Page 47 - American English File Student Book 3A

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4 R EA D IN G e Look at the photos of four more famous sports people
who are superstitious. Do you know what any of their
a Do you know of any sports players who are superstitions are or were?
superstitious? What do they do?

b Read an article about sports superstitions and
complete it with A-F.

A It is not only the players who are superstitious
B A good example is Serena Williams
C Superstitions and rituals are very common among fans
D After my wife had left the room, Murray lost the
fourth set
E The superstitions and rituals are not confined
to the court
F Tennis players-are-strartge-people

c Read the article again. Who does the article say f > - Communication Other sports superstitions
are superstitious: sports players, sports fans, TV A p.104 B p.108. Read and tell each other about the
spectators, or all of them? people in the photos.

d Underline five words or phrases you want to remember g Do you have any superstitions, e.g., when you are
from the article. playing or watching sports, or before an exam?

If I bounce the ball five times...

F-
E
MATTHEW SYED writes about ________________ . Goran Ivanisevic, ________________ . She returned, £ 0)

sports superstitions Wimbledon champion in 2001, was and he won the fifth. I laughed at §-
convinced that if he won a match, he her, and then remembered my soccer
Tennis players are strange people. Have had to repeat everything he did the team, Spurs, who were losing 1-0 in
1 you noticed how they always ask for previous day, such as eating the same the Carling Cup. "If I leave the room
three balls instead of two; how they food at the same restaurant, talking now, Spurs will score/’ I told my kids,
bounce the ball the same number of to the same people, and watching the after 27 minutes of overtime. I left the
times before serving, as if any change same TV shows. One year this meant room and they scored. Twice.
from their routine might result in that he had to watch Teletubbies
disaster? every morning during his Wimbledon Glossary
Teletubbies a television series for
campaign. “Sometimes it got very very young children
boring/’ he said. Spurs Tottenham Hotspur, a London
soccer team
________________ . As we were
watching tennis player Andy Murray
play the fourth set at Wimbledon, my
wife suddenly got up and went to the
kitchen. “He keeps losing games when
I’m in the room/' she said. “If I go out
now, he’ll win.”

________________ . Last year, a
survey of British soccer supporters
________________ , the number
found that 21 percent had a lucky
1 female tennis player. When she
charm (anything from a scarf
was once asked why she had played
to a lucky coin), while another
so badly at the French Open she
questionnaire revealed that
answered, “I didn't tie my shoe laces
70 percent of Spanish soccer fans
right, and I didn't bounce the ball five
performed pre-match rituals (like
times, and I didn’t bring my shower
wearing “lucky” clothes, eating the
sandals to the court with me. I didn't
same food or drink, or watching
have my extra dress. I just knew it was
games with the same people).
fate; it wasn’t going to happen.”