TheFA Cup

英国大使馆文化教育处

Activity 1

Is football popular in your country？ Do people watch games from England？ Why do you think football is so popular in many parts of the world？

Activity 2

a. Read the meanings below. Can you think of the correct word（s） for each one？ 1. be in a competition trying to win：

（2 words）

2. competitions where teams play against each other and get points if they win：

3. earning money for doing an activity：

4. how a game finishes，e.g.if a team wins， loses， etc.：

5. how long something happens for：

6. something which makes people very surprised：

7. we use this to say something is possible：

b. Now read about the FA Cup.As you read， try and find the words for each of the meanings above.

A

The FA Cup is a very special football competition. It is the oldest football competition in the world as it has been played since 1871. It is also famous for the number of football teams in England that enter.

B

More than 700 football teams take part in the competition every year. That is all of the teams from the four professional leagues and hundreds of small non-professional clubs. These clubs come from small towns and villages from around England.

C

Because there are so many teams， it lasts for a very long time. The early games are only between the small teams. After six matches， the professional teams from the third and fourth league enter and then， two games later， the biggest clubs from the Premier League.

D

Often very small clubs will play against big teams. There have been many shock results in the past. Teams from the fifth league have even won against teams from the Premier League， but a Premier League team does usually win the competition every year. However， people love the FA Cup because there is always a chance of seeing a surprise result，

Activity 3

“The FA Cup"has four parts （A-D）.Which part（s）has the information described below（1-6）？

1. the kinds of places the small clubs are from

2. why people enjoy watching the FA Cup

3. how the competition works

4. the age of the FA Cup

5. the type of team that often wins

6. the number of teams that take part in the FA Cup

Activity 4

We looked at the meaning of "take part" in the first activity. We saw it appear in the following sentence：

More than 700 football teams take part in the competition every year.

A. There are many more phrases that use the word “take"in them. Check the meaning of the following phrases in a learner dictionary.

a. take a break

b. take care of

c. take it easy

d. take advantage of

e. take place

B. Now complete the sentences below using one of the phrases. You may need to change the verb to the third person.

1. That's a red card. Chelsea only have ten men now. Can Manchester Unitedhaving an extra player？

2. I hurt my toe while playing football so l cannot play again for a while. The doctor said I need to reallyit.

3. The FA Cup final

at Wembley Stadium in London.

4. A game of football has two halves of 45 minutes. After the first half finishes， the playersfor 15 minutes before the second half begins.

5. Remember， this is just a practice game. We don't want anyone getting hurt so please

參考答案：

Activity 2 1.take part; 2.leagues; 3.professional; 4.result; 5.lasts;6.shock;7.chance Activity 31.B;2.D;3.C;4.A;5.D;6.B

Activity 4 1.take advantage of; 2.take care of; 3.takes place; 4.take a break; 5.take it easy