Hello, and today I'm going to talk about sport. And this is going to be helpful for students who are following a[n] IELTS course, or Cambridge course, for example, FCE and also [the] Advanced Cambridge exams. And this is obviously helpful for the speaking part of the exam. I'm going to talk about a subject. I have a question here. And I would like you to listen carefully to the language that I use - the different expressions which you can use yourselves when in the speaking exams. Now, I have a question, and this is,
And this is a genuine question from a C1 paper. It is useful in that I can use it as an excuse, if you like, for bringing out other relevant vocabulary about sport in general. So here we go, then.
First of all, I'm going to start though by just getting some language correct from the beginning. When we talk about sport, it's important to remember the verbs that we use to talk about sport. We should avoid using the word practise when we are talking about sport in general. So we shouldn't say I like to practise sport, or I like practising sport. The word practise in English is used to talk about some specific exercises that we do, and we try to perfect our techniques. So for example, we talk about football practice, and football practice is when footballers, or somebody training to play football, go out and they do certain exercises like dribbling the ball or shooting the ball into the net. And they do this again and again. This is practice.
But we don't use the verb practise, when we're talking about sport in general. Oh, I like to practise football, I practise tennis. We don't say that. We do have other verbs, and I'll go through them. Now when they're ball games that involve using a ball, we say we play those games. So you play football, and you play tennis, and you play basketball, and you play volleyball. When the sport involves actually going somewhere, for example, horse riding, or swimming. Then we say go usually, I go swimming, I go horse riding. I go running, I go jogging. And then when the sport is more static, that means that we don't actually go anywhere, like for example, karate, or judo, or yoga. Then we do those sports. We do karate, do judo, do yoga, do exercises or do exercise. I hope I've got that clear, because that's a common mistake. And it's one which is easily avoided. There are vry few alternative verbs that we use - just: play, do and go.
Okay, so let's get on then - how sport influences our lives. First of all, I'm going to talk about older people. Now, again, when we're talking about older people, is best perhaps use the word or the term elderly people, rather than just old people. It's more politically correct and sounds nicer and more respectful. A growing body of research illustrates... now that's interesting, isn't it? A growing body of research... Now, you can say that if you like you can say that you refer to some article. And it's perfectly acceptable to say that a growing body of research illustrates that an active lifestyle instead of a sedentary one helps elderly people to stay healthier and avoid injuries and illnesses related to a sedentary lifestyle. For example, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression and diabetes are common diseases among older adults, and are often deadly.
Any amount of exercise promotes the release of endorphins. And these are essential neurotransmitters linked to the reduction of pain and can bring about a sense of well being. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other dementia related diseases by nearly 50%.
But of course, exercise in elderly people is not the same as exercise in younger people. A few exercises may be hazardous to elderly people's health, so they have to be controlled, and the doctor needs to be involved to help them exercise in a way which is safe depending on their age and ability. But it's true that elderly people who exercise regularly are less likely to depend on others because they remain fit and independent. Every 11 seconds, an older adult is admitted to an emergency room for a fall-related injury. And every 19 minutes, an elderly person dies from a fall, according to the National Council of Aging. So although it seems to be counter-intuitive, being inactive, makes you tired, and being active actually gives you more energy. Because those endorphins which are released during exercise, combat stress hormones, and they promote healthy sleep, and they make you feel more lively [or livelier] and [more] energetic overall.
Now I'm going to turn to exercise and sport for younger people. The 21st century has seen an increase in computer-aided games and activities so that younger people, children and teenagers often prefer to play video games and activities on their mobile phone rather than being outside taking part in some sport or exercise. Years ago, it was different. Children would play football in the streets. I can remember for example, at school, in our playground, the boys would play ball games and the girls would do skipping. But during the last century, I mean the end of the last century, I can remember that games in general were played outside, even those games which are not particularly aerobic types of activities, for example, playing marbles. Those small glass balls - you have to try to hit your opponent's marble to win it. And I can remember we would play these games outside so that we were in the fresh air much more often than young children and teenagers today.
The problem for young people not receiving sufficient physical exercise is that there is an increase in obesity among the younger generation. Obesity is more common now than it has ever been in the Western world.
Now one positive aspect of sport that we see on television is that it can motivate and encourage children to take up that sport themselves. This is because they idolise certain sports people, footballers or tennis players, for example, and they become hero figures or idols and poster sports people they can put up pictures of on their bedroom wall. This can lead to teenagers and younger children [being] more active and want to play those sports and be good at those sports themselves. So this is a positive side of watching sports on television that it can encourage young people to take up that sport themselves.
The downside, perhaps of sport on television is that we can spend too much time watching the sport and not taking part in sport ourselves. So what happens is that we become a couch potato. That is somebody who spends their time sitting on the couch or sofa watching television, rather than getting up and doing active things themselves.
So in conclusion, we could say that sport is essential for people of all ages, children, teenagers, middle-aged people and elderly people alike. And that sport or exercise can help you live a longer, healthier and more joyous lifestyle.
So put on your shorts and your T-shirt and your running shoes or your trainers and get outside, go to the park and do something active today!
Okay, goodbye for now! Until next time!
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