Unit 3: Sports Solution
(Euro 2020)

Working with words

A. Many English words are from other languages, such as redemption in the news above comes from the Latin word redimere, a combination of re(d)-, meaning “back,” and emere, meaning “buy.”

Now, find out the origin and the meaning of the following words from the text.

Penalty : From Middle French pénalité
a punishment imposed for breaking a law, rule, or contract

Major : From Latin word “great” and French word “majeur”
important, serious, or significant.

Stadium : From Latin word meaning “study”, “zeal”, “dedication”
A center for the study of the Liberal Arts

Trophy : From the French trophée in 1513, Old French trophee, from Latin trophaeum
A cup or other decorative object awarded as a prize for a victory or success.

Defender : From the Latin word in this sense was “defensor” and Old French “defendeor”
One who protects from injury a champion

Anthem : From Greek antiphōnos
A rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause.

Dejection : From the Latin deicere meaning “throw down.”
A sad and depressed state; low spirits.

Jubilant : From Latin word “jubilare”
Making a joyful noise

Record : Form Latin word “cor” and “re-”
A thing constituting a piece of evidence about the past, especially an account kept in writing or some other permanent form.

Suave : Form Latin word ” suavis” means “agreeable.”
Charming, confident, and elegant

Podium : Form Greek word “pous and pod” meaning “foot”
finish first, second, or third, so as to appear on a podium to receive an award.

Tournament : Form old French torneiement
A series of contests between a number of competitors, competing for an overall prize.

Reminiscent : Form Latin word “reminisce” meaning remembering
Tending to remind one of something.

Incredible : Form Latin word “In-” meaning “not” and “credibills” meaning is “believe.”

Savor : Form Latin word “sapere” meaning “to taste”

B. Consult a dictionary and define the following terms related to cricket.

Stump:
A wicket comprises three vertical pieces of wood.

Crease:
Lines marked on the pitch at specific locations.

Boundary:
A hit that crosses the field limits, scoring four or six runs.

Sixer:
A hit resulting in 6 runs.

Googly:
A deceptive delivery bowled by a right-arm leg-spin bowler.

Leg-by:
A run scored when the ball touches a part of the batsman’s body (excluding the hand) without contacting the bat.

Wicket:
A structure consisting of three stumps and two bails across the top at either end of the pitch.

Maiden:
An over in which no runs are scored.

Pitch:
The strip of ground between the two sets of stumps.

Power-play:
The designated overs with special fielding rules in a limited-overs cricket match.

No-ball:
An unlawfully delivered ball, contributing one extra run to the batting side if not otherwise scored.

Yorker:
A ball bowled that hits the cricket pitch around the batsman’s feet.

C. Pronunciation

Divide the following words into two groups in accordance with their pronunciation /aɪ/ and

/aɪ/
Fine, shine, why, height, bright, might, five, sight, white, by

/eɪ/
Rein, rail, sleigh, snail, break, fake, eight, game, claim, friend, gait, hail, frame

Comprehension

A. State whether the following sentences are True or False or Not Given.

a. England was the champion of 1996 World Cup Football. – True
b. Italy bagged its first Euro Cup trophy in the Euro Cup 2020. – True
c. The English team has won more trophies in International Football than Italy. – False
d. According to the captain of the English team, the pain of losing a match has lasting effects. – Not Given
e. The Italian team was playing in their home ground. – False
f. The goalkeeper of the Italian team had performed the best than any other players in the match. – True

B.Answer the following questions.

a.Why does the reporter say that England is waiting to heal its half-century long pain?

Ans:The reporter says that England is waiting to heal its half-century-long pain because England has not been able to win any major international trophy since 1966 and euro 2020 was the big moment for England to break the trophyless period.

b.How did the Italian players react as soon as they became the champions?

Ans:

As soon as Italy became champion, Italian players started crying, mobbing their goalkeeper after sprinting from the halfway line at the end of the second penalty shootout. The jubilant players headed to the other end of the field and ran as one and started diving to the ground in front of the Italian fans.

c.Why did Saka and Sancho cry? 

Ans:Saka and Sancho cried because they missed their crucial penalties, as a result, England lost the final of Eurocup 2020 against Italy.

d. Penalty shoot-out has long been a bitter experience for the English team. Why? 

Ans:England has been losing major games in penalty shootouts in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2012 and 2020. Because of this reason, the penalty shoot-out has long been a bitter experience for the English team.

e.State the contribution of Roberto Mancini to the Italian football.

Ans:Roberto Mancini is the present coach of the Italian football team under whom Italy won its second Euro Cup in 2020. Under his guidance, now Italy is regarded as the best team in Europe with a national record of 34 matches, unbeaten. Also, he has won an international trophy in his first attempt. The Italian team has grown balanced and more powerful than ever.

f.How does the Euro Cup final 2020 remind the audiences of the 2018 World Cup semifinals? How? 

