SPORT IN AUSTRALIA

         A lot of Australians think you shouldn’t worry too much about life. But some things in life are really important, and to many Australian men, one of these things is sport. It’s some­thing they don’t joke about. Sport matters. In pubs, clubs and even at work you’ll often find men who can talk about only one thing — sport.     

        Australians are lucky. They have a perfect climate, and an endless amount of land. They have wonderful waves for sur­fers on their beaches. They also have a strong wish to win. Put these together and you get a lot of good sportsmen and sportswomen. In fact, Australia has a very high number of world champions, in all kinds of sports, for a country of only 16 million people.

        Around the country you’ll find plenty of opportunities for golf, squash, tennis, trail riding (horse or motorcycle), fishing and so on. Surfing is almost a religion for many Australians who follow the Waves around the country and there are a num­ber of important surfing contests.

       You’ll find football of assorted types including the unique Australian Rules Football. Then, there’s motor racing and mo­torcycle racing, horse racing, yacht racing, cricket matches and lots more.

         The best thing, of course, is to play sport yourself. But if you can’t, or you don’t want to, then you can watch other peo­ple doing it. Every year, more than 100,000 people go to the final of Australian Rules Football. Crowds of more than 90,000 watch the big cricket matches against India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England.

          There are sport happenings and holidays in Australia year round. Here are some of them.

In February there’s Regatta Day with boat races and other water activities.

        In June in Darwin the Beer Can Regatta takes place when there are boat races for boats constructed entirely out of beer cans — there are plenty of those in the world’s beer drinking capital.

         In August in the Northern Territory camel racing is on in Alice Springs, and then the Apex Rodeo is held, one of the big­gest rodeo in Australia — the town fills up with cowboys.

        Meanwhile in Sydney, Australian biggest race takes place with 25,000 competitors running the 14 km from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach in the city race. In September attention is at­tached to Melbourne where Australian Football Cup takes place. Australian Football is played in Australia only. This is a game where two teams of 18 players. The players are allowed to play with their legs and arms. The participation in the game demands great physical strength and ^ѵегУoften injured play­ers are carried away from the field or are replaced by other players. Grand Australian Football Cup is the biggest sports competition of the year.

        On the first Tuesday of November the greatest horse race for Melbourne Cup is held. It is a public holiday in Victoria but the whole country shuts down for the three minutes or so which the race takes.

       In December the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race starts on the 26th, a fantastic sight as the yachts stream out of the harbour and head south.       

QUESTIONS:

1.  What do a lot of Australians think?

2.  Why are Australians lucky?

3.  What is surfing for many Australians?

4.  Where do more that 100 000 people go every year?

5.  What takes place in June in Darwin?

6.  When does Alice Springs fill up with cowboys?

7.  When does sporting attention turn to Melbourne?

8.  Where is Australian Rules Football played?

VOCABULARY:

to worry — волноваться

to joke — шутить

beach — пляж

contest — соревнование

to take place — проходить

to hit — ударять

racing — гонки

to shut down — прекращать работу

to stream out — выплывать

to head south — держать курс на юг