THE 14 EIGHT THOUSANDERS

All 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks are located in the Himalaya or the Karakoram ranges in Asia. According to Everestnews.com, only 14 climbers have reached the summits of all 14: Reinhold Messner (Italy) was first, followed by Jerzy Kukuczka (Poland), Ehardt Loretan (Switzerland), Carlos Carsolio (Mexico), Krzysztof Wielicki (Poland), Juan Oiarzabal (Spain), Sergio Martini (Italy), Park Young Seok (Korea), Hang-Gil Um (Korea), Alberto Inurrategui (Spain), Han Wang Yong (Korea), Ed Viesturs (U.S.), Alan Hinkes (British), and Silvio Mondinelli (Italy). I’ve always admired how some of the tallest mountains on Earth stitch even the most beautiful clouds, but I never had the curiosity to research and see which are the biggest mountain peaks, how people call them or exactly how tall they are. For those that don’t know, here is a list with world’s top 14 highest and a few details on each one. 

They’re all eight-thousanders.

Watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD6i8ExkIDc

'THE RED' (LA ROJA): SPAIN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

'Unique, magical and unrepeatable': Spain's treble success will NEVER be repeated, says Iniesta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain_national_football_team 

THE OLYMPIC GAMES

The modern Olympic Summer Games are among the world's largest and most-watched sporting events. Every four years athletes from across the globe gather for weeks of intense competition for the glory of a prestigious Olympic gold medal, resulting in exciting triumphs and gut-wrenching failures that live on for years in the hearts and minds of both die-hard sports fans and casual observers. While the Games came under increasingly heavy criticism in the late 20th century for their turn away from pure amateurism and toward the growth of corporate sponsorships, the underlying drama of athletic competition at the highest level continues to captivate billions of people every Olympiad.

http://www.britannica.com/olympics/reflections/browse?browseId=303285

THE LANGUAGE OF SPORT (2)

Sports facilities and athletics 

1.  Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

                                  officials   pools    courts   stadium   rink   field   events 

                          athletes   rings   pitches   scoreboard   spectators   track   events

There's a big new sports centre near my home. There are football (a)______ , tennis and basketball (b)__________ , swimming (c)________ , a sports hall with two boxing (d)__________ and even a skating (e)_________ .There is also a separate athletics (f)___________ , where 20,000 (g)________ can watch the (h)________ on the track and the (i)_________ , such as jumping and throwing, in the grass centre. The (j)______________ get ready in modern changing rooms and the (k)____________ time and measure the events with modern equipment. A huge electronic (I)_____________ shows the results.

Football

2.  Instructions as above.

                               draw   tracksuits    captains    match    referee    amateurs 

                              team    toss a coin    players     crowd    gymnasium    train

I play football for my local (a)_________ against other sides in the area. Of course the (b)._______ aren't paid, we're just (c)__________ . But anyway we (d)______ very hard in the evenings and we're lucky because we can use the (e)_______ of a local school. On the day of the (f)____________ we arrive early, change, and put on (g)___________ to keep warm. Then the (h)______ , dressed in black, calls the two (i)___________ to the centre to (j)______ to decide who will play in which direction. Not many people come to watch the game. We usually have a (k)_____________ of only one or two hundred. But we enjoy it, whether we win, lose or (I)______________ .

3. Explain the difference between . . .

(a) amateurs and professionals 

(b) a winner and a runner-up

(c) to win and to beat
(d) a hurdle race and a relay race





4.  Put one of the following words in each space in the sentences below.

                               on      for      of      at       in     between

(a) Which team does he play__________ ?
(b) She put_______ her tracksuit.
(c) There's an exciting race taking place____________ the track.
(d) I'm not very good________ running.
(e) She's the best player_________ the team.
(f) There was a crowd_________ 50,000_______ the stadium.
(g) The result_______ the football match was a 2:2 draw.
(h) The match was England and Scotland.
(i) A runner-up comes second___________ a race or competition.

5.  Which sports are played in these places? Write the names of the sports. The number in brackets shows the number of sports.

