Unit 1Жулкевская. Unit physical activity and sports in the society

Text 1D

SPORT IN MY LIFE

1. 
   What must PE teachers know?
   

Speaking about my sport biography I think back to my school years as the beginning of my sporting career. My road to sport started from the school gymnasium.

The PE lessons are compulsory for all the students (except those who have problems with health). The schoolchildren are coached by PE teachers whose standards are high. They know the theory of sport and can solve problems related to the training process: they know how to dose physical loads¹, organize competitions, etc.

Most PE teachers are the graduates of Belarusian state university of physical culture, departments of physical education of regional universities, or specialized colleges.

2. 
   What is the instruction in physical education based on?
   

Classes are taught according to the syllabus with an obligatory minimum of theory and practice. Instruction in physical culture is based on mastering the fundamentals of athletics², gymnastics, skiing; swimming and sporting games. Members of extracurricular sports groups not only take part in the school competitions but are included in school teams to participate in district, city and republican tournaments. The most gifted youngsters have an opportunity of being coached in their spare time in special sports schools.

3. What were your results in sport?

That was my PE teacher who brought me to sport. As the most schoolchildren of our school I was fond of sports and went in for track-and-field athletics. My favourite event³ was sprint. At first my performance level⁴ was not very high but I tried to improve it and practised⁵ hard. Soon a good coach noticed me and I started to attend my practices willingly. I got acquainted with the fundamentals of sport. In a while I demonstrated good performance in sprint. Certainly, they were not anything near records. But I was so fond of sport that I continued to go in for it.

Athletes are ranked⁶ as third, second or first class, or awarded the titles⁷ of Candidate Master of Sports⁸, Master of Sports⁹, Master of Sports International Class¹⁰ and Merited Master of Sports¹¹. Having participated in competitions, first I qualified¹² for the third, then the second and the first sports categories¹³.

4. What University did you enter?

When at school I decided to become a PE teacher or a coach. So after completing school I entered the Belarusian state university of physical culture. Now I am a student of extra-mural education. It is interesting for me to study by correspondence.

5. How are the students taught by correspondence?

At the beginning of each academic year correspondent students get their lecture schedule. They are also provided with tutorials, educational instructions and recommended literature on all subjects.

The teachers estimate these students’ knowledge by checking their written tests and course papers.

Two times a year an examination session takes place. During this period the students attend lectures on the main topics of the subjects and have practice, take exams and credit tests. Besides they are offered lectures on subjects of the next academic year.

At present I am a part-time coach assistant¹⁴ at the local recreation centre. But my dream is to become a highly skilled specialist in physical culture and sports to be able to train the national team as a head coach in the future.
Notes:

¹ to dose physical loads – дозировать физические нагрузки;

² athletics – легкая атлетика;

syn. track-and-field athletics

³ event – дисциплина, вид спорта;

⁴ performance level – уровень мастерства;

⁵ practise – тренироваться

⁶ rank – классифицировать, ranking - спортивный разряд

⁷ award the title – присуждать звание;

⁸ Candidate Master of Sports – кандидат в мастера спорта;

⁹ Master of Sports – мастер спорта;

¹⁰ Master of Sports International Class – мастер спорта международного класса;

¹¹ Merited Master of Sports – заслуженный мастер спорта;

¹² qualify – зд. выполнить нормы на разряд;

¹³ sports category – спортивный разряд;

¹⁴ part-time coach assistant – помощник тренера, работающий неполный рабочий день.
Post-reading tasks
Task 1. Find a key sentence in each paragraph.
Task 2. Entitle each paragraph. You will have the plan for the topic “My sport biography”.
Task 3. Write your sports biography.
Task 4. Write a story about the role of sport in any famous athlete’s biography.
Task 5. Look through Texts A, B, C, D again. Write down the answers to the following questions to form the topic “Sport in my life”.

1. 
   What impact do physical activity and sport have on people and the society?
   
2. 
   What role do physical activity and sport play in your life?
   
3. 
   When and where were you born?
   
4. 
   When did your sporting career begin?
   
5. 
   How were your PE lessons organized?
   
6. 
   Who brought you to sport?
   
7. 
   What is your sport?
   
8. 
   Who is your coach?
   
9. 
   How are athletes ranked?
   
10. 
    What sports title or ranking do you have?
    
11. 
    What university did you enter and when?
    
12. 
    Do you study by correspondence?
    
13. 
    How are correspondent students taught?
    
14. 
    What are your plans for the future?
    

Check up your skills

1. 
   Put the words and word combinations in one of the boxes below:
   

hypodynamia endurance training degenerative processes weight gain strength exercises headache hypertension shortness of breath cycling mobility exercises physical recreation jogging coronary heart disease postural defects cross-country skiing

Health disorders	Physical activities

II. Match the nouns to the verbs and translate the word combinations:

A D C D E F

prevent have decrease promote mould attend

sickness expenses person a disease physical activity/health an impact (on) sporting events

III. Complete in the chart with the correct form of the verb.

Indefinite	Past Tense	Past Partisiple
I	II	III
know
	was (were)
do
lead
	swam
	won
		run
study
play
partisipate
	practised

IV.Find a mistake in each sentence and correct it:

1. 
   We have already visit this sports-complex.
   
2. 
   He will have send the entry form by the 1^st of October.
   
3. 
   I likes both football and hockey.
   
4. 
   My friend go jogging in the morning.
   
5. 
   The athlete is practise now.
   
6. 
   I practise on the stadium yesterday.
   

V.Write questions to the underlined words:.
1) Petrov works as a coach. 2) He has been working as a coach since 2000. 3) He was working in the gym when I saw him. 4) The coach was showing a new element to his trainees. 5) The gymnasts have been practising this element for an hour.

VI. Put the words in brackets in the correct tense form. Translate the text:

When I 1 … (be) a boy my mother always 2 … (tell) me not to run too far, not to jump too high and not too swim where it 3 … (be) deep. And later when I 4…. (enter) the military school and 5 … (take up) boxing in her every letter she 6 … (ask) me to give up boxing and to take up chess. She 7 … (say) I 8 … (never, will be) a boxer. All mothers 9 … (be) the same. But I 10 … (be fond) of boxing. I simply couldn’t live without it. I 11 … (be proud) of it. My coach 12 … (make) a boxer of me. I 13 … always (love) boxing. It 14 … (teach) me much. It 15 … (help) me develop my character. Only an honest fight 16 … (give) the right to win.

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