Ans: The Euro Cup final match of England against Italy reminded the audiences of the semifinal match of England against Croatia of the 2018 World Cup. In both of the games, England was the team to get defeated. England scored early goals in both of the games but could not hold the lead until the last moment and eventually lost both the games. In addition to this, the opponents of England appeared dominant in both of the games.

Critical Thinking

A.”Every match is a new opportunity. Put its failure behind and start over again.” Does this apply to the Italian football team when we analyse their performance from their failure to qualify for the World Cup Football to their victory in the European Championship in these four years? 

Ans.: Italy, a four-time champion and global football heavyweight, had failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was a dark time in the history of Italian football in 2017 after they had failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, missing out on the top global competition for the first time in 60 years. They lost to Sweden in the play-offs and it was assumed that Italian football has lost all the glorious days of the past. Fans and most importantly, the players had lost faith in the team and themselves so much so that Giorgio Chiellini, one of Italy’s best players in their Euro 2020 title win, had announced retirement right after the match. Gianluigi Buffon too, one of the dependable players of Italy in the team declared that his time for the Italian team was over. Coach Gian Piero Ventura was sacked. There was nothing much left of Italian football to speak of back then.

However, it was Roberto Mancini who showed just how a comeback can be done. Italy traditionally was a defensive team but the former Manchester City manager brought about a change in that style. With the defence retaining with core players like Chiellini (who reversed his retirement) and Leonardo Bonnucci along with a young, but resolute Gianluigi Donnarumma at the back, he strengthened the midfield and introduced pacy wing-backs, who would run through the flank and cut open opposition defences. Additionally, he had the services of quality strikers like Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne at his disposal and he put all of the pieces together and slowly, he went on to build an absolute winning machine. The results speak for him. Mancini’s Italy Football Team is currently unbeaten for 34 matches till the Eurocup 2020, with their last defeat coming against former European champions Portugal, back in 2018. Since then, they are yet to lose a match and Mancini’s men deserve all the credit for it. With just one more win, they would be equaling Brazil and Spain’s unbeaten international streaks of 35 matches. It’s a transformation that came sooner than expected under coach Roberto Mancini, who has found the right mix of younger players and veterans to create optimism around a team that had lost all of its confidence. The commitment and hard work of the players is another thing that has transformed Italian Football Team into such a remarkable success. So, it perfectly applies to the Italian team that every match is a new opportunity, put its failure behind and start over again after analyzing their performance from their failure to qualify for world cup football to their victory in the European Championship in these four years.

B.When a team plays in a home ground, it gets a huge support from the audience in the stadium. Does this support them to win the match or the players may feel pressure to win and thus lose? What do you think?

Ans.: In every match, the audiences play a great role in order to raise the arousal levels of participants and improve their performance, but for some players, the audience will be a source of considerable stress and can cause anxiety. There is such a great role of the audience in a match that the audiences are considered to be an extra player of the team though they do not participate in the team And, it is well known fact that any country receives a large crowd supporting their home country Tough a huge home crowd may bring some sort of pressure on the heads of the players, in fact, the players tend to be more responsible and boosted than realizing the pressure. In addition to this, the players have the feeling that they are representing their nation and they have to carry out ther responsibilities at their best. Such presence greatly affects the game. In my opinion, such presence of audience helps the home country to win the match as the players of the home team get aroused, excited and boosted and they give their best in the game they are playing It happens so because morale and mentality plays a vital role in the win of any team. In contrary to this, the lack of home fan support does bother an away team because most of the supporter’s cheer for their home team and tend to boo or distract the away players by singing songs and chanting slogans that tend to play a psychological game in the players heads. Hence, I do believe that when a team plays a home ground, it gets huge support from the audience in the stadium and this supports the players to win the match.

WRITING

A.The following passage does not have any punctuation marks. Punctuate it with appropriate punctuation marks.

a lot of people try to get away from home for a few days each year for a holiday there are lots of things to choose from and where you go depends on how much money you have got to spend ideas for holidays include relaxing on a beach exploring cities and skiing one man wanted to go to australia but thought hed never have enough money to get there he will go to his brothers caravan at the seaside instead a young woman wanted to go clubbing in Ibiza as shed heard its a lot of fun

Ans.: A lot of people try to get away from home for a few days each year. For a holiday, there are lots of things to choose from. And, where you go depends on how much money you have got to spend. Ideas for holidays include relaxing on a beach, exploring cities and skiing. One man wanted to go to Australia but thought he’d never have enough money. To get there, he will go to his brother’s caravan at the seaside instead. A young woman wanted to go clubbing in Ibiza as she’d heard it’s a lot of fun.

