Only a game

• past wishes and regrets
• should(n’t) + have + past participle
• prefixes (under- and over-)
• writing personal emails
• writing match / event (to give match / event) reports
• sport

Do top sports stars earn too much?

Are today’s young sports stars overpaid? It’s an opinion you’ll often hear repeated, especially in the world of football.

1 Look at the pictures.

Then answer the questions.

1 Do you know who these people are?

2 What teams do they play for?

3 How much do you think they earn?

4 What kind of life do you think they have?

2 Discuss the question in pairs or small groups.

Do you think the salaries of top sports players are too high nowadays?

Think about:

how much they earn what they have to do in their job how they behave how long their careers last how their salaries compare with other workers, like doctors or teachers

3 Read the article. Then complete the tasks on page 89.

Nine words from the article, then six questions

Find each meaning in the article, then use the word in a sentence.

1 Find words or phrases in the text that have these meanings.

1 very surprising (paragraph 1)

2 made very angry (paragraph 2)

3 sad stories (paragraph 3)

4 not professional (paragraph 3)

5 having future possibilities (paragraph 3)

6 test (paragraph 3)

7 great fear (paragraph 3)

8 have a good relationship (paragraph 4)

9 second choice (paragraph 4)

2 Use the words and phrases in Part 1 to complete the sentences below.

1 This plan isn’t perfect yet, but it’s a very ___ start.

2 The idea of speaking in front of hundreds of people fills me with ___ .

3 That player is really ___ . I can’t believe how good he is.

4 We ___ quite well, but we’re not really close friends.

5 They agreed to employ him for a ___ period to see if he was suitable.

6 What happened was quite sad, but it wasn’t really a ___ .

7 He may only be an ___ player now, but he has a bright future.

8 It’s a good idea to have a ___ plan in case the first one doesn’t work.

9 I was ___ by the rude comments in his article.

3 Answer the questions.

1 What nationality is Gareth Bale?

2 What is a common reason why young players stop playing?

3 What did Giuliano Maiorana think when he was first asked to play for Manchester United?

4 How did he feel the first time he played for Manchester United?

5 How does he feel now when he looks back on his football career?

A He is sorry that he was ever successful.

B He is happier now, working for his family.

C He feels proud of what he achieved.

6 Does the writer feel angry about football stars’ salaries?

A He is a little bit angry that they are paid so much.

B He realises that being a professional footballer is not an easy life.

C He thinks other professions should be paid as much.

Which sports make it into the Olympics, and why?

There are limits to how many sports can be included in the Olympic Games.

1 Discuss the question in pairs or small groups.

Which of these sports are included in the Olympic Games?

synchronised swimming golf rugby baseball squash speed walking 2 Read the text quickly to find the answers to the question in Activity 1.

3 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with words from the text.

(The sentences are in the same order as the words in the text.) 1 What are the reasons or qualifications for being accepted on the course? _ 2 When he read the team list, he saw that he had been left out. 3 It’s an unusual mixture of flavours, but it tastes good. 4 I can’t choose between them. There’s no way of deciding which is acceptable. 5 We need to look at the facts and reach a decision that is not based on personal opinions. 6 He’s not a clear choice, but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to include the young player. _

4 Read the text again and choose the best title for each paragraph.

(There is one title that you don’t need.)

A Two examples of strange decisions

B What makes an Olympic sport?

C How the IOC works

D My own criteria

E A change of mind

5 Decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE according to the text.

1 Golf was not included in the 2012 Olympic Games.

2 Baseball is popular in some European countries.

3 The writer suggests speed walking should not be included in the Olympics.

4 The writer gives clear reasons why some activities are not serious sports.

6 What do the pronouns highlighted in the text refer to?

1 they (line 4) ___

2 it (line 7)

3 It (line 11) ___

4 it (line 16) ___

7 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1 Do you agree with the writer’s reasons in the last paragraph for taking a sport seriously? Why? / Why not?

