Smart Planet 2 Unit 3 Culture

Name Class Date

1 65 Read and listen to the text about

sport in Britain and answer the questions.
British sporting pastimes 1 What do British people like their sportspeople
to be?

2 In which races did Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards

come last?

3 When do a lot of people normally play football?

4 How long can cricket matches last?

2 Are the sentences T (True) or F (False)?

As in most countries, sport is an important Correct the false sentences.
part of life in Britain; from professionals 1 Trying hard is an important part of sport for
to amateurs, adults to children, everyone British people.
loves sport. They say British people like
their sportsmen and women to be good 2 Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards was popular because
losers and that trying hard is almost as he was a good skier.
important as winning. British people love
an ‘underdog’. A good example of this
was Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards. Edwards 3 Football is Britain’s most popular sport.
was an Olympic ski jumper who became
extremely popular, not because he won,
4 Cricket is a winter sport.
but because he always lost – and badly. In
1988, Edwards came last in both the 70-
and 90-metre races at the Olympics. From
that moment on, he was a national hero! 3 Answer the questions.
Skiing isn’t Britain’s favourite sport; that’s 1 Do you think it’s more important to win or to
football. The game was invented in England try hard?
and is a popular participation sport. There
are a lot of amateur men’s teams with 2 Are there any famous ‘underdogs’ in your
games played every Sunday morning up and country?
down the country. Another popular sport
in Britain, and especially England, is cricket.
It’s a typical British summer sport, and
people play it in towns and villages around
the country. The idea of fair play is very
important in cricket – follow the rules and
try hard for your team. Cricket matches are
very long – up to five days! Other popular
sports in Britain are tennis, rugby and
cycling. There are also some unusual sports,
for example, cheese-rolling (yes, running
with a cheese down a hill!) and pigeon
racing!

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press 2015 Unit 3 Culture