B.Write a news story based on the given information.

by Reuters

Argentina beat Brazil to win Copa America

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10

first major title in 28 years

first medal for Lionel Messi in a blue-and-white shirt Di Maria goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil

15th Copa America equal to Brazil

Brazil piled on the pressure but they could not get an equaliser Brazil – more aggressive in the second half

Argentine defense-outstanding

Ans:

Argentina beat Brazil to win Copa America

Rio de Janerio, July 10 (Reuters)

Argentina won their first major title in 28 years on Saturday and Lionel Messi finally won his first medal in a blue-and-white shirt when Di Maria goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil and a record-equaling 15 Copa America equal to Brazil

Brazil piled on the pressure over Argentina throughout the match, but they could not get an equalizer. Brazil was more aggressive in the second half. However, the Argentine defence showed their outstanding skills and did not commit a single mistake to let Brazil in.

C.We can see many countries competing to host the great international sport events like the World Cup Football. But, there are arguments that hosting an event like World Cup Football can have more problems than benefits. What do you think? Write your arguments in favour or against hosting an international sport event in about 500 words. 

Ans. At present time, we can see many countries competing to host great international sports events like World Cup Football. And of course, there are arguments in favour of and against that. Hosting an event like World Cup Football, on one hand, pressurizes a country in providing an astounding improvement in the infrastructure of the city where the event is being organized. It also builds the reputation and dignity of the host country and makes the country renowned and familiar all over the world. Also, being a host country to certain sports like World Cup Football, the host country can automatically qualify for the tournament and the presence of domestic fans and the home stadium can boost the player’s performance. The crowd makes the players get aroused and boosted up while representing their country. Thus, hosting the games may also lead to winning the trophy. Not only this, organizing the tournaments encourages tourism and creates bright prospects for employment. Moreover, the host country also earns a good amount of revenue by selling tickets for the event. Eventually, arranging events of international sports boosts the economy of the host country. The sports sector of the country will get high benefits since there comes pressure for the sports ministry and the officials including the coach and the players to perform better in the sports event that is going to organize in their country. However, there are some disadvantages of organizing such events too. Such mega-events adversely affect the daily life of the citizens since the government spends a huge amount of money on building temporary infrastructures. In a similar vein, the country also has the burden of spending a huge amount of money in managing basic amenities and security for the visitors. Moreover, the government recovers this amount from the citizens of the country as means of direct or indirect tax. By any chance, if the event does not take place as desired, it brings blemishes to the prestige of the host country. The country can be a victim of some unplanned disaster. Security must be a top priority to prevent terrorism and hooligans disrupting the games and this stands as a great challenge for the host country in the present world scenario. Also, the country’s infrastructures like transports and communications must be excellent to cope with the influx of visitors. If the country becomes unable to do well then, its name and fame can be in doubt.

Overall, I think in recent years the people’s perceptions and audes ha changed. Earlier sports industry was least preferred and underd. But investments and higher returns it has become the most luce and desirable worldwide. Different communities worldwide have started giving respect and to sports and the players as well. In addition to this different comes across the wor competing greatly and actively waking pan in the hidding process in onder ve get a cha organize such sports events. Therefore, in order to bring name and fame along with wome financial benefits, hosting international events is profitable and acceptable, however & country should do this with a good vision and preparation as per their capacity.

Grammar

B. Complete the following sentences with much, many, few or little.

a. He is an introvert. He has got very few friends.
b. I am busy in preparing my examinations. I have very little time to give to you.
c. The entire winter season was dry this year. We had little rain.
d. Our town has almost been modernized. There are few old buildings left.
e. You can come today. I haven’t got much to do.
f. The party was crowded. There were too many people.
g. How many photographs did you take while you were in Switzerland?
h. There was little traffic so I came in time.
i. Can I borrow few books from you?
j. Mohan can’t be a good teacher. He has little patience.

C. Put each or every in the following sentences.

a. The party split into three factions, each faction headed by a former prime minister.
b. Leap years occur every four years.
c. Every parent worries about their children.
d. We had a great time in Singapore. We enjoyed every minute of our time.
e. I could catch the main idea of his speech but I didn’t understand each of his words.
f. In Nepal, every motorcycle rider should wear a helmet.
g. You must read each of these books for the exam.

D. Rewrite the following sentences using all of, most of, none of, both of or some of.

a. Your garden is superb. Most of the flowers are beautiful.
b. Do you know Bharat and Kamal? Of course, I do. Both of them are my friends.
c. I bought a box of apples thinking it would be cheaper but I was mistaken. All of them were rotten.
d. When I was in the town, I asked some people for direction but none of them were able to help me. I had to call my friend.
e. We all were soaked in the rain because none of us had carried an umbrella.
f. My father is healthy in his seventies but he feels isolated because all of his friends are dead now.
g. All of the tourists are not Chinese. Some of them are Korean too.

E. Choose the best word from the brackets to complete the sentences.

a. Give me the money I owe you. (which/the/a/an)
b. I want the boat which would take me to the island. (the/an/those/a)
c. Could you pour me some water, please? (many/few/these/some)
d. Only a few employees know how important the project was. (a few/a little/little/few)
e. He was looking for an umbrella. (an/a/those/these)
f. A large amount of water was evaporated due to excessive heat. (A large number of/ A lot of/ A large amount of/Many)