2 Can you think of other examples of sports that are not really serious?

3 What other sports should or shouldn’t be included in the Olympic Games?

I wish I had… and I regret doing…

1 Look at the examples. Then complete the grammar rules.

1 To talk about things we did wrong in the past, we can use the verb wish + the ___ tense.

2 We can use the verb regret + the ___ form to express the same idea.

3 To make negative sentences with wish and regret, we add the word not ___ the second verb.

2 Match what the people say 1–6 with the responses a–f.

1 I thought it was the right thing to do at the time.

2 I wish you hadn’t told him what I said.

3 It’s colder than I expected.

4 I think he’ll regret not going to university.

5 I wish I hadn’t spent so much time on this work.

6 The post office is closed. We’ve walked all this way for nothing.

a I know. I wish we’d brought our coats.

b Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the end.

c Not if he makes a lot of money as a football star.

d Oh dear. I wish we’d checked before we came.

e Why? I didn’t know it was a secret.

f Maybe, but you regret doing it now, don’t you?

1 He didn’t listen to his father’s advice.

He wishes .

2 I ate a lot of food before going to bed.

I regret ___ so much .

3 I was very lazy when I was younger.

I wish .

4 They didn’t buy a new defender last season.

They regret .

5 She bought a lot of expensive clothes.

She wishes .

4 Look at the examples. Then answer the questions.

1 What meaning does the prefix over add to the word paid in the first sentence?

A above

B too much

C very well

2 What meaning does under add as a prefix in the second sentence?

A badly

B below

C not enough

Should have: criticising the past

Over- and under-: too much, not enough

5 Complete the sentences using the words in the box to make other words beginning with over.

1 Don’t buy tickets from strangers outside the stadium. They often ___ you.

2 Don’t be ___ . You never know when something might go wrong.

3 I don’t think they’re as good as people say. They’re ___ .

4 If you ___ the meat, it will be hard to eat.

5 When people ___ , they may get very tired.

6 Now write new sentences with the same words, but this time using under to give the opposite meanings.

Example: He’s angry because he thinks he’s underpaid for the work he does.

To criticise someone’s (or your own) past actions or decisions, we use should (not) + the infinitive form of the verb ___ + the of the main verb.

2 Complete the sentences using should / shouldn’t have + the past participle of the verbs in brackets.

1 I knew he’d forget about the meeting. I _ him. (remind) 2 I so long. Now I’ve missed the last bus. (stay) 3 You me for the money instead of borrowing it from the bank. (ask) 4 I know she was angry, but she still at me. (shout) 5 Look at all this traffic. I knew we this way. (come) 6 It’s getting dark. We _ half an hour ago. (leave)

3 Read about Mark’s football career. Then write sentences about what he should or shouldn’t have done. Read aloud some of your sentences.

Example: He should have chosen basketball.

4 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1 Are there any times in your life when you made the wrong decision?

Tell your partners using I wish I had / hadn’t … and I regret + -ing.

2 What should you have done instead?

I regret buying this mobile phone because it doesn’t work very well.

I wish I’d paid more attention in class when I was younger.

I should’ve done more research before I bought it.

Football words and a match report

1 Match the words and phrases about football with their meanings.

1 referee 2 result 3 defend 4 attack 5 striker 6 challenge 7 show the red card 8 equaliser a final score b attempt to get the ball from another player c player whose main job is scoring goals d send a player off the pitch e goal that makes the scores level f attempt to score a goal g person who controls the game h try to stop the other team from scoring

2 Listen to the conversation. Then answer the questions.

1 Who was the match between? ___

2 What was the final score? ___

3 Read a newspaper report of the same match. Then listen to the conversation again.

Find one opinion that is different from the woman’s.

4 Match the paragraphs of the report with the headings A–E.

(There is one heading that you don’t need,)

A A question for further discussion

B A general opinion of the match

C Which team played best?

D The main event of the first part

E A fair result in the end?

Writing an email and a match report

Now the email with gaps.

1 Complete the email from a friend, using the structure and joining words in the box.

2 Write a reply to Fawzi’s email. Say what you think about his news, and tell him some good and bad news of your own.

Hi Fawzi, I was pleased to hear .

But .

Actually, I’ve got some good and bad news too. First, .

The problem is that .

Anyway, .

Bye

3 Work in pairs. Tell your partner about a sporting event you have seen (live or on TV).

If you don’t watch sport, choose a different kind of event, like a concert.

Explain the situation.

Say what happened during the match / event.

Give your opinion of what happened.