• pitch (4)                        cricket, American football, soccer, rugby
• track (2)
• court (2)
• course (2)
• pool (1) 
• slope (1)  
• ring (1)

6.  Match each word below with the correct phrase

                              (a) team  (b) player  (c) amateur  (d) professional (e) spectator 
                                               (f) crowd  (g) referee  (h) match (i) score 

(1) someone who plays a sport, e.g. a footballer 

(2) number of goals or points each player or team has 
(3) group of sportsmen who play together, e.g. eleven footballers 
(4) person who controls a game 
(5) someone who plays a sport as a paid job 
(6) game, e.g. of football  
(7) someone who plays a sport only for enjoyment, not money
(8) group of people who watch a sporting event   
(9) person who watches a sporting event 
 

                         1____ 2____ 3____ 4____ 5____ 6____ 7____ 8____ 9 ____

7.  Put each of the following verbs in the correct space in the passage below.

                                     win     lose     draw     train     beat     play     score

I love football. I don't just like to watch it. I like to (a)_________ , too. I belong to a team. Of course it's not my job. We're just amateurs, not professionals. Not many people come to watch. We just have a small crowd. In fact, there are sometimes more players than spectators! We have a game every Saturday, but we (b)__________ together every Tuesday and Thursday evening to prepare and keep fit. We're quite a good team. We (c)_______ most matches. We only (d)_________ a few, and sometimes we (e)________ (for example, last Saturday the score was2:2). Next Saturday our match Is against a very good team, but I think we'll (f)_____ them, and if I'm lucky I'll (g)________ a goal or two. Oh, we have a problem. Do you know much about football? Would you like to run up and down in a black shirt and shorts? Our referee has broken his leg. Would you like a job?

8.  In most sports, a score of 0 (zero) is called 'nil', but in tennis and table-tennis it's called 'love'. A score of 1:1, 2:2 etc. (a 'draw') is called 'one all', 'two all' etc. How do we say the following scores?

                                          football   tennis/table tennis

(a)   2:0 

(b)   30:0
(c)   4:4 

(d)  15:15
(e)  0:0 

(f)   0:15

THE LANGUAGE OF SPORT

Exercise 1

Match the sports terms with an appropriate definition. Do as many as you can and then check your answers in the dictionary.



a) Referee  b) competition c) bat  d) course f) umpire h) stadium e) set g) match

1 _____ a complete game of football
2 ______ a place where golf is played
3 _____ games played to find the best team
4 ______ person who judges a game of tennis
5 _____ person who judges a game of football
6 ______ something used to hit a ball
7______ place where big sports events take place
8 _____ , part of a game of tennis or table tennis

Exercise 2

Match each action with one of the definitions below. 


 

 a) jump b) serve c) kick d) dive e) shoot f) pass g) tackle h) commit a foul

1 ______send (the ball) to another player
2 _____ do something against the rules of the game
3 _____ throw yourself forwards or sideways
4 ______ begin playing for a new point
5 ______ try to get a point or goal
6 ______ take both feet off the ground
7 _____ stop someone from continuing (with the ball)
8 _____ hit with your foot

Exercise 3

Answer these questions with the names of sports from the list 

 

 In which sports . . .?

1 do you pass a ball from one player to another? (4)
2 do you hit a ball (but not with hands or feet)? (3)
3 do you score goals? (1)
4 do you have to jump to catch the ball? (2)
5 do you have to serve? (3)
6 do you have to shoot? (2)
7 do you win by having the lowest score? (1)
8 do you have to tackle? (2)

a) tennis b) football  c) table tennis d) golf e) basketball f) volleyball g) American football

MOUNTAIN BIKES

 Visita este sitio y completa las partes de la bici en inglés y español

 http://www.mytourideas.com/biking/bike.htm

Consulta el diccionario en :
http://www.wordreference.com/es/

1.                                                                  9.

2.                                                                 10.

3.                                                                 11.

4.                                                                 12.

5.                                                                 13.

6.                                                                 14.

7.                                                                 15.

8.                                                                 16.

SPORT IN BRITAIN

Sport in the United Kingdom plays an important role in British culture, and many people make an emotional investment in their favourite spectator sports. The most popular professionally funded sport is association football, except in Northern Ireland, where Gaelic games are the most popular sports, and Wales, where rugby union is generally perceived from outside as being the national sport, although there are more registered football clubs than rugby clubs.  

Cricket is popular in England and Wales, but is less popular in the other home nations.  

Rugby union and rugby league are the other major team sports, with union generally more popular in the south of England and league traditionally associated with the north. 

Major individual sports include athletics, golf, motorsport, and horseracing. 

 Tennis is the highest profile sport for the two weeks of the Wimbledon Championships, but otherwise struggles to hold its own in the country of its birth. 






Many other sports are also played and followed to a lesser degree. There is much debate over which sport has the most active participants with swimming, athletics, cycling all found to have wider active participation than association football in the 2010 Sport England Active People survey.

 

The United Kingdom has given birth to a range of major international sports including: Association football, rugby (union and league), cricket, golf, tennis, badminton, squash, rounders, hockey, boxing,snooker, billiards and curling. It has also played a key role in the development of sports such as Sailing and Formula One.

