December Week One

This week, we turned to the topic of professional sports.  The current Qatar World Cup as brought up a lot of issues about the state of sports today.

Listening:
Learners can check out some listening comprehension activities about professional athletes: FCE listening, and Ann Brown.

For original version listening, check out a podcast episode, for instance Throughline's episode Qatar's World Cup or from NYT Qatar’s Big Bet on the World Cup.

Reading:
Learners can try reading an article from Voice of America English such as FIFA: ‘Most Important Project’ Is Not World Cup

For original version, check out any of the fascinating articles from the Qatar Beyond the Football series from the Guardian.

Reading:
This week for writing, please write an article about professional sports. Here are some possible prompts:

• Sports are part of the solution to the current mental health crisis.
  
• Can virtual reality substitute real training?
  
• Discuss the effective way of working out at home.
  
• Why do major sports events leave host countries suffering?
  
• Should male and female athletes be paid equally?
  
• Chess players deserve more recognition.
• The government should ban all types of animal sports.
• Can artistic sports be judged fairly?
• Many current sports organizations are corrupt and should be reformed.
• Why don’t good athletes always make good coaches?
• Why do more females need to participate in male-dominated sports?
• Should violent sports be banned?
• Sports can unite people more than politicians.
• Athletes should not retire at the peak of their careers.
• Practicing sports makes a person more proactive.
• Sporting activities boost confidence and self-esteem.

Best,
Kelly