. There is such a huge range of sporting activities to choose from these
days that I truly believe there’s something every child can enjoy participating in. Schools
need to provide the opportunities.

3) What are the benefits of international sports events?

I think there are several major benefits of international sporting competitions. Firstly, it helps
to build relationships between people of different nationalities and cultures. This is so
important in our divided world. While the competitors may be rivals during competitions,
there is friendship when the contest is over. You can see this and the respect they have for
each other when you watch big sporting events on TV. Secondly, when top international
athletes compete together, they motivate and inspire each other. This is why new world
records are often set at events such as the Olympics and many athletes achieve personal
bests. Finally, international sporting events encourage people to get involved in sport
themselves, especially the younger generation. The TV coverage of competitions for
disabled sportspeople in recent years has led to a massive increase in people with
disabilities taking up sports which is life-changing for them.

Extra questions for p2 - sports

https://docs.google.com/document/d/
17XwIzOjFaNb2o7pfnSAiwuK10FlmESSBEnEzZ9Wjjx8/edit