Unit 7

Track 3-7-ol-1

Alfredo:    Well, Ivan, now that final exams are finished, what are you going to do?

Ivan:                   That’s easy, Alfredo. Take a break! I’m exhausted. How about you?

Alfredo:    Same here. I need to rest for a couple of days. Then I’m going on a trip next week.

Ivan:                   Where are you going?

Alfredo:    My wife and I are going to the Vista View Resort.

Ivan:                   That sounds relaxing.

Alfredo:    Actually, it’s going to be kind of busy…in a fun way. They have lots of activities there…horseback riding, skydiving…

Ivan:                   Skydiving?! Are you going to do that?

Alfredo:    No, I’m going for the scuba diving.

Ivan:                   I don’t know you were a scuba diver.

Alfredo:    I’m not…yet. We’re going to take lessons when we get there. By the end of the trip, I’ll be ready to try my first real dive.

Ivan:                   That sounds like fun. I wish I could go…but my kids are too small. They’re only 10 and 12 years old.

Alfredo:    You know, they’re not too young. There’s a “junior” program to prepare kids for scuba diving. You should check it out.

Ivan:                   I should, but I know my wife. She’ll never agree to it. She’s afraid of the water.

Alfredo:    Well, here’s a brochure if you’re interested. Like I said, they have other activities beside scuba diving. They also have a full-service spa. Maybe your wife would enjoy it.

Ivan:                   Now that’s an idea!

Track 3-7-ol-3

My favorite hobby is nature photography. I’ve been taking pictures outdoors for more than ten years. In that time, I’ve traveled to several national parks in my country. I’ve also visited Mexico and Brazil. I like to take pictures of birds and animals. I’ve gotten some really nice photos, but sometimes I can’t find my favorite pictures. That’s because I haven’t put them in albums yet!

Track 3-7-ol-5

Adventurous race

It’s a team sport. It includes mountain climbing, biking, boating, and trail running. It has lots of “special events” – like climbing over a 5-meter wall, and carrying a team member for 3 kilometers. What is it?

“The coolest sport I’ve ever done,” says 31-year-old Bryan Martin. He recently finished the Hawaii Adventure Race, with his team, the Outsiders. “Although everyone on our team bikes and runs every day, it was a great challenge.” His team finished fifth out of more than two hundred teams in the race.

Adventure racing is a new sport that started a few years ago. In it, teams of four people race non-stop across long distances in difficult environments, 24 hours a day. There are men’s, women’s and mixed teams. Some adventure races are just one day, but others are much longer.

In the Eco-Challenge, one of the most famous races, teams must travel 500 km in ten days. They travel by running, climbing ropes, kayaking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Every year, the Eco-Challenge is held in a different country and environment, like the jungles of Malaysia, