Unit 3 Sporting life

The integrated course

3-1 Active reading 1

Pre-reading activities-1

01、Well, I believe it has been a tradition that sports like basketball, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, martial arts and t'ai chi are the most popular sports in China. However, in recent years, football has certainly become very popular, along with some other sports like golf, tennis, skiing, car racing and snooker.
02、This is a strange question. Why not? Chinese people can surely understand sports which have come to China from other countries, invented or developed by foreigners, can't they? So the reverse must also be true. Many foreigners are interested in traditional Chinese sports like martial arts and t'ai chi, and if they learn them well they can understand them.
03、Well, I know the sports, but I don't know the rules and hardly watch them. Yes. I understand a bit. Football is a ball game in which two teams of 11 players, using any part of their bodies except their hands and arms, try to manoeuver the ball into the opposing team's goal. Tennis is played on a court by two players (or four for doubles). Players on opposite sides of a net hit a ball over the net with a racket so that it lands on the other side of the court.
04、I believe participating in sports is a very important way to publicize, popularize and develop a national culture. Through sports, the nation shows its sporting spirit, and also the condition of its sports facilities, which indicate the general quality of life. For example, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Para-Olympics were successful sporting events which showed how the Chinese nation is keen to implement its motto of "One World, One Dream". Chinese people demonstrated their devotion to the ideals of peace, respect, care and working for a better life, and they shared their vision with all other nations. From the events and ceremonies, people all over the world could see that China has developed into a modern society, with good sporting, transport and living facilities. Chinese people heartily supported the events, and were enthusiastic about helping foreign visitors enjoy their time during the events in China.

Pre-reading activities-2

. 1. The use of the phrase blow the whistle here is a pun, which indicates a) something needs to be said about soccer and, b) the referee blows a whistle to start and stop a soccer match.

2. No. I don't think so. But football is very popular there
3. I believe the writer is an American, because the writer indicates that baseball is a foreign sport to his French friend, but baseball is popular in the US.
4. Oh, yes. Baseball is played in schools and by professionals. Other popular sports include basketball, American football and ice hockey, I understand. But in the 2008 Olympics, the US team only won the bronze for baseball. The Korean team won the gold!
5. Unfortunately it is not, although there is more interest in it now. The writer indicates this with: "I will have no clue what's going on out there on the 'pitch'."
6. I guess it is about soccer, since the last few sentences talk about how puzzled the writer is about soccer.
7. Well, it is likely to be a humorous one. The first paragraph describing his French friend has set the tone of the passage through its use of humour, showing that the passage isn't really serious.
8. I doubt it very much, since the writer claims "I'm colliding with this same cultural barrier", where people don't know the rules and reasons for the excitement of a game.
9. Not really. The writer talks about how much he is puzzled by soccer ("I will have no clue what's going on out there"), and states that it is time for a critical assessment of the sport ("blow the whistle on the so-called beautiful game")

Exercises-1

1. B
2. B
3. B
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. A
8. B

Exercises-2

1. responsible for
2. professionally
3. priority
4. resumes
5. clue
6. hum
7. deemed
8. illustration
9. soars

Exercises-3

1. A
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. B
6. A
7. A
8. A

Exercises-4

1. E
2. F
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. G
7. D

3-2 Active reading 2

Pre-reading activities-1

01、Before an important competition: For confident athletes, they may feel calm, composed, confident, determined, hopeful and also thrilled. For less confident athletes, they may feel nervous or even terrified.
02、After the competition:For winners, they may feel exhausted, relieved, thrilled and victorious. For others, they may feel disappointed, exhausted, (perhaps) relieved or thrilled if the result is better than what they expected.

Pre-reading activities-201

1.This event is the heptathlon, which is a combined two-day event for women. Tips: The heptathlon consists of seven events (hepta means "seven" in Greek): Three are track events the 100 m hurdles, 200 m and 800 m events and four are field events the high jump, shot put, long jump and javelin. On the first day, athletes participate in the 100 m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 m events. The other events are on the second day. The winner is the woman who achieves the highest number of points collected in all the events. She does not need the top score in any single event, but competitors must take part in all the events. Points are calculated for each event by measuring distance and speed. The equivalent event for men is the decathlon (deka means "ten" in Greek) with ten events (100 m, 400 m, 110 m hurdles, 1500 m, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus, pole vault and javelin).

