Unit 3: Ball sports

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Aims and Objectives

In this lesson you are going to learn vocabulary and phrases concerning basketball and volleyball. You will also practice dialogues at an airport and at the station, you will review past simple tense and some linking words.

The grammar focus of this unit is:

Vocabulary

(most valuable player)

Vocabulary Practice

Exercise not available in this language version.

Comprehension

Exercise 1: Multiple Choice Questions

Chose the correct answer.

Recording:
Transcript:
GEORGEWhen does the plane depart?
JILLIt takes off at 7:30, I hope we'll make it after the match.
GEORGEYes, the check-in desk closes one hour before the departure.
JILLAnd that is the problem.
GEORGEIf we take a taxi, we might be there in time.
JILLI hope so.
GEORGEWe should buy the tickets now. Look, that bar over there offers free wireless.
JILLLet's do it.
GEORGESo it is one way from Brussels to Belfast for two adults. Have you got your card here?
JILLMy card again?
GEORGESorry, I told you what the problem is.
JILLYou and your excuses, just don't start over again.
GEORGEDon't be fussy and hand me the card!
JILLWhat can I do, here...
  1. Jill and George
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  2. Possibly they will take a
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  3. They are buying their tickets
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  4. Jill is upset because
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice Questions

Chose the correct answer.

Recording:
Transcript:
COACHGood morning I have ten people here travelling to Ostende.
TICKET OFFICERThere is a train at 10:15. Is that all right?
COACHPerfect, can we get a reservation?
TICKET OFFICERYes, no problem. Are there any people under 26?
COACHYes, all of them.
TICKET OFFICERThat's 15 percent off the price.
COACHNice!
TICKET OFFICERLet me show you, here is the number of your car and here are the numbers of your carriages.
COACHI see, thank you. Which platform is it?
TICKET OFFICERIt is platform number three, take the underpass over there.
COACHGreat.
TICKET OFFICERIt is 716 Euros.
COACHCan I pay with a credit card?
TICKET OFFICEROf course, can I have your card?
  1. There are
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  2. People under 26
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  3. The ticket officer
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  4. The coach
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?

Exercise 3: Exposed Cloze

Use the correct word or expression from the list below to fill in the gaps in the sentences.

  • States
  • countries
  • handball
  • international
  • popular
  • world
Transcript:

Volleyball has roots in the United States in 1895 as a blend of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. Today, volleyball has spread to 211 countries around the world, and is recognized as a truly international, widely played, popular sport.

Volleyball has roots in the United ? in 1895 as a blend of basketball, baseball, tennis, and ?. Today, volleyball has spread to 211 ? around the ?, and is recognized as a truly ?, widely played, ? sport.

Exercise 4: Exposed Cloze

Use the correct word or expression from the list below to fill in the gaps in the sentences.

  • became
  • born
  • guard
  • player
  • points
  • professional
Transcript:

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 23, 2007, Bryant became the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 points.

Kobe Bean Bryant (? August 23, 1978) is an American ? basketball ? who plays shooting ? in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 23, 2007, Bryant ? the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 ?.

Grammar Practice

Exercise 1: Substitution

Form the past tense of the verbs below.


  1. ?

  2. ?

  3. ?

  4. ?

  5. ?

  6. ?

  7. ?

  8. ?

  9. ?

Exercise 2: Transformation

Form the past tense of the following sentences.

  1. A.
    B. ?
  2. A.
    B. ?
  3. A.
    B. ?
  4. A.
    B. ?
  5. A.
    B. ?
  6. A.
    B. ?

Exercise 3: Transformation

Form the past tense of the following sentences.

  1. A.
    B. ?
  2. A.
    B. ?
  3. A.
    B. ?
  4. A.
    B. ?
  5. A.
    B. ?
  6. A.
    B. ?

Exercise 4: Substitution

Use the text in brackets to transform each sentence.


  1. ?

  2. ?

  3. ?

  4. ?

  5. ?

  6. ?

Exercise 5: Exposed Cloze

Use the correct word or expression from the list below to fill in the gaps in the sentences.

