SECTION A
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE after the mini-lecture. Use the blank paper for note-taking.
Now listen to the mini-lecture.
In Britain, the top spectator sport is football.
This sport was seriously(1)_____ as an organized game in 1848. Later,the Football Associa- (1) _____
tion was formed to draw up rules and(2)_____the interests of the game. Over 360 clubs are (2) _____
registered with the FA and about many other local clubs are members of regional associations.
The British concentrate their interest on the top (3)_____teams which are controlled by the (3) _____
Football League and the Scottish Football League. During the season, a large number of spectators
attend the professional matches. The matches happen every Saturday afternoon and (4)_____on (4) _____
weekday evenings and holidays.
If the international matches are available, the players are selected from different League teams.
They often compete with the most famous football teams in the world.
Another kind of football invented in England is rugby. It is often regarded as the sport of
(5)_____class associations, as until recenfly it was generally only played in public schools. Now, (5) _____
both kinds of football are popular in Britain. There are about 1,700(6)_____Rugby Union clubs. (6) _____
Like the football teams, rugby teams often have challenging matches inside and outside.
Cricket is the most(7)_____English game with England. It is dated up to 1500. During (7) _____
Summer, people in school, towns and even villages are keen on this sports. The highlights of the
cricketing year are the Test Matches played between the professional English team and teams
from India, Pakistan, the West Indies, Australia and New Zealand. The English team also goes on
tour in these countries. The horse-racing is called the sport of(8)_____. The race courses must (8) _____
Be (9)_____by the Jockey Club. The most fashionable of all race meetings is held in early June at (9) _____
Ascot. It lasts four days and is always attended by the Queen. Ticket applications for the Royal
Enclosure have to be made months in advance and are only granted after careful(10)_____ (10)_____