Exercises-1

01、Hundreds of lights illuminated Stadium Australia ...
02、My heart was beating loudly, my mouth was dry and the adrenaline was pumping.
03、I tried to keep composed, telling myself not to panic, to stick to the plan ...
04、I knew I would do my best, that I would run my heart out and finish the race.
05、Just two laps until the emotional and physical strain of the past two days and the last 28 years would be eclipsed by victory or failure.
06、I felt unified with the crowd we all had the same vision and the same dream. My ankle was bandaged against an injury I had incurred in the long jump just a couple of hours earlier, but I shut out all thoughts of pain. I was aware of where the other athletes were, and was sure that I'd just made it ... but I couldn't help thinking, what if I have just missed out? What ...? Relief, a moment of calm ... I felt a tingle through the whole of my body ... arms aloft and fists clenched.
07、But, until I saw it on the scoreboard, I wouldn't let myself believe it. I smiled, still not sure.
08、What if I've been through all this, and missed out?

Exercises-2

01、exhausted
02、roar
03、ensured
04、boost
05、strain
06、fatigue
07、composed

Exercises-3

01、leading up to
02、shut out
03、keep up with
04、counting down
05、missed out
06、set off
07、fight back

Exercises-4

01、A
02、A
03、B
04、B
05、B
06、A
07、A
08、A
09、B

3-3 Language in use

Grammar & structure-1

01、A
02、C
03、B
04、D

Grammar & structure-2

01、B
02、A
03、A
04、A
05、A
06、A
07、B
08、B

Collocations

01、a) When things are difficult and you have to deal with the pressure, eg before taking exams or when you start your first job.
02、b) When you are using a computer for too long, or reading too much.
03、c)When you have too much study or too much to do at work, or too many personal problems to deal with.
04、d) When the volume of a sound is too low, you will find it a strain to hear it properly.
05、a) It could look like a large cross, or perhaps as if you're trying to give someone a warm welcome, with a hug.
06、b) It normally means that you go out for a short walk, but occasionally it means that you stretch your legs out straight from a sitting position, eg when you are sitting on a plane.
07、c) It's bad! It means that there is a long line of vehicles, like a traffic jam, going right into the far distance.
08、d) You feel a bit frustrated or annoyed or even angry, but you do your best to stay in control and stay patient.
09、a) It's a word or phrase that helps you to find the answer in a crossword a word game in which the answers are written in words in rows of squares that cross each other. Generally, some letters in one word appear in another word. The clues can be easy or difficult: Difficult ones often have tricks with words, double meanings or references to wide general knowledge.
10、b) If you haven't got a clue, then you don't know or understand much at all!
11、a) Thepunch lineis usually the last few words of a joke that make the joke funny.
12、b) You express something negative a lot less strongly because, say, you do not want to upset or shock people, so you are gentler with your words (to pull means to pull back, to limit or stop a punch). Don't pull your punches is the opposite: You express your feelings, opinions or criticism very clearly, without considering other people's feelings at all.
13、a) We say peopleflock to a football matchbecause they arrive one by one or in small groups, but form a much larger group, the same way birds form a flock.
14、b) Thepriest's flockis his congregation.
15、c) A flock of people is larger because it means a large group.

Translation-101

1.尽管极限运动本身很危险，任何闪失都会造成伤害甚至死亡， 但这种运动在西方国家却非常流行，吸引的运动员比一些传统的团队体育项目还要多。人们喜欢极限运动是因为他们可以通过参加像登山、滑雪和攀岩这样的极限运动来突破人类的极限。极限运动给人提供欣赏海岸线和风景的绝佳机会，这样的美景在传统运动中是看不到的。在传统的体育赛事中，运动员在限定的环境里互相竞争，而极限运动的运动员不仅要互相竞争，还要应对环境的障碍和挑战。不论参加哪一项极限运动，运动员都要确保他们使用合适的装备，采取恰当的安全防护措施。如今有越来越多的极限运动问世，每一个都比上一个更加独特。

Translation-201、

1.There are three reasons why table tennis is called China's national game. First, up to now China has won more than 200 world titles in table tennis, which has earned great honour for the country. Second, table tennis is widely enjoyed by the general public, and is one of the most popular amateur recreational sports in China. Finally, table tennis helps promote China's friendly exchanges with foreign countries. The friendly table tennis match between China and the US, which took place in Beijing in 1971, is an event known to history as "ping-pong diplomacy", and helped resume Sino-US diplomatic relations. Today, while developing its own table tennis, China also has top table-tennis players playing the game in other countries. This plays a positive role in promoting the global development of the game of table tennis.