  • ate
  • bought
  • had
  • sold
  • threw
  • took
Transcript:

It took us a long time to get to Belfast.
We bought tickets for 7:30 flight.
They sold some refreshments in the lobby.
Their captain threw the ball to the other side of the court.
I had tuna sandwich for lunch.
But I ate only half of it.

It ? us a long time to get to Belfast.
We ? tickets for 7:30 flight.
They ? some refreshments in the lobby.
Their captain ? the ball to the other side of the court.
I ? tuna sandwich for lunch.
But I ? only half of it.

Exercise 6: Cloze

Read what Richard usually does on Monday. Rewrite the text as if Monday was yesterday.

Transcript:

Richard gets up at 7 o'clock. He brushes his teeth, dresses up and has something to eat. He sets off to work at eight. It takes him about fifteen minutes to get there. He works until one. Then he goes for lunch with his colleagues. After lunch he stays at work until five. On his way home he buys some groceries. At home Richard cooks a dinner a then he visits his friend. He comes back home at ten and soon after he goes to bed.

Richard got up at 7 o'clock. He brushed his teeth, dressed up and had something to eat. He set off to work at eight. It took him about fifteen minutes to get there. He worked until one. Then he went for lunch with his colleagues. After lunch he stayed at work until five. On his way home he bought some groceries. At home Richard cooked a dinner and then he visited his friend. He came back home at ten and soon after he went to bed.

Richard gets up at 7 o'clock. He brushes his teeth, dresses up and has something to eat. He sets off to work at eight. It takes him about fifteen minutes to get there. He works until one. Then he goes for lunch with his colleagues. After lunch he stays at work until five. On his way home he buys some groceries. At home Richard cooks a dinner a then he visits his friend. He comes back home at ten and soon after he goes to bed.

Richard ? at 7 o'clock. He ? his teeth, ? and ? something to eat. He ? to work at eight. It ? him about fifteen minutes to get there. He ? until one. Then he ? for lunch with his colleagues. After lunch he ? at work until five. On his way home he ? some groceries. At home Richard ? a dinner and then he ? his friend. He ? back home at ten and soon after he ? to bed.

Exercise 7: Exposed Cloze

Use the correct word or expression from the list below to fill in the gaps in the sentences.

  • and
  • because
  • because of
  • but
  • however
  • then
  • therefore
  • until
Transcript:

The box is red but only on its sides. I don't like fish and chips. We didn't play because it was rainy. We watched TV and then we went to bed. I will stay here until seven o'clock. The new coach doesn't help much, however there are some minor improvements. Our plane was late therefore we couldn't get there on time. We lost because of bad defence.

The box is red ? only on its sides. I don't like fish ? chips. We didn't play ? it was rainy. We watched TV and ? we went to bed. I will stay here ? seven o'clock. The new coach doesn't help much, ? there are some minor improvements. Our plane was late ? we couldn't get there on time. We lost ? bad defence.

Exercise 8: Transformation

Fill in the gap in sentence B so that it means the same as sentence A.

  1. A.
    B. ?
  2. A.
    B. ?
  3. A.
    B. ?
  4. A.
    B. ?
  5. A.
    B. ?
  6. A.
    B. ?

Dictation

Exercise 1: Dictation

Listen to the complete recording first. Then go to the textbox and use the ‘>’ key to listen to the text section by section. Type what you hear into the textbox. For detailed instructions, read the Exercise Help.

Recording:
Transcript:

I think I would make a very good astronaut. To be a good astronaut you have to be intelligent and I am intelligent. You also have to understand how machines work and I am good at understanding how machines work.

?

Exercise 2: Dictation

Listen to the complete recording first. Then go to the textbox and use the ‘>’ key to listen to the text section by section. Type what you hear into the textbox. For detailed instructions, read the Exercise Help.

Recording:
Transcript:

I like Sherlock Holmes because I like detectives. If I were a proper detective he is the kind of detective I would be. He is very intelligent and he solves mysteries.

?

Checklist

Now, after finishing this lesson you should be able:

To discuss things at an airport and at a station.

To understand common vocabulary and phrases concerning basketball and volleyball.

To use past simple tense.

To use some linking words properly.

Version 2.0 (2013-01-03 13:43 CET)
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