READING Task. Read the text and identify in which paragraph (A-D) the writer does these things.
1. Establishes the emotional importance of baseball for fans. Paragraph
2. The origins of baseball. Paragraph
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLPARK
A. Baseball is a much-loved national sport in USA. It’s also popular in the countries of South America and Japan. Europe is another matter. Not many baseball teams exist in Europe today. It is slowly changing. Since baseball is an Olympic sport, lots of countries are joining the game!
B. Going to baseball games is a way of life for many fans. They sit in the stands on hot and sunny spring and summer days, eat hot dogs or popcorn, sip cola or lemonade and enjoy the game. Adults and children alike attend games, and it’s a sport that everyone seems to love. Baseball is such a part of American life that nearly everyone’s favourite childhood memory includes a day at the ballpark.
C. Modern baseball began about 150 years ago in New York, USA and has been popular sport ever since. It has changed a little bit over the years but the basic game remains the same. Baseball is played with a bat, which is a stick of about 100 cm long, made of metal or wood, and a small hard ball. Each player wears one heavy leather glove to catch the ball. Baseball is played on a special outdoor field.
D. The game of baseball is divided into nine parts, called innings. During an inning, each of the two teams takes its turn to bat, which means trying to hit the ball that is thrown to them by the pitcher of other team. After the ball is hit, the player tries to run and touch three different bases before running to the home base. The team that is not batting tries to catch the balls that are hit, and stop the runners before they score. The team that scores the most runs by the end of the ninth inning wins.
Task. Match the headings 3-6 with the paragraphs A-D.
3. The rules of playing the game
4. The facilities
5. The changes happening to baseball
6. Part of people’s life
22-hour workday New York, once the largest city in the world, is now only the ninth or tenth largest. Of its over seven million people, 52 per cent are white, 24 per cent black, 20 per cent Hispanic, and 4 per cent «other». As a Korean immigrant, Lee Chang-Soon is one of the «others». Together with his wife and his mother-in-law, Mr Lee runs a fruit and vegetable store on Manhattan's Upper East Side. His workday starts at midnight when he drives his truck to the fruit and vegetable market in the Bronx. It ends at 10 p.m. when he locks the door of his store and goes home with his wife. Here's part of our reporter's conversation with Lee Chang-Soon. Reporter: Mr Lee, you're at work when the rest of us are sleeping, and you're still working when we're watching TV in the evening. Mr Lee: Yes, in our kind of business you have to work long hours. I spend five hours at the market every night, and the store's open from 8 a.m. to p.m. People here want a wide choice of fruit and vegetables; everything must be fresh and clean - and cheap! Reporter: Your wife's cleaning lettuce right now and you're sorting green peas Mr Lee: Yes. We have to be very quick. There are 15 boxes of strawberries and a lot of asparagus and cauliflower waiting. There's always work to do. Reporter: When do you sleep? Mr Lee: Well, when I get back from the market - at about six o’clock in the morning - my wife and I first unload and store everything. That takes us about two hours. After that I sleep for an hour or so. And I get a bit of sleep in the evening after work ... Reporter: ... before you leave for the market again at midnight. Life's pretty hard for you and your family, Mr Lee. Mr Lee: Yes - but that's the way it is. We want to get on. We're not complaining.
My Hobby
I learnt to read when I was five years old and since that time I have read hundreds of books. I read all kinds of books — adventure stories, fantasy, historical novels, science-fiction, biographical novels, horror stories, etc. I love reading and I think it is the best hobby in the world. Let me explain why I think so.
First, I can read a book anywhere whenever I have free time. Secondly, a traditional paper book does not need any batteries or cables. Thirdly, there are so many books in the world that you will never run out of them. Fourthly, reading books makes you smarter, especially if you have a good memory.
Finally, reading is the safest hobby in the world. You can take part in adventures оn the way to the tops of volcanoes, or to Mars and back, around the world in 80 days, down to the bottom of the ocean — and the only injury you could suffer is a paper cut.
Мое хобби
Я научился/научилась читать, когда мне было пять лет, и с тех пор я прочитал(а) сотни книг. Я читаю разные книги: приключения, фэнтези, исторические романы, научную фантастику, биографические романы, ужасы и т. д. Я люблю читать и думаю, что это лучшее хобби в мире. Позвольте мне объяснить, почему я так думаю.
Во-первых, я могу читать книги где угодно, когда у меня есть свободное время. Во-вторых, традиционной бумажной книге не нужны батареи или кабели. В-третьих, в мире так много книг, что ты никогда не перечитаешь все-все. В-четвертых, чтение книг делает тебя умнее, особенно если у тебя хорошая память.
Наконец, чтение — самое безопасное хобби в мире. Ты можешь участвовать в приключениях на пути к вершинам вулканов или к Марсу и обратно, проехать вокруг света за 80 дней, опуститься на дно океана — и единственная травма, которая, тебе грозит, — это порез листом бумаги.