Unit 2: The Sporting Life

A. Match the words with the definitions.

1. e drop
2. g marathon
3. a medal
4. c originated
5. b pigeon
6. d practice
7. i procession
8. g revived
9. h torch

B. Answer the questions.

1. What’s something that you practice?

I practice playing football and playing tennis.

2. Do you know anyone who has run a marathon? How did the person get ready for it?

My friend pat ran a marathon. He trained for it for months.

3. What’s something that originated from your country?

Chocolate originated from my country.

4. What’s one way to commemorate someone?

A way to commemorate someone is to have a parade or a party.

5. Have you ever dropped something because you didn’t like it? What?

I dropped playing video games because I didn't have time for it anymore.

6. Where have you seen pigeons?

I have seen pigeons in the city square.

C. Unscramble the sentences. They each have a gerund as a subject. Then check if you agree or disagree.

1. good / is / roller skating / exercise /.

Roller skating is good exercise.

2. has / many benefits / teams sports / playing /.

Playing team sports has many benefits.

3. an important part / practicing / of playing a sport / is /.

Practicing is an important part of playing a sport.

4. takes / a lot of courage / car racing /.

Car racing takes a lot of courage.

5. is / playing sports / to stay in shape / a good way /.

Playing sports is a good way to stay in shape.

6. easy / but it’s a good form of exercise / is / walking /.

Walking is easy, but it’s a good form of exercise.

7. a lot of leg strength / requires / cycling /.

Cycling requires a lot of leg strength.

8. for learning a sport / not / is / missing practice / essential /.

Not missing practice is essential for learning a sport.

D Finish the sentences with your own ideas and opinions.

1. Playing tennis requires two people.
2. Skateboarding is difficult but fun.
3. Golfing takes a lot of patience.
4. Surfing is difficult.
5. Playing football is so much fun.
6. Scuba diving requires training and certification.
7. Running is exhausting.
8. Ice‑skating is my favourite sport.

E Write the superlative form of the adjective and the present perfect of the verb.

1. The hardest (hard) test I have taken (take) was in chemistry class.
2. The longest (long) run Binah has taken (take) was 10 kilometres.
3. What is the scariest (scary) film you have ever seen (see / ever)?
4. That was the sickest (sick) Bilal has been (be).
5. What is the worst (bad) TV show you have watched (watch)?
6. Lance Armstrong is the most famous (famous) cyclist there has ever been (be / ever).
7. The longest (long) book I have ever read (read / ever) was War and Peace.
8. What is the most exciting (exciting) sporting event you have ever seen (see / ever)?
9. This is the tastiest (tasty) meal I have ever eaten (eat / ever).
10. That was the strangest (strange) conversation Maya has ever had (have / ever).

F. Write sentences about your life. Use the superlative and the present perfect.

1. The longest game: I've watched was the tennis game.
2. The hardest sport: I've ever played is tennis.
3. The most interesting book: I've read was about Africa.
4. The best dinner: This is the best dinner I've ever been to.
5. The easiest class: I've ever taken is Health.
6. The farthest place: Egypt is the farthest place I've ever been.
7. The most interesting person: I've ever met is Aguilar.
8. The best vacation: My trip to Tokyo was the best vacation I've ever had.
9. The funniest person: I've ever known is Eric.
10. The most boring film: I've ever watched was...

G Write a sentence about each picture. Use either a gerund as the subject or the superlative + present perfect.

1. This is the most exciting tennis match I've ever seen.
2. He's the best goalie we've had for years.
3. aching football at home can be really fun.
4. Running is a great way to stay in shape.

H. Complete the sentences with the words and phrases in the box.

1. My brother Tom is adventurous. He likes to try new things. Even if the sport is dangerous or difficult, he’s willing to do it. He’s up for anything.
2. His favourite football team is Manchester United. Next month they are going to be playing in his city and he has tickets! He’s psyched!
3. Jasim is a gymnast. He has been practicing his routine on the parallel bars for months. He usually practices 5 times a week. Next week he has gymnastics meet. He’s not worried though, because he has his routine down pat.
4. Andrew is the best speed skater I know. Last week he was in a competition, and won first place! He was so good. He really knocked their socks off!
5. Don is an expert surfer. He has surfed all over the world—sometimes in extremely big waves! He knows he could drown or get attacked by sharks, but he’s not scared. He has a lot of guts.

I READING

Read the article and answer the questions.

1. What is the name of the Red Sox home stadium?

The name of the red Sox home stadium is Fenway Park.

2. How did the Red Sox do in the early years?

They did well. They won the World Series five times.

3. What started the myth about the Red Sox?

Selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees started the curse.

4. How did they lose the 1986 World Series Championship?

The ball rolled through the first baseman's legs.

5. When did the losing streak finally end?

It finally ended in 2004.

J Read the texts and write which sports are being described. Choose 5 sports from the list. Underline the words and/or phrases that helped you.

1. baseball
2. basketball
3. ping pong/table tennis
4. Taekwondo

5. Tanisk. Write as many words as you can to describe what is happening in the picture. Then change these action words (verbs) into the -ing form (gerunds). Write sentences about the picture starting with the gerunds.

1. Sitting on the grass and watching the children playing on a sunny morning is one of the most enjoyable things for parents.
2. Playing with my sister when we were little used to be a lot of fun.
3. Parents are smiling and they are very happy to have such a nice picnic with their children.

L. WRITING

2. Now use your word map to help you write your essay.

The best match ever

Three years ago, I went to the cafe with my friends to watch the most enthusiastic tennis match that was between Nadal and Federer, it was really amazing and interesting that we enjoyed that final match. They both played very well, but Nadal was the best and won the competition. It was the best tennis match I have ever watched on TV.

M. Read Saeed’s application form for a sport scholarship for a college place. Answer the questions about him.
Use the present perfect simple or the present perfect progressive.

1. Has he ever taken a computer science class?

(take) Yes, he has taken a computer science class.

2. Does he know more than one language?

(speak) Yes, he does. He has been speaking Spanish for 3 years.

3. Can he read French?

(study) Yes, he can. He has been studying French for 2 years.

4. Does Saeed play basketball?

(play) Yes, he does. He has been playing basketball in the school team for 4 years.

5. Has he ever worked as a football coach?

(work) No, he hasn't worked as a football coach. He's the captain of the school football team.

6. Does he know how to play in a team?

(play) Yes, he does. He has been playing football for 6 years.

7. Has Saeed ever held a position of responsibility?

(coach) Yes, he has. He has coached 30 primary children in swimming.

N. Rewrite the sentences. Use adverbs of manner.

1. Badr is an aggressive driver. Badr drives aggressively.
2. Stunt pilots fly in a dangerous way. Stunt pilots fly dangerously.
3. Ali and Majid are slow runners. Ali and Majid run slowly.
4. Saeed is a really good player. Saeed plays well.
5. Sabah is a quiet talker. Sabah talks quietly.
6. Khalid is a hard worker. Khalid works hard.
7. Fadwa is an enthusiastic reader. Fadwa reads enthusiastically.
8. Adel is a good surfer. Adel surfs well.

O. Write five sentences about you. Use adverbs of manner.

1. I used to watch cartoon movies daily.
2. I speak English fluently like a native speaker.
3. I sleep deeply every night.
4. I am honestly very handsome.