Sport

What are the benefits of doing sport? What was your favorite sport when you were a child? Do you like to watch sports on TV? What kinds of sports would you like to try in the future?
Vocabulary
  • Mainstream/mainstay (noun/adj.) - mainstream describes what's viewed by most people in a society as "normal," like the mainstream view that everyone should get married, move to the suburbs, and have children as soon as they can. Something that's mainstream is conventional, or the usual way of doing things.
  • The odd (adj) - happening or occurring infrequently and irregularly; occasional.
  • In the passing (phrase) - briefly and casually.
  • To tickle smb's fancy (phrase) - If something tickles your fancy, you like it and want to have it.
  • Renowned (adj.) - known or talked about by many people; famous.
  • Bookworm (noun) - a person who reads a lot.
  • Martial arts (noun) - a sport that is a traditional Japanese or Chinese form of fighting or defending yourself.
  • To network (verb) - to meet people who might be useful to know, especially in your job.
  • To have a lot on one's plate (idiom) - to have a great deal (or too much) to cope with.
  • To take up (phrasal verb) - to start doing something regularly as a habit, job, or interest.
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Questions and answers
Maria: Rory, do you like sport?

Rory: Um, I suppose, not particularly when it comes to mainstream sports, I'll watch the odd football match in the passing and I keep up with some news back home, but I wouldn't say I was a huge sports fan or anything.

Maria: Do you like extreme sports?

Rory: Ok, well, that's the one that tickles my fancy. I love extreme sports. I've been bungee jumping and the second the coronavirus restrictions go, I'll be shooting and I want to go glider flying and skydiving and zorbing. I think they're great ideas.

Maria: Do most people in your country like sport?

Rory: I think so. I mean, Britain is kind of renowned as a football and rugby obsessed nation. So it certainly seems this way.

Maria: What sports do people in your country play?

Rory: Well, like I said, I think football and rugby are, sort of, the mainstay sports just going by the TV coverage. But a lot of people also play golf, including my aunt and uncle. And in fact, I think golf was invented in Scotland. And of course, I think... Well, diving gets a lot of attention because there's like famous divers like Tom Daley they're... Well, quite well known, I guess.

Maria: What was your favorite sport when you were a child?

Rory: Oh, I loved swimming. That was the one I liked the most. I used to go every week before breaking for the weekend. That was great fun. I'm not so sure it was great fun for my parents used to transport me there, but I enjoyed it.

Maria: Did you do much sport when you were younger?

Rory: Well, aside from swimming, not really. I was actually more of a bookworm, to be honest with you, and I probably still am. I do more now, I guess... If you consider going to the gym and playing video games as sports, which some people do.

Maria: What are the benefits of doing sport?

Rory: Well, I think the health benefits are certainly the most obvious. So, for example, if you go and run around for a period... I think you're meant to have 30 minutes of intense exercise, so doing contact sports like football or rugby would count as that. So they're the most obvious. But there are social benefits to it as well, because you meet new people at football clubs, for example, or if you do martial arts, then you could meet people at your local jujitsu club. What's it called? A dojo? That's what it is. And, you can network there. If you're not there to make friends, then you could network. And if you have a business that you're particularly fond of and want to meet new people like that, for example.

Maria: Do you like to watch sports on TV?

Rory: Well, like I said, I'll have a glance in the passing, but I wouldn't spend a great deal of time on it. I don't have... Sorry, I have a lot on my plate right now, so there's not really a great deal of time to just sit and stare at the screen all the time. Maybe when I'm older I'll probably do it more often. You tend to see that in places where people hang out. Back home, there's lots of older men who go to the pub and watch football, for example. So maybe that's the destiny I have to look forward to.

Maria: What kinds of sports would you like to try in the future?

Rory: Well, like I said, all of the extreme sports! I'm particularly looking forward to going skydiving and flying a glider, I think that will be really good fun. But there's not really anything normal. I think the closest thing is probably taking up jujitsu again, I think I'd really like to start that over.
Maria: Who's your favorite sports star?

Rory: I don't actually have one, to be honest, I can think of some famous ones, but outside of their contributions to sport, I don't think they're particularly any more or less interesting than the people I know. So the short answer is - "I can't say.". And the long answer is - "I can't say because I find people closer to me to be more interesting and famous people."
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