3-4 Reading across cultures

Exercises-1

01、There are three: baseball, (American) football and basketball.
02、Baseball is a relaxed, leisurely spectator sport; football is more violent, with a contemporary appeal; basketball in the cities is a way of life.
03、It involves strategies and the fans become generals planning troop movements (because there is a large number of "set-piece" strategies with players all following practised moves according to instructions, so fans knowing some of these can pretend they are generals, like the team coach).
04、It gives the impression of being busy and active, but you can be lazy and watch it.
05、They are country club sports: You have to pay membership fees to join golf and tennis clubs.
06、Middle Americans (those who live in the central states) love the noise, the violence and the danger of the cars.
07、The small-town kids learn to shoot with great skill and accuracy; city kids develop "the moves" (they learn more intricate aspects because they "live the game").
08、Because in a gang the youths conform to ideas about manhood and identity, and they also do this with basketball.

Exercises-2

1. I think I would enjoy watching almost any sport at world-class level (at world championships or the Olympics), because you are seeing the very best. If you ask me to choose just one, I would probably say football, because it can be fast, skillful and unpredictable and it involves good teamwork. But I don't really have much time to play.
2. There's one very obvious difference: In American football, all players handle the ball and they can throw it, run with it in their hand or pass it hand-to-hand; they don't kick it often, so the ball is not round. In soccer (football played elsewhere in the world), only the goalkeeper can handle the ball, and everybody else just kicks it (or heads it), so the ball couldn't be egg-shaped as it is in American football. American football seems to have frequent brief pauses between "downs" with moments of excitement in between, constantly changing combinations of different groups of players within the team (because any and all of the players can be substituted from the squad) and complex, carefully arranged strategies where everyone moves according to a plan. These aspects are generally quite different from soccer, which usually has more continuous play, only two or three substitutions at most in a whole game, and rather few "set-pieces" where players can move exactly as planned (usually only with infrequent free kicks). American football has a lot more body contact it's a "collision" sport (that's why players wear special clothing). The markings on the pitch are quite different: American football marks distances from the end zone, marked in yards, so that everyone knows how far they are progressing after downs (they have four downs to advance ten yards; if they do so, they can try to advance ten yards more, or the other team gets the offence and starts their own downs), and goal lines. Soccer only marks the two halves, the penalty areas and goal areas, and goal lines.
3. I don't think it's popular. It might become popular if people see more of it and have a go at it, but in fact most people know little about it. In contrast, baseball is popular in Japan: I was surprised to learn that it was introduced there by an American in 1872 and has been popular ever since.
4. Yes, it is basically the same game, but until 1995 basketball in China was organized differently. Since then, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has improved the system of organization and management so that it is more like the National Basketball Association (NBA) in America. As a result, basketball in Chinese cities is more professional and more international. Whether Chinese city kids "live basketball in almost a gang culture" is another question: Basketball is certainly popular, but probably not to that extent.
5. It depends on what you mean by "national". If "national" means the most watched, you might say basketball (remembering the massive TV audiences in China who watched the China-US match in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but the Olympics was something unique). If "national" means the sport with the most fans, then it's perhaps football these days. If "national" means the widest amateur participation, then it's probably table tennis. If "national" means the sport in which China has had the most international success, say in world championships, then the answer is again table tennis. If you think of different age groups in China, then you'd have to consider dancing and t'ai chi are popular outdoor activities in parks with older people but are these sports? Then badminton is popular as well in many places, and volleyball, swimming and gymnastics are popular too, but maybe not with all age groups. If I had to give a single answer, well, I'd say China has not one, but four national sports: table tennis, basketball, football, and t'ai chi which is something culturally Chinese.

