Drugs in sport

Many kinds of drugs are used by athletes competing in sports all over the world. Some are used to build muscles or give the athlete extra energy. Others kill the pain of injuries or calm nerves, but many are illegal.

Taking substances to improve sports performance is not new. Athletes in ancient Egypt drank a mixture of oiled donkey hoof, rose petals and rose hips, believing it would make them winners. The winner of the 200 metres at the Olympic Games of 668 BC in ancient Greece used a special diet of figs.

What kinds of drugs are used by some people in sport?

The anabolic steroids which are used in sport resemble male hormones. "Anabolic" means to build up — in this case to build up muscles. Body-builders use anabolic steroids in order to look good in competitions but big muscles do not necessarily mean extra strength!

Stimulants make you feel of energy and confidence, but they can also make you feel more aggressive. They are officially banned in sport, but amphetamines have been abused by cyclists, who need lots of stamina, and cocaine has been used by basketballers and footballers to make them more competitive.

Beta-blockers are drugs which are normally prescribed by doctors for people with high blood pressure or heart problems. They help calm you down and relieve stress. Snooker players, archers and those who shoot in competitions all need steady hands and cool nerves. It is rumoured that some athletes have taken beta-blockers for this reason.

All of these drugs can cause health problems if taken in large doses. For example, steroids can cause liver cancer in men and infertility in women. There is also evidence that people who take steroids can become very aggressive.

Stimulants are also very dangerous. They do not create energy – they take it from the body. Eventually, users feel exhausted and washed-out. When doing hard exercise, there is danger of having a heart attack. The problem is that people who take stimulants think they can keep going and they push their bodies too far. A British cyclist, Tommy Simpson, and Len Bias, an American basketball player, both died in this way.

Type of a drug	Name of a drug	What it is used for	Complications

3. Express your your personal opinion about using drugs in sport: should they be banned or not. Give reasons.

Grammar in use Passive Voice

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Present	am is + V3 are These letters are written (by me) every week.	am is + being V3 are A letter is being written (by me) now.	have + been V3 has The letter has been written (by me) today.	
Past	were + V3 was This letter was written yesterday.	were + being V3 was This letter was being written at 5 o'clock.	had + been V3 By 9 o'clock all my letters had been written.	
Future	will be +V3 This letter will be written tomorrow		will have +been V3 All my letters will have been written by 7 o'clock tomorrow.	

17. Fill in the Passive in the appropriate tense.

Example: (TV / invent / Baird) TV was invented by Baird.

1. (Pyramids / build / Egyptians)

2. (milk / produce / cows)

3. (coffee / grow / in Brazil)

4. (chopsticks / use / in China)

5. (plants / water / every day)

6. (the thief / arrest / policeman / yesterday)

7. (the injured man / take to a hospital / now)

8. (the car / repair / tomorrow)

9. (the letter / send / last week)

18. Put the verbs in brackets into Present Simple Passive.

There is a chimpanzee which is called (call) “Bubbles”. It _______ (own)

by Michael Johnson. It __________ (keep) in his home. It ___________ (feed) every day by Michael Johnson himself. It ________ (always / dress) in funny clothes. It ________ (said) that “Bubbles” is Michael Johnson’s only friend.

19. Look at the Hotel Information table and write sentences as in the example.

Hotel Information
Breakfast In Pierrot’s Restaurant 7-9:30 am	Rooms Maid Service daily
Dinner In Main Restaurant 8-10 pm	Hot water 24 hours a day
Newspapers – Telephone calls At the Reception Desk	Hotel Cinema Film every night at 10 pm

Example: Breakfast / serve – where and when? Breakfast is served in Pierrot’s Restaurant between 7 and 9:30 am.

1. Dinner / serve – where and when?

2. Newspapers / sell – where?

3. Telephone calls / can make – where?

4. Rooms / clean – who by and how often?

5. Hot water / supply – when?

6. Films / show – where and when?

20. Put the verbs in brackets into Past Simple Passive.

Two men were seen (see) breaking into a house in my street last night. The police ____ (call) and they arrived very quickly. One man ________ (catch) immediately. The other escaped, but he ________ (find) very soon. Both men _____ (take) to the police station where they _________ (question) separately by a police officer. The two men _________ (charge) with burglary.

21. Turn from Active into Passive.

Example: The gardener has planted some trees. Some trees have been planted by the gardener.

1. Doctor Brown will give you some advice.

2. A famous designer will redecorate the hotel.

3. Steven Spielberg directed “E.T.”

4. Someone has broken the crystal vase.

5. His parents have brought him up to be polite.

6. Fleming discovered penicillin.

7. They will advertise the product on television.

8. Someone is remaking that film.

9. Picasso painted that picture.

22. Using the Passive, ask questions to which the bold type words are answers.

Example: Columbus discovered America. Who was America discovered by Columbus ?

1. We keep money in a safe.

2. A bee stung him.

3. They speak Italian in Italy.

4. They have taken his aunt to hospital.

5. The boys damaged the television.

6. Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.

7. He invited 30 people to his party.

8. They grow bananas in Africa.

23. Turn from Active into Passive.

Example: You must leave the bathroom tidy. The bathroom must be left tidy.

