To Watch or to Participate?

The modern way of life, when people have little physical activity, use cars instead of walking, watch television for many hours and work on computers, is turning them into legless creatures. Although a lot of people are interested in staying healthy, not many people do very much about it.

The majority of people live in towns and cities, where space for team sports is limited. To keep fit, most people take part in individual sports. They usually go walking, swimming, cycling or do aerobics. If they do aerobics or go swimming, they usually go to the sports centre; but not many people join a sports club.

Some people argue that sport is not very useful. It takes a lot of energy and time. As a result of going in for sports, people have broken legs and arms and other injuries. Besides, it makes you unhappy when you lose. A lot of people prefer to watch sports competitions rather than take part in sports. Thousands of people go to the stadiums to support their favourite teams and sportsmen. The most popular spectator sports are football, hockey and figure skating. Most of the important competitions are televized, and people enjoy watching sports programmes on TV. They needn't buy tickets and go to a stadium, especially in cold and rainy weather. But certainly watching sports events and going in for sports arc two different things.

In my opinion, people can't do without sport. Sport plays an important role in our lives. I think sport helps us in different ways.

First of all, it helps us to stay in good shape, to keep fit and to be wealthy. It makes people strong, fast and agile. What is more, sport builds character; it teaches us to win and to lose. It makes us more organized and better disciplined in our daily activities. Besides, it is a good way to meet people and to make new friends.

Sport is an essential part of our everyday life. To have a healthy mind, you must have a healthy body. But to be healthy, it is not necessary to become a professional sportsman. You may go in for sports just for pleasure, when you have free time. Some people jog every morning, some follow fitness classes shown on TV. Young people usually put on their roller-skates and skate in the streets and parks. A lot of young people spend their holidays hiking. It doesn't cost much and it is a really good way of getting away from crowds.

Physical education is an important subject at school. It helps pupils to keep fit and to relax after a hard working day. Each school has sports facilities. A lot of different competitions are usually held at school and a great number of pupils take
part in it. That's why I think sport is so popular in our country.

1. What kinds of sport are popular in Russia? 2. Are you against or for sports? 3. What are the advantages of going in for sports? 4. What are the disadvantages of going in for sports? 5. Is sport important to you? Why? 6. Do you go in for sports? Why? 7. What is your favourite kind of sport? 8. Do you like to watch sports competitions? What competitions do you like to watch? 9. When outstanding sportsmen/women do you know? 10. Which do you prefer, to take part in sports or to watch it on TV? Why? 11. Why do some people prefer to watch sports competition and not to god for sports?