3-5 Guided writingWriting

task-1

01、D
02、E
03、A
04、B
05、C

Writing task-201

1.In China, there are four national sports, not just one: table tennis, basketball, football and t'ai chi. Table tennis is well-known internationally as a Chinese sport. Basketball is a huge spectator sport (look at the massive audiences at the 2008 Olympics match between China and the US). Football has a huge fan base, with many people following the British and other European teams, as well as Chinese ones. T'ai chi has a large following, as you can see in parks in the early morning, when many people keep fit with these beautiful martial arts movements. Whereas many people think of football as having an English origin, this is only true of the modern game. Actually it is well established that football has Chinese origins. It is recorded that Chinese soldiers and emperors and women were playing and watching football (蹴鞠 cuju) thousands of years before anyone in England is known to have kicked a ball. Although the Chinese men's football team has made its international mark, for instance at the World Championships, it is the Chinese women's team which has actually had more international success so far. The general impression is that many Chinese people know and play table tennis, follow and watch football and basketball, and sometimes do t'ai chi, which is culturally Chinese, of course. However, whereas three of these national Chinese sports need some equipment and a number of players (at least two and perhaps two teams), for t'ai chi you only need yourself, a small patch of open space, a calm and peaceful mind.

3-6 Unit test

01、exhaustion
02、priority
03、massage
04、strain
05、tournament
06、inner
07、punch
08、illustration
09、professional
10、fatigue
11、strategy
12、suspense
13、clue
14、moan
15、interpretation
16、boost
17、chorus
18、precision
19、mystery
20、responsible
21、out
22、by
23、of
24、on
25、over
26、off
27、in
28、out
29、for
30、up
31、K
32、I
33、D
34、L
35、H
36、N
37、E
38、G
39、O
40、B
41、making an argument
42、Colleges currently give equal attention and money to all sports teams.
43、Paragraph 5.
44、in favor of
45、College: No Professionals Allowed.

Further practice

3-7 Vocabulary

Exercises-1

01、mournful
02、exhaustion
03、thankfully
04、accidentally
05、professional
06、commentary
07、precision
08、Darkness
09、illustration
10、resumption

Exercises-2

01、make out
02、wears out
03、turned out
04、hold out
05、missed out
06、carried out
07、run out of
08、stood out

Exercises-3

01、caught my breath
02、had set the pace
03、time was running out
04、clenched my fists
05、a matter of luck
06、down to me
07、felt like
08、made it
09、put a good face on it
10、extreme fatigue
11、my dream had come true
12、professional career

Exercises-4

01、citizenship
02、collector
03、defender
04、demonstrator
05、fatten
06、flatten
07、friendship
08、illustrator
09、interpreter
10、lengthen
11、membership
12、ownership
13、partnership
14、performer
15、shooter
16、sprinter
17、supporter
18、survivor
19、weaken

Exercises-5

01、flattened
02、Membership
03、collector
04、lengthen
05、weakened
06、shooter
07、supporters
08、partnership
09、survivors

Exercises-6

01、A
02、A
03、A
04、A
05、A
06、A
07、A
08、A
09、A
10、B
11、B
12、A
13、A

Exercises-7

01、It's not that I don't
02、it's just that
03、at it
04、go it alone
05、take it easy
06、while I'm at it
07、as it is

Exercises-8

01、punch line
02、under strain
03、punch-up
04、stretching your arms and legs
05、stretched
06、don't have a clue
07、a strain
08、pull his punches
09、flocked
10、chorus

3-8 Structure

01、could
02、was able to
03、couldn't
04、was able to
05、could
06、was able to
07、couldn't
08、wasn't able to

3-9 Reading

Reading 1-1

01、C
02、A
03、A
04、C
05、A

Reading 1-2

01、A
02、A
03、B
04、A
05、B
06、B
07、A
08、B
09、B

Reading 2-1

01、it is very hot
02、it is nearly half-time
03、they like him
04、into the undergrowth
05、driving over it
06、it has been raining
07、Wopping Tootle
08、ten minutes
09、everything is fine

Reading 2-2

01、B
02、C
03、J
04、D
05、E
06、I
07、F
08、G
09、A
10、H

3-10 Integrated skills training

Exercises-1

01、athletes
02、could
03、easy
04、fans
05、compete
06、ahead
07、means
08、would
09、dream
10、worth

Exercises-2

01、Despite many years of watching soccer I was never really able to comprehend the game and the important part it plays in people's lives.
02、Although the object of the game is to get the ball into the net, it only ever seems to happen by accident and as far as I can see, soccer is a game of chance where neither team has control.
03、Scoring goals is a good example, I mean they only ever seem to get to score when the ball bounces off another player by mistake.
04、Few players seem to be able to handle the ball with the necessary precision, except a tiny number of top players such as Thierry Henry and perhaps a couple of Brazilians.
05、It is clear to me that the reason the game is so chaotic is that there is only one referee, meaning he is incapable of seeing all the infractions committed by the players.