  

Rounders

Badmington

Curling

FOOTBALL IN THE UK

PINCHA EN LAS PALABRAS RESALTADAS EN AMARILLO SI QUIERES OBTENER MÁS INFORMACIÓN

El fútbol tiene sus orígenes en el Reino Unido, además de que fue en este país donde se formalizó y estandarizó, convirtiéndose en el deporte más popular. Cada uno de los países constituyentes posee su propia asociación de fútbol, selección nacional y sistema de ligas independiente, aunque algunos clubes compiten fuera de sus países de origen debido a razones históricas o logísticas.

Inglaterra, Escocia, Gales e Irlanda del Norte compiten como países separados en las competiciones internacionales y, como consecuencia, el Reino Unido no compite como país en el fútbol olímpico. Hay algunas propuestas para tener una selección de fútbol del Reino Unido que compita en los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres 2012, pero las asociaciones de fútbol de Escocia, Gales e Irlanda del Norte han declinado a participar, temiendo que pierdan su independencia en cuanto al fútbol se refiere. 

La selección de fútbol de Inglaterra ha sido la más exitosa de las cuatro, ganando la Copa Mundial de Fútbol de 1966, celebrada en la propia Inglaterra.

 

El sistema de ligas de Inglaterra incluye cientos de ligas interconectadas con miles de divisiones. La máxima categoría, la Premier League, es la liga de fútbol con mayor audiencia en el mundo. Bajo la Premier League, está la Football League, que consiste en tres divisiones, y luego la Football Conference, que consiste en una división nacional y dos divisiones regionales. 

Los equipos ingleses han obtenido buenos resultados en las competiciones europeas, incluyendo los que han ganado la Copa de Europa/Liga de Campeones de la UEFA: Liverpool en cinco ocasiones, Manchester United en tres ocasiones, Nottingham Forest en dos y Aston Villa en una. En total, los clubes de Inglaterra han ganado cuarenta competiciones internacionales de la UEFA. El principal coliseo deportivo de Inglaterra es el Estadio de Wembley, donde juega de local la selección inglesa de fútbol, que cuenta con una capacidad para 90.000 personas

El nuevo Estadio de Wembley,

El sistema de ligas de Escocia tiene dos ligas nacionales: La Premier League de Escocia, máxima categoría, y la Football League de Escocia, que tiene tres divisiones. Un club de Inglaterra, el Berwick Rangers, compite en el sistema escocés de fútbol. Los equipos más importantes de Escocia son el Celtic Football Club y el Rangers Football Club, ambos de Glasgow: el Celtic se proclamó campeón de la Copa de Europa en 1967, siendo el primer equipo británico en hacerlo, y el Rangers fue campeón de la Recopa de Europa en 1972. Además, el Aberdeen fue campeón de la Recopa y de la Supercopa de Europa en 1983. La selección escocesa de fútbol juega de la mayoría de las veces de local en Hampden Park.

Hampden Park 

El sistema de ligas de Gales se compone de la Welsh Premier League y varias ligas regionales. El equipo de la Welsh Premier League, The New Saints, juega sus encuentros de local en Oswestry, ciudad fronteriza de Inglaterra, mientras tanto, algunos equipos de Gales como el Cardiff City, el Swansea City y el Wrexham, entre otros, compiten bajo el sistema de ligas de Inglaterra. El Millenium Stadium de Cardiff es el estadio en el que juega de local la selección de fútbol de Gales.

The Millenium Stadium

El sistema de ligas de Irlanda del Norte incluye la IFA Premiership, que es la máxima división. Un equipo de Irlanda del Norte, el Derry City, compite fuera de las fronteras del Reino Unido, en el fútbol de la República de Irlanda. La selección de fútbol de Irlanda del Norte juega sus partidos de local en el Windsor Park de Belfast.

Windsord Park

 

HIGHLAND GAMES

Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt, and the heavy events, especially the caber toss. 


While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.

The Cowal Highland Gathering, better known as the cowal Games, held in Dunoon, Scotland every August, is the largest Highland games in Scotland, attracting around 3,500 competitors and somewhere in the region of 15–20,000 spectators from around the globe. 

The games are claimed to have influenced Baron Pierre de Coubertin when he was planning the revival of the Olympic Games. De Coubertin saw a display of Highland games at the Paris Exhibition of 1889.

BUSCA EN EL DICCIONARIO LOS SIGNIFICADOS DE LAS PALABRAS RESALTADAS EN AMARILLO PINCHANDO SOBRE ELLAS