SPORT IN GREAT BRITAIN (2)

       The British have a reputation for being mad about sports. In fact they like watching sports more than playing them. The British are spectators and the most popular spectator sports are cricket and football.

         Football is the most popular game. Football, or soccer, is an example of a professional game. The game of football was first played in Britain, and later people began to play football in other countries.

        There are many amateur soccer players in Britain who play the game on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Amateur clubs often play against professionals.

        Almost every school has its football team and every boy in Britain knows a lot about the game. He can tell you the names of the players in the most important teams, he has pictures of them and knows the results of many matches.

        Rugby is another popular British sport which is played in other countries. It is also called rugby football. The story is told that in 1823 boys at Rugby school in England were play­ing football in the normal way, when suddenly one boy picked the ball up and ran with it. That was how a new game was born. There are two forms of rugby football: the amateur game and the professional game. The two games have different rules.

         Football is the favourite winter game in Britain and cri­cket is the favourite summer sport. Amateur cricket has the same rules as the professional game. A typical amateur cri­cket match takes place on a village green, an open space in the centre of the village. It is played between two teams — the «home» team and the «visitors» who come from another vil­lage.

QUESTIONS:

1.  What reputation do the British have?

2.  What is the most popular game in Britain?

3.  Where was the game of football first played?

4.  When do amateur soccer players play in Britain?

5.  What can every boy in Britain tell you?

6.  How was rugby born?

7.  What is the favourite summer sport?

8.  Where does a typical cricket match take place?

VOCABULARY:

reputation — репутация

to be mad about — быть без ума от...

soccer — футбол

amateur — любитель

rugby — регби

rules — правила

village green — деревенская лужайка