Факультет физической культуры

Text 1. S w i m m i n g

Water has always been a source of pleasure for man. The Japanese had a form of aquatic competition centuries ago, and ancient bas-reliefs show Egyptians splashing in the water of the Nile. Inhabitants of the South Sea Islands have been as at home in the water as on land since time began. Only in Europe, particularly during the Middle Ages, there was a fear and distrust of water, born of ignorance. It was believed that bathing of any kind was immodest, unlucky and responsible for the spread of disease. Only in the 19^th century water became associated with the pleasure and freedom of sport, with the British Isles taking the lead. In the second half of the 19^th century swimming as a competitive sport made its appearance in Great Britain, other countries following. National competitions began with the forming of the Amateur Swimming Association in England in 1869.

In early competitions side stroke was the standard racing style. Both arms remained submerged in the execution of the stroke and the swimmer’s legs opened and closed in a scissors kick, a movement somewhat resembling walking. Eventually swimmers began lifting the upper arm above the surface to minimize water resistance and the single overarm stroke was born. In 1893 an Englishman, J.Trudgen, introduced the double overarm, a technique he picked up in South America. It bore the basic arm action to the crawl, which was to follow and which was accepted as the standard speed swimming stroke.

The first marathon swim took place in 1875 across the English Channel. The first European championship was held in 1890. Six years later, swimming became the Olympic sport. Since World War II, with technical advances making swimming pools and small crafts more readily accessible, all water sports have become a favoured form of competition and relaxation around the world.

Physical educators agree that there is no more complete sport than swimming. It involves all the muscles of the body. Swimming is especially beneficial to the heart and the respiratory system and is one of the few sports that may be enjoined from the earliest years to well into old age.

Q u e s t i o n s :

1) Swimming has a long history, hasn’t it?

2) Why wasn’t it popular in Europe in the Middle Ages?

3) What European country was the first to introduce swimming?

4) How did the standard speed swimming stroke appear?

5) Is swimming useful for our health?

Text 2. I c e H o c k e y

It is generally agreed that ice hockey started somewhere in eastern Canada in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Stanley Cup, the trophy of professional hockey today, was first presented to the team that won the championship of Canada in 1893. In 1900 this trophy became the emblem for the best professional hockey team in the whole world.

Ice hockey has become a world-wide sport. The International Ice Hockey Federation conducts the International Championship. Ice hockey is also, and has been since 1920, part of the Winter Olympic program. World championships began in 1924.

In our country ice hockey was first shown in 1932, but the history of ice hockey in Russia began in 1946.

Ice hockey is played by two teams of six players. Each team consists of a goalkeeper, a right defence, a left defence, centre, right wing and left wing. A rectangular field of ice is called a rink. Two blue lines drawn across the rink divide it into three equal parts and there is also a red central line. The object of the game is to put the puck into opponents’ goal. All players have sticks, but goalkeepers’ sticks are heavier and wider. Padding for hips, knees, elbows, and shoulders are worn by the players. Each player puts on a chest guard and wears a protective helmet.

Hockey rules are simple and provide that certain types of rough play have a penalty for the player who performed it. He is put on the penalty bench for a certain length of time. The penalties are classified as minor misconduct, major misconduct, and disqualification, depending on severity. The penalty can extend from two minutes to five minutes with suspensions lasting as long as ten, but in these cases after two minutes a substitute is allowed to play. The game consists of three twenty-minute periods. An important rule is that the player with the puck must precede his mate across the blue line on the attacking team’s side of the rink or he is off side.

Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in Russia, Chechoslovakia, Canada, Sweden, Finland and is also a very rapidly growing sport in many other countries in the world.

Q u e s t i o n s :

1) When and where did ice hockey start?

2) What is the object of the game?

3) How are penalties classified?

4) Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in Russia, isn’t it?