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Sports and Pastime
Athletic sports include running, boxing, rowing, jumping, fencing, diving, swimming, weight-lifting, putting-the-shot, skating, wrestling, etc. To become proficient in these sports one must practise constantly. Other popular outdoor sports are hunting, shooting, fishing, horse-racing, motor racing and mountain climbing (mountaineering). The most popular outdoor games are football, cricket, hockey and tennis. Indoor games include billiards, card games, chess, draughts. England is the home of sport. Many of the games now played all over the world originated in Britain. Most people in England are engaged in sedentary occupations; they would feel that life was hardly worth living if they were unable in the evenings, or at the week-ends, to pursue their favourite sport. Certainly, in ordinary times, the average man is more interested in games and sport than in politics. The average schoolboy may not be able to tell you the name of the Foreign Minister (Minister of Foreign Affairs), but he is able to tell you which team won the football championship last year and who is the present boxing champion. What is a sportsman? He is one who is interested in sport. But that is only one meaning of the word. Even if a person is not interested in any sport, and has no opportunity or inclination to play any game, he may be called a sportsman if he has something called the "sporting spirit." This "sporting spirit" is something that the playing of games develops in people, though a person may have it who plays no games. It is the ability to endure hard knocks without getting angry or seeking revenge; the ability to smile in times of danger and hardship, the ability to win without boasting afterwards, and to lose without complaining. Some people hate playing if there is no crowd to applaud them, some play only to win prizes, others are unwilling to play against stronger opponents for fear of defeat. Such people are not sportsmen in the best sense of the word, but if they go on playing they may become sportsmen in time. We should all try to become "good losers," to accept our disappointments cheerfully. Everyone has disappointments at some time or other; sportsmen smile when they occur. In England, hunting means fox-hunting. It is the sport of the rich; for to be able to hunt regularly one has to keep several horses and pay various subscriptions. The fox is pursued by foxhounds, which are a special breed of hunting dog. They follow the fox by scent. Riders are often injured, and sometimes even killed, as their horses jump over fences and ditches. A rider may be thrown off and his horse may fall on him; when this happens the rider may receive serious injuries. But it is a fine sight to see the hounds in full pursuit of the swift red fox, followed by the riders, men and women, dressed in brightly coloured hunting clothes, on splendid horses galloping as hard as they can go. Shooting is an expensive sport, but fishing is practised by thousands of people. Fishing is a very quiet and peaceful occupation and is an excellent pastime for those who dislike noise and crowds. Horse racing is practised in many countries of the world. The horses are specially trained and are ridden by professional "jockeys." The most famous horse race in the world is the Derby, run on Epsom Downs, south of London. Huge sums of money are won and lost by people betting on this and other races. Many people think that all betting is wrong and should be abolished. A few years ago two schoolmasters of Alexandria bought a ticket in a sweepstake on the Derby and were lucky enough to win Ј10,000. The British Government forbids the organizing of sweepstakes, which are a kind of lottery. It is true that a few people win, but many thousands lose. The sport of mountain climbing appeals to many adventurous people. As there are few high mountains in Britain, many people go to Switzerland, which is the centre of European mountaineering. Every year there are accidents, but every year finds bold young men and women arriving in Switzerland ready to risk their lives among the high mountain peaks. The most popular game in the world is certainly football. This is the game that is played in nearly all countries. There is another game called rugby football, so called because it originated at Rugby, a well-known English school. In this game the players may carry the ball. There is also an American kind of football, different again from the other two. Hockey is fairly popular in England but it has not spread much to other countries; nor has cricket, which is sometimes called the national game of England. Tennis is an international game. The world championships are decided each year in times of peace in the Davis Cup Competition. Of the indoor games, billiards requires the most expensive equipment. A good table costs more than a hundred pounds. This is why few private houses possess one; the game is generally played in a club. There are many kinds of card games of pure chance, but most are games of chance and skill. Chance decides which cards a player holds, but a skilful player makes the best use of them. Thousands of people play cards regularly, the most popular game being "bridge." This is played for money, but only for small stakes generally. The chief aim of the players is not to win money but to pass the time in a very interesting manner. A regular player neither wins nor loses much. By far the most intellectual game is chess, which is several hundred years old. A popular game is draughts, which is played on a board similar to a chess board with twelve "men" on each side. Дата добавления: 2015-09-18 | Просмотры: 606 | Нарушение авторских прав |