UNIT 5

page 54, Listening 1: multiple matching (Part 4),

Exercise 3
F: What do I think about sport changing in the future? Well, I think it really depends on whether you're
talking about people who actually do it or people who watch it - and whether you' re talking about elite
sportspeople or those who do it for fun . To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure whether the world of
professional sport will really change much in the next few years.
M: Really?
F: Well, professional sport is very conservative at heart - I mean, think about all the so-called 'great' sporting
events, like the World Cup, or Wimbledon, they're only great because of their long history - it's the event not
the quality of the sport itself, you know, being part of that great long tradition. World Cup matches can
actually be very boring!
M: True? I've seen some deadly ones in my time! So you think that, broadly speaking, we'll be watching the
same mainstream sports in the future as we do today?
F: Yes, I do. But that's not necessarily the same for those who play sport - the amateurs. That's us! We tend
to live in cities, and that's got to have an influence on the kind of sport people can do - or have access to.
Any game that works well in confined spaces - such as basketball or five-a-side football - has an advantage.
So other games that people play on Saturdays like, cricket or baseball, may well start declining; that's
because fewer people will be able to play these games because of the space that the playing area takes up.
M: Good point. And you're right about new sports coming along - my friend does 'Bungee Running' - where
you stretch a piece of elastic until you're 'pinged' into a safety net.
F: ... and I know someone who does 'Bouncy Boxing' – where you hit a friend with giant inflatable gloves.
Then there are other things that are less 'off the wall' but have started as a result of the ever-increasing
interest in health and fitness – I think that's a trend that will l carry on. I mean things like boxercise, which is
a combination of boxing and physical exercise. Though, as I've already said, that doesn't mean that I see the
total end of more traditional sports.
M: No, you're right - we'll always watch traditional sports, and I think that whatever happens, people will
still have their sporting heroes. Television has made sport big business in the last 30 years - sponsorship and
so on - that'll keep going, I'm sure, and soon the sporting elite will be just like film stars - they'll be paid
even more and will do even fewer performances! I wish I could be one of them!
UNIT 5
page 59, Speaking: agreeing and adding information (Parts 3 and 4), Exercise 2
M: So what do you think about this one? I mean the idea of having yoga - or is it just keep-fit, you know,
classes for young people?
F: I think it's great - it's good to let young people try lots of different things, things they wouldn't otherwise
do - and on top of that it's obviously good for their health! What's more, they won't get bored because they're
doing it in a class and they have friends around them so they're more likely to keep going. The teacher looks
really interested in what she's doing, which is good.
M: I take that point on board - but having said that, I think that it's hard to do a lot of the moves in some
keep-fit classes - and certainly in yoga! - this picture looks difficult to me – and they might get put off if
they can't do everything. Not only that, but it's rather non-competitive - they might just think what's the point
really? So what about just building more leisure centers? Like this one, with a gym?
F: That's all very well, but we do need to remember that that would cost a lot of money - is it actually cost-
effective?
M: You could be right - So let's move on.
UNIT 5
page 63, Listening 2: multiple choice (Part 3), Exercise 3
Interviewer: Today we're looking at the sport of indoor climbing and with me here in the studio I have the
American climber Tom Lake and the London-based sports Journalist Amy Styles. Tom, indoor wall
climbing in the USA is on the up, isn't it? What type of person does it appeal to?
Tom: Well, according to a recent survey, nearly nine million Americans now go indoor climbing each year,
and even if the number of climbing gyms in the US doubled, we reckon it still wouldn't have reached
saturation point. Indoor climbers are different from traditional climbers. The style is more explosive, more
athletic. And the sport seems to be particularly attractive to 13- to 21-year-olds. Maybe that's because it feels
more egalitarian than outdoor climbing, with the regulars in most gyms offering advice and encouragement,
rather than trying to outdo anybody. I mean, there's no race to get to the top in indoor climbing.
I: But there are games you can play on the wall, aren't there, Amy?
Amy: Oh yes, games on the climbing wall are fun and create interest and usually extend the length of the
workout. For example one popular game is called 'add on' and basically two climbers of similar ability - you
know, it could be two novices or two old-hands - begin by agreeing on the first sequence of moves. The first
climber gets on the wall and climbs this sequence of moves. When he finishes, though, he then adds one
more move to the sequence, so the next person has a bit more to do, and so on. You mark the moves with
chalk or memorize them if that's part of the game. It's a great game for learning sequences, and that's the real
point of it actually because that's something all indoor climbers have to do.
I: So what type of people are we talking about in London, Amy?
A: At the climbing wall I go to in London - which I think is fairly typical - the climbers are mostly of
student age. And let's face it, climbing indoors is cheaper and less time-consuming than venturing outdoors
at weekends with expensive equipment, and that's a big part of the appeal. To me they seem to be, like, the
well-educated big brothers and sisters of the inner-city teenage skateboard crowd - it kind of picks up on that
scene and all that goes with it. $0 it's quite a rough-and-ready environment really, and the atmosphere is also
kind of sociable - but people take the climbing pretty seriously for all that.
I: But can climbing up a wall really be compared with climbing up a rock face, Tom?
T: The lack of natural rock isn't necessarily a problem. I mean it's not a blank wall, there are plastic hand and
foot holds and plastic obstacles to negotiate too. You're never more than a couple of meters off the ground,
but even at that height the focus on staying glued to the wall can be intense. As any climber will tell you,
just because it's indoors, doesn't mean it's tame. And if you're really committed, it can be just as arduous.
There's the fear, however irrational, that you might get hurt, even though there are crash mats below you.
A: Yes because you've also got to remember that it's also a good mental workout, forcing you to solve all
sorts of problems while striving not to fall off. You need a lot of core strength - so it's good for stomach
muscles and for arm and leg strength - but 'I was OK until I started thinking' is a common complaint
amongst indoor wall climbers, because the challenge is as much mental as physical. And that's another
reason why it's become so popular, it demands far more than the usual gym-based workout. On top of that,
regular climbers develop an enviable lean physique; second only to surfers really.
I: Tom, you climb both on walls indoors and on mountains outdoors. Which do you actually prefer?
T: Well, to my mind indoor climbing is every bit as valid as the outdoor variety and I really can't go along
with people who say that the only real climbing is scaling up the side of Mount Everest or wherever. But
having said that, for me you can't beat outdoor climbing, perhaps because that's what I came to first, who
knows? But I don't feel any need to put down the indoor sport in any way - why should I? It's just a different
experience and I get a great deal of enjoyment from both.
I: Tom, Amy, thank you very much for joining me today.