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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Olympic Gold Medal
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Britain Wins Olympic Skeleton Gold (20th February, 2010)

Britain won its first solo Winter Olympics gold medal for 30 years on Friday. Victory came in the women’s skeleton. Amy Williams, 27, broke the track record for the second time to take gold. Williams is Britain’s first woman gold medalist since 1952. She told reporters she could not believe her win: "Never in a million years did I think I'd come here and win gold," she said. She added: "I don't think it will sink in for weeks and weeks. It's amazing to do this for my country. I had nothing to lose here and I just went for it. I enjoyed every minute.”

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The skeleton is one of the fastest and most dangerous sports in the world. Skeleton sliders lie down on a tiny sled and go headfirst down a thin ice track. The skeleton slider has no brakes and no way to steer. Vancouver is only the fifth Winter Olympics to include the skeleton. The first was the 1928 St. Moritz Games. The event made a comeback in Salt Lake City in 2002. Very few countries have tracks for athletes to practice on. Britain has no skeleton track and Amy Williams had to practice on carpet.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	broke the track	a.	sink in
2	gold	b.	went for it
3.	Never in a	c.	record
4.	I don't think it will	d.	every minute
5.	I just	e.	million years
6.	I enjoyed	f.	medalist

Paragraph 2

1.	one of the	a.	a thin ice track
2	lie	b.	practice on carpet
3.	go head first down	c.	fastest
4.	no brakes and no	d.	comeback
5.	made a	e.	down
6.	Williams had to	f.	way to steer

LISTENING GAP FILL

Britain _______________ Winter Olympics gold medal for 30 years on Friday. Victory came in the women’s skeleton. Amy Williams, 27, _______________ record for the second time to take gold. Williams is Britain’s first woman gold medalist since 1952. She told reporters she could _______________: "Never in a _______________ think I'd come here and win gold," she said. She added: "I don't think _______________ weeks and weeks. It's amazing to do this for my country. I had nothing to lose here and I _______________. I enjoyed every minute.”

The skeleton is _______________ and most dangerous sports in the world. Skeleton sliders _______________ tiny sled and go head first down a thin ice track. The skeleton slider has no brakes and _______________. Vancouver is only the fifth Winter Olympics to include the skeleton. The first was the 1928 St. Moritz Games. The event _______________ in Salt Lake City in 2002. _______________ have tracks for athletes to practice on. Britain has no skeleton track and Amy Williams _______________ carpet.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Britain won its first (1) ____ Winter Olympics gold medal for 30 years on Friday. Victory came in the women’s skeleton. Amy Williams, 27, broke the track (2) ____ for the second time to take gold. Williams is Britain’s first woman gold medalist (3) ____ 1952. She told reporters she could not believe her win: "Never in a million years did I think I'd come here and win gold," she said. She added: "I don't think it will (4) ____ in for weeks and weeks. It's amazing to do this for my country. I had nothing to lose here and I just (5) ____ for it. I enjoyed every minute.”

The skeleton is one of the fastest and most dangerous sports in the world. Skeleton sliders (6) ____ down on a tiny sled and go head first down a thin ice track. The skeleton slider has no (7) ____ and no way to steer. Vancouver is only the (8) ____ Winter Olympics to include the skeleton. The first was the 1928 St. Moritz Games. The event (9) ____ a comeback in Salt Lake City in 2002. Very few countries have tracks for athletes to practice on. Britain has no skeleton track and Amy Williams (10) ____ to practice on carpet.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	polo	(b)	solo	(c)	halo
2.	(a)	recording	(b)	record	(c)	recorder
3.	(a)	since	(b)	for	(c)	ago
4.	(a)	tap	(b)	plug	(c)	sink
5.	(a)	did	(b)	went	(c)	took
6.	(a)	lie	(b)	lay	(c)	fly
7.	(a)	breaks	(b)	brakes	(c)	rakes
8.	(a)	fifty	(b)	five	(c)	fifth
9.	(a)	did	(b)	came	(c)	made
10.	(a)	had	(b)	must	(c)	did

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	Olympics gold lmdea
2.	broke the track dcerro
3.	she could not eileebv her win
4.	it will ksin in
5.	I had nintohg to lose
6.	I enjoyed every uietnm
Paragraph 2
7.	one of the asfttes
8.	go head tsifr
9.	no brakes and no way to erest
10.	the fhtif Winter Olympics
11.	made a bmkcecoa
12.	practice on partec

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	weeks. It's amazing to do this for my country. I had nothing to lose here and I just went for it. I enjoyed every minute.”
( )	athletes to practice on. Britain has no skeleton track and Amy Williams had to practice on carpet.
( )	Games. The event made a comeback in Salt Lake City in 2002. Very few countries have tracks for
( 1 )	Britain won its first solo Winter Olympics gold medal for 30 years on Friday. Victory came in the women’s
( )	woman gold medalist since 1952. She told reporters she could not believe her win: "Never in a million years
( )	did I think I'd come here and win gold," she said. She added: "I don't think it will sink in for weeks and
( )	tiny sled and go head first down a thin ice track. The skeleton slider has no brakes and no way to
( )	skeleton. Amy Williams, 27, broke the track record for the second time to take gold. Williams is Britain’s first
( )	The skeleton is one of the fastest and most dangerous sports in the world. Skeleton sliders lie down on a
( )	steer. Vancouver is only the fifth Winter Olympics to include the skeleton. The first was the 1928 St. Moritz

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	its Winter medal won solo gold Britain first Olympics.
2.	1952 since medalist gold woman first Britain’s.
3.	believe win She not her could.
4.	for amazing my to country do this It's.
5.	to here I nothing lose had.
6.	fastest and One most of dangerous the sports.
7.	track down a Go thin head ice first.
8.	no skeleton has brakes The slider.
9.	made in City event comeback Lake The a Salt.
10.	practice carpet Williams to on had.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about gold medals for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about the skeleton event. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about gold medalists. Include imaginary interviews with a gold medalist and a silver medalist. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a Vancouver gold medalist. Ask him/her three questions about gold medals. Give him/her three of your opinions on the Vancouver Olympic Games. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Olympic Gold Medal (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)