Chapter 7 Sports in Britain
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Explain each of the following in English:
football in Britain
the FA Cup
tennis
Wimbledon
cricket
golf
horse racing
the Royal Ascot
"hunt saboteurs"
II. Fill in the blanks:
1.
___________ is a rough, fast game which was invented in Britain while
__________ is a more gentle sport which owes its origins to the Church.
2. The FA Cup stands for____________________________________________.
3. Each year, the best tennis players in the world gather at _______________ to
compete for the championship.
4. Phrases like "on a sticky wicket" and "playing with a straight bat" are associated
with the sport of___________.
5. The game of golf was invented by the _______________________ and there is
one ancient and famous golf course at______________________.
6.There are two kinds of horse racing: ____________________and
______________________ .
7. People usually dress up and show off their fashionable clothes and elaborate hats
for the social event called__________.
8. ________________________ is a sport involves riding skills as well as speed.
9. _____________________ are people of extremist animal rights groups who will
try every possible means to prevent the hunt from proceeding.
10. Many British people like to participate in the popular sport of fishing, which
is sometimes called__________.
III. Choose the correct answer from each of the following:
1. Which of the following was NOT an activity in Shakespeare's time?
A. playing football
B. having a drink at the pub
C. working the land
D. attending the Grand National
2. Which of the following sports was not invented in Britain?
A. football
B. tennis
C. archery
D. cricket
3. Which of the following is NOT true about football in Britain?
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A. Millions of people attend the FA games each season.
B. "Football hooligans" sometimes have violent clashes.
C. It was invented by Scottish people.
D. It was once described as "beastly" violeri.
4. Where is the international tennis champion"' ?
.:
A. Wembley
B. Wimbledon
C. St Andrews
D. Clapham92 Chapter 7 Sports in Britain
5. Which of the following was the first team sport to have organised rules?
A. football
B. cricket
C. horse racing
D. tennis
6. Which of the following is NOT true about cricket in Britain?
A. It is now still a snobbish game played by aristocratic people.
B. Its rules are rather obscure.
C. The matches last for a few days.
D. The players appear to be quite formally dressed.
7. Which of the following members from the royal family enjoys equestrianism?
A. Mary Queen of Scotland
B, the Queen
C. "Fergie"
D. Princess Anne
8. Which of the following is truly a sport of the royal family?
A. cricket
B. skiing
C. golfing
D. horse racing
9. Which of the following is NOT associated with horse racing?
A. placing bets
B. the Royal Ascot
C. the Grand National
D. the FA Cup
10. Which of the following about hunting is NOT true?
A. It had developed into a recreational activity in medieval England.
B. Only men participated in the hunting.
C. Modern hunters usually chase foxes nowadays.
D. It is strongly objected by animal rights groups.
Key: Chapter 7
I. Explain each of the following in English:
1. football in Britain
2
Football was invented in Britain. Legends hold that it derived from the "sport" of
ancient warriors celebrating victory by lacking around the decapitated head of an
enemy. Today, it is one of the most popular sports in Britain.
Millions of people watch the FA Cup games. But in recent years, people are much
concerned about football violence.
2. the FA Cup
The Football Association Cup is the trophy title for a series of games played by major
member teams of the Football Association. Over 20 million tickets are sold to FA
games each season. And sometimes, supporters of rival teams clash violently before,
during and after the matches.
3. tennis
Tennis is a more gentle sport played by people in early summer. It owes its origins to
the church. As early as the mid-fifteenth century, people were playing a game called
"tenys" around their local churches or cathedrals .The most famous tennis event in the
world, the annual international tennis championships, takes place in Wimbledon every
year. There are also a lot of social activities during the "Wimbledon fortnight".
4. Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a suburb in London. It is the place where the world's best players gather
to compete in the annual international tennis championship. It is one of the major
events of the British sporting calendar and probably the most famous tennis event in
the world. There are a lot of other social activities associated with the "Wimbledon
fortnight".
5. cricket
Cricket is a most popular sport in summer. It was also one of the very first team sports
in Britain to have organized rules and to be played according to the same rules
nationally. As early as 1787, the rules were fixed. It is a quite distinctive sport in
many ways and has much influence on British people's life. Cricket is often believed
to be associated with a set of English moral values such as "fair play".
6. golf
It is a game invented by the Scottish. And there is a world famous golf course in St
Andrews, near Edinburgh. By the sixteenth century, golf was already very popular in
Scotland and royal members like Mary Queen of Scots took great interest in it.
7. horse racing
The true royal sport in Britain is horse racing. Organised national horse races have
been held throughout Britain for hundreds of years. There are two kinds of horse
racing: flat racing and steeplechasing. The Grand National is the world's most famous
steeplechase. And there is also the biggest social event associated with horse racing:
the Royal Ascot.
8. the Royal Ascot
It is the biggest social event associated with horse racing. People dress up and go to
show off their fashionable clothes as well to watch the races and place their bets.
Women especially wear very elaborate and exotic hats. This event gets much attention
from the media and the public.
9. "hunt saboteurs"
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Hunting is a sport enjoyed by many wealthy and aristocratic families. But many
animal rights groups find this an unacceptable and cruel recreation. So "hunt
saboteurs", people of extremist animal rights groups, make efforts to prevent the hunt
from proceeding by laying false trails to distract the dogs which track the quarry and
by making noise to scare the horses.
II. Fill in the blanks:
1. Football; tennis
2. the Football Association Cup
3. Wimbledon
4. cricket
5. Scottish / Scots; St Andrews
6. flat racing; steeplechasing
7. the Royal Ascot
8. Equestrianism
9. Hunt saboteurs
10. angling
III. Choose the correct answer from each of the following:
1. D
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. B
6. A
7. D
8. D
9. D
10. B
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