1. You should water this plant daily.

2. Our neighbor ought to paint the garage.

3. I have to return these books to the library.

4. You must extinguish your cigarettes.

5. You must dry-clean this shirt.

6. Someone will pay you in ten days.

7. You can improve your health with more exercise.

8. People must obey the law.

9. The cleaner is going to mop the kitchen floor.

24. Turn from Active into Passive.

1. Someone is helping her with the hosework.

2. A pickpocket robbed me.

3. The mail-order company sent Mrs. Green a parcel.

4. A dog is chasing the child.

5. My friend sent me an invitation.

6. The farmer is building a new barn.

7. The secretary has given Mrs. Jones some letters.

8. The traffic warden had already given him a ticket for illegal parking.

9. Someone had broken our door down.

10. They chose him as the best actor of the year.

25. Turn from Active into Passive as in the example.

Example: He gave me a present. I was given a present. A present was given to me.

1. The waiter will bring us the bill.

2. The Queen presented him with a medal.

3. Her mother bought Mary some sweets.

4. Bob has sold Ted a second-hand car.

5. Larry is going to send a letter to Tom.

26. Rewrite the following passages in the Passive.

1. Some people saw a UFO in the sky above London last night. They reported it to the police. The army sent a helicopter to look at it more closely. The UFO shot the helicopter down and killed both men in it. People have given photographs of the UFO to the police. Experts are looking at them now.

2. Somebody has stolen a bus from outside the school. Some children saw the thief. The police are searching for the bus now. They will use the children’s descriptions to catch the thief.

3. Someone broke into a local jewellery shop yesterday. The owner had just locked up the shop when a robber with a gun threatened him. The robber told him to unlock the shop and give him all the diamonds in the safe. Then the robber tied him up. The police have organized a search for the robber. They hope they will find him in a few days. Doctors are treating the owner of the shop for shock.

4. My uncle painted this picture. Someone has offered him a lot of money for it. He will deliver the painting tomorrow. When they give him the money he will tell them the truth. He painted it one night while he was sleepwalking!

5. Our school is organizing a contest. The teachers will choose the best project about the environment. The students must include pictures and drawings in their projects. The students will also have to do all the writing themselves. The school will give the winner a set of encyclopaedias.

27. Make questions in the Passive from these cues.

Example: Where / our local newspaper / print

Where is our local newspaper printed?

1. How many / photos / store / in the photo library

2. photographs / develop / in the photo library

3. Where / messages / receive

4. the Daily Mirror / print / in Manchester

5. this magazine / sell / in Spain

6. Why / newspapers / send abroad

7. When / the newspaper / print

8. How / newspapers / deliver

9. Where / stories / write

10. a lot of paper / use / for each issue

28. Read each sentence. Then make two new sentences in the Passive.

Example: People say Tom Cruise is the richest movie star.

It is said that Tom Cruise is the richest movie star.

Tom Cruise is said to be the richest movie star.

1. Everybody thinks that Hakan is a good football player.

2. They say that his books are still popular.

3. They report that at least 10.000 dolphins are caught in the nets of tuna fishers every year.

4. They estimate that 1500 square kilometers of rainforests is cut every year.

5. We knew that pencil lead is made from graphite, clay, water and wax.

6. They reported that the railway line was buried under tons of rock and earth.

7. People don’t think that inflation will go down.

8. People expect that the third bridge will be built over the Bosphorus Strait.

9. People believe that he is living abroad.

29. Read each sentence. Then make two new sentences in the Passive.

1. People expect that taxes will be reduced soon.

2. People say that the monument is over 2000 years old.

3. People expect that the president will resign.

4. People think the fire started at about 8 o’clock.

5. Journalists reported that seven people had been injured in the fire.

6. People say the bridge is unsafe.

30. Report the following sentences.

1. People say that the actress Tania Revesky has refused a part in the film Volcano.

2. Her friends have reported that the newsreader Ann Slater is furious at losing her job.

3. Lots of people believe that The Prime Minister and his wife are getting divorced.

4. Journalists have said that the footballer Gary Johnson earns $ 1 million a year.

31. Open the brackets and use the verb in the appropriate form of the Passive Voice.

1. The first draft resolution (not discuss) yesterday; it (withdraw) long before the beginning of the meeting. 2. He is not in town; he (send) on a special mission, 3. Don't come into the compartment; the berth (fix) now. 4. A new underground line (construct) now. They say one of its stations (build) in my street. 5. He wants to know when the final decision (take). The activities of the committee and their delays already much (speak) about. 6. It was three o'clock. We (tell) to hurry up because we (wait). 7. Do you believe that such a problem can (solve)? 8. It must (do) without delays. 9. On September 9, 1850, California (admit) to the Union as the thirty-first state. 10. Don't speak in a loud voice: we (listen). 11. The plan (approve)? — No, it (discuss) now. — How long it (discuss)? 12. By the time he arrives everything (settle). 13. Not all the necessary things (buy) for our trip that's why the departure (postpone). 14. The money (lend) to him two months ago, but it (not give) back yet. 15. The business day was in high gear: the mail (look) through, documents (type), letters (answer), talks (hold). 16. Wait a minute. The table (lay). 17. Dynamite (invent) by Alfred Bernhard Nobel. 18. This exercise may (write) with a pencil. 19. This work (do) before you went to Moscow? 20. If you (ask) about it, will you be able to answer?

WRITING