Exercises-3

01、Despite many years of watching soccer I was never really able to comprehend the game and the important part it plays in people's lives.
02、Although the object of the game is to get the ball into the net, it only ever seems to happen by accident and as far as I can see, soccer is a game of chance where neither team has control.
03、Scoring goals is a good example, I mean they only ever seem to get to score when the ball bounces off another player by mistake.
04、Few players seem to be able to handle the ball with the necessary precision, except a tiny number of top players such as Thierry Henry and perhaps a couple of Brazilians.
05、It is clear to me that the reason the game is so chaotic is that there is only one referee, meaning he is incapable of seeing all the infractions committed by the players.

Exercises-4

01、它常常是以运动隐喻的形式出现的，比如，当我们就要写完一篇文章的时候，我们说我差不多就要到终点线了，或者说跑了一回马拉松。人们常常注意到运动隐喻在政界和商界尤其流行，因为像运动一样，这些领域不但竞争激烈，还要注重团队合作，遵守游戏规则。（Tips: it 指运动语言。原文中的被动语态在译文中可以为主动语态。）
02、在会议或电话会议上，中方和美方的经理们感到交流很困难，其中运动用语最令人困惑。
03、击球手是哈里・罗斯，一个让村里所有姑娘都神魂颠倒的小伙子，这会儿正有五个姑娘在给他加油鼓劲儿。他啪一声重重地击中了投手米奇扔给他的球，那球高高地飞向天空，又消失在矮树丛中。（Tips: 注意原文中 and 的使用，翻译时应灵活处理。）
04、全村的人都听到消息了，意识到那片风景如画的绿地赫普尔人的骄傲和欢乐所在在一夜之间被毁了，变成了一个乱七八糟的泥潭。在连续下了三天的雨后，地特别湿，说是在这个时候，至少有两辆车碾过绿地。

Exercises-5

01、At that time, the biggest challenge to her profession as a teacher was to keep those 45 mischievous foreign boys in line and teach them how to read and write Chinese, which proved to be much more difficult than she had expected.
02、Beijing has become a city where Chinese and Western cultures merge and collide with each other, where we can be aware of people's enthusiasm for Western music as well as their love for traditional Chinese local operas.
03、The film was reminiscent of one of the books the director had written. I'm afraid many Americans, not to mention Chinese, had no clue at all what point the film intended to make.
04、If it were not for the accident of 10 May which took him off course, he would have taken full credit for the success of this project, in which he had invested many years of hard work, deep investigation and careful planning.

Exercises-6

01、板球是英国的国球，英国也被称为板球之乡。板球是公认的绅士运动。人们普遍认为，英国人自16世纪起开始打板球。但只是到了17世纪，当英国贵族开始打板球的时候，板球才开始普及。他们要求打板球要有绅士风度，这就意味着不能用大锤打，不能作弊，不能对着击球手身体快速投球，不能乱发脾气，不能没完没了地诉请裁决。如果击球手知道他自己出局了，就算裁判没有判他出局，他也必须自动离场。板球的规则很独特，球员不但要遵守规则，还要遵守比赛精神。在历史上这项运动的标准是非常高的，所以在19世纪就出现了这不是板球这一说法，用来形容生活任何方面不公平或不正当的行为

Exercises-7

01、T'ai chi is a traditional Chinese martial art practised daily by many Chinese people. It is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. T'ai chi focuses on health preservation, both internally and externally. Its movements are soft, slow and light, tempering force with softness. Traditionally, t'ai chi consists of different schools such as Chen, Yang, and Wu. In spite of the fact that they have inherited and learnt from each other, they have developed their own characteristics. As t'ai chi is soft and slow in movement, it is suitable for people of different ages to practise, hence a top choice to improve one's health. Today t'ai chi is finding its way overseas and is increasingly popular with foreigners.