EN Podcast: Sports – Irene in the UK (CEFR level A1 and above)

What sports are popular in the UK and USA? Practise your listening with Brittany and Irene.

Sports – Irene in the UK

Some people play sports for fun while others play sports as an occupation while others love to watch sports in stadiums, sports centers, parks or even on TV.

Most sports are played with a round object often known as a ball.

The most popular sports, such as football, basketball, cricket, handball, tennis, rugby and volleyball are just a few sports that use a ball.

Some sports, such as football and cricket, are really popular in the UK but not in the USA. In the USA, people often play basketball and baseball.

You cannot forget about the great Olympics that bring games from all over the world every four years.

Our trivia question for this podcast is: How many sports do you think there are in the world: 500, 3,000 or 8,000? You have to wait until the end to find out.

Let’s listen to a story about a girl named Irene who loves sports.

Hello, my name is Irene, and I am 12 years old. I live In the UK where football and cricket are the most popular sports. Today I met my new gym teacher. He was really nice. He told us all the sports we will play during the school year. I was really excited. We are going to play tennis, football, basketball and handball. That is a lot of sport. I am good at football and basketball. I did not know what handball was, so I searched it on Google to see what it is. Handball is similar to football but with your hands. You have 2 teams, and you have to pass the ball to your teammates while trying to throw the ball in the other team’s goal. It sounds fun as long as I don’t get hit with the ball. My gym teacher said that if it’s raining outside, we will play tennis inside, but I prefer to play regular tennis, even though I am not good at it, because I have enough space to run around the tennis court.

A sport’s center just opened in my town. There is a gym, a swimming pool, a tennis court, rock climbing and a football field.

My mum lets me go to the sports center every Tuesday and Thursday. She only lets me go when I finish my homework. I take my swimsuit and go to the sports center for swimming lessons. I have so much fun with my swim team. We learn amazing tricks every day. At the end of the month, we are going to have a swimming competition. I think when I grow up, I am going to make swimming my occupation. I love the water. On Fridays, I like going rock climbing at the sports center. This is a new sport for me that I have started. I used to be very scared of rock climbing because it’s so high, but my coach taught me how to climb the wall safely. On Saturdays, when my dad does not have to work, he plays basketball with me and my two brothers. I really enjoy playing sports.

Do you love sports as much as Irene does?

Now let’s review.

What sports are popular in the United Kingdom?

The answer is football and cricket.

What sports are popular in the United States?

The answer is basketball and baseball.

What sports will Irene play in gym class?

The answer is tennis, football, basketball and handball.

What sport does Irene want to make her occupation?

The answer is swimming.

What sport does Irene play with her dad and brothers on Saturday?

The answer is basketball.