• Paragraph 1 What was the match / event like in general?
• Were there any particular ‘talking points’?
• Paragraph 2 What happened during the match / event?
• What was your opinion of the things that happened?
• Paragraph 3 What was the result / how did the event end?
• What was your general opinion?
• Paragraph 4 What conclusion(s) can you draw from the event / match?

4 Write a report of an event for a school magazine (it doesn’t have to be a football match or even a real event). Use these questions to help you plan your report.

OUR SCHOOL – SPORTS REVIEW Wednesday 27 Feb 20— This was At first, At the end, In general, I thought

Progress test: reading about leadership

Reading 1 Read the text about leadership. Five sentences are missing from the text. Show which gap they should go in by writing the correct letters (A–E).

2 Decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE.

1 Experts have tended to find examples of leadership in fields other than sport.

2 All great leaders are likely to be the same kind of people.

3 In some situations, leadership is more important than management.

4 In some fields, leaders can succeed without team-working skills.

5 New managers sometimes want to introduce big changes.

3 What do these words, highlighted in the text, refer to?

1 it (line 6) _ 2 them (line 9) 3 them (line 10) 4 They (line 12) 5 they (line 18) __

Progress test: vocabulary and language

1 Match the words in the box with their meanings. Then use the words to complete the sentences.

at the moment _ very angry not professional send to different places be more important than 1 The pictures were all taken by __ photographers, but they were very good.

2 There are some problems with the idea, but I think the advantages ___ them.

3 We need to print the notices and then ___ them to as many people as possible.

4 She’s ___ by the way her sister uses her things without asking her first.

5 He is ___ working for an oil company, but is trying to get a different job.

2 Complete the sentences with a word or phrase in the box.

1 He filled his house with expensive, ___ furniture.

2 The company has a large ___ department, with over 20 people working in it.

3 It’s important to do lots of ___ to see who might buy the new product.

3 Complete the sentences with a phrase made from in or on + a word in the box.

business advance writing time (x2) debt 1 We bought tickets ___ in case there weren’t any left on the day.

2 I’m sorry, but the manager is away ___ until next Thursday.

3 I hope we get there ___ to see the beginning of the film.

4 He borrowed a lot of money and now he’s ___ .

5 I can’t agree to this on the phone; I need to see it ___ .

6 She’s always ___ , never late even by a minute.

4 Match words 1–6 with a–f in the box to make noun phrases. Then use the phrases to replace the words in brackets.

1 break 2 take 3 break 4 cut 5 stand 6 take a down b over c by d off e back f through 1 There was a problem with the plane just after (leaving the ground).

2 Sorry we’re late, but we had a ___ (problem with the car’s engine).

3 There’s been a ___ (reduction) in government spending this year.

4 Some jobs were lost after the ___ (getting control) by the other company.

5 After months of work, the police had a ___ (sudden solution to the problem).

6 We need to have another plan as a (second possibility) ___ in case of problems.

5 Rewrite the sentences including the word in brackets.

1 ‘You’d better not go there alone,’ he told me. (warned) 2 ‘I think you should get a new computer,’ he told her. (advised) 3 ‘It’s not a good idea to wait too long before deciding,’ he told me (warned / against) 4 ‘Don’t accept the first offer you get,’ my father said. (advised)

6 Add question tags to the sentences.

1 That wasn’t a very good idea, ___ ?

2 She’s a very confident woman, ___ ?

3 We haven’t seen him for a long time, ___ ?

4 You spoke to her yesterday, ___ ?

5 The students ask a lot of questions, ___ ?

7 Change the direct questions into reported / indirect questions.

1 ‘What do you want?’ He asked me .

2 ‘Where are you going?’ The teacher asked him .

3 ‘Have the children finished watching TV?

I asked .

4 ‘Which one do you prefer?’ The assistant asked her .

5 ‘Did someone tell you the answer?’ She asked him .

8 Rewrite the sentences in two ways, beginning with the words given.

1 I didn’t follow my parents’ advice.

I should .

2 He accepted the offer of a low-paid job.

He regrets .

3 She didn’t buy it when she had the chance.

She regrets .

She should .

1 Read the letter and write a reply.

In your reply apologise for the problem give an explanation say what you have done to solve the problem Dear Sir / Madam, I am writing in connection with your recent order.

The order was delivered ten weeks ago, with a request for payment within a month.

Could you please contact me as soon as possible to make the situation clear?

Yours faithfully Dear Mr Bridges,