Text 15 Tennis.

There is Deck Tennis, Beach Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Ring Tennis and Table Tennis.

Deck tennis appeared in the 1920s. It is played by either two or four people who throw a quoit or rubber ring to one another across a net suspended over the centre of the court, which is divided like a Lawn Tennis court. The size of the courts, whether for singles or for doubles, varies. Ring tennis is a combination of tennis and quoits. Two or four players in either singles or doubles can play it.

Beach tennis can be played with the same equipment and to the same rules as ring tennis, but often the only equipment used is the rubber ring.

Lawn tennis is a game played with long-handled, oval-headed rackets, made of either wood or metal, by two (singles) or four (doubles) players. They seek to collect points by controlling and maneuvering a lively, cloth-covered, rubber ball within the confines of a court, 23.77m long and for singles play 8.23m wide. The court is divided across the middle into two equal halves by a net, 0,914m high at the centre. The game was played first on grass, which has remained the traditional surface in Great Britain, Australia and the USA. Now the grass at some of the most famous American clubs should be replaced by plastic surfaces.

Real tennis is a racket-and-ball game played in an indoor court. This ancient game, from which lawn tennis was devised, is now known as real tennis in Britain, royal tennis in Australia and court tennis in America.

Table tennis, an indoor game, is played by two players or two pairs facing each other and hitting a ball with a racket so that it passes over or round a net stretched midway across the surface of a table, striking its surface at each end alternately.

1. Answer the questions

1. When did Deck tennis appear?

2. What is Ring tennis?

3. What do players throw to one another across a net?

4. How is the court in Lawn tennis divided?

5. Is tennis popular all over the world?

2. True or false?

1. Beach tennis can be played with the same equipment and to the same rules as ring tennis, but often the only equipment used is the rubber ring.

2. Now the grass at some of the most famous American clubs should be replaced by plastic surfaces.

3. Lawn tennis is a game played with long-handled, oval-headed rackets, made of plastic, by two (singles) or four (doubles) players.

4. The size of the courts, whether for singles or for doubles, never varies.

5. Table tennis, an indoor game, is played by two players or two pairs facing each other and hitting a ball with a racket.

Text 16 Wrestling.

Wrestling is the oldest sport of all.There is evidence that organised events took place over 5000 years ago.

There are two types of wrestling- Freestyle and Greco-Roman. They are essentially the same- the difference is only in what the legs are allowed to do. Basically Greco-Roman wrestlers are not allowed to use or attack the legs whereas Freestyle wrestlers make use of single-leg and double-leg tackles. Visually this means that the Greco-Roman encounters are more akin to Judo with the competitors using body lifts and throws to get their opponents onto the floor.

For the 2000 Olympics the competition took on a new format – eight new divisions in each style were replacing the previous ten weight divisions in both styles. The divisions are defined by maximum body weight: 54kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 76kg, 85kg, 97kg and 130kg.

Each class contains 20 wrestlers, who have qualified trough a variety of pre-Olympic tournaments. They are drawn into six groups, composed of two four-man groups and four three-man groups. There is no seeding – the draw for the pools is open. Each wrestler fights with the group on a round-robin basis with the winners from the four three-man pools progressing to the quarter-finals. The two winners from the quarter-finals join the two winners from four-man groups in the semi-finals. The victorious semi-finalists fight for gold and silver while the defeated wrestlers wrestler for bronze.

1. Answer the questions

1. What are the types of wrestling?

2. What is the difference between Freestyle and Greco-Roman?

3. How are the divisions defined?

4. How many wrestlers does each class contain?

5. Is wrestling popular in this country?

2. Put in the correct order as in the text

1. The divisions are defined by maximum body weight: 54kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 76kg, 85kg, 97kg and 130kg.

2. There is evidence that organised events took place over 5000 years ago.

3. Eight new divisions in each style were replacing the previous ten weight divisions in both styles.

4. The victorious semi-finalists fight for gold and silver while the defeated wrestlers wrestle for bronze.

5. Basically Greco-Roman wrestlers are not allowed to use or attack the legs whereas Freestyle wrestlers make use of single-leg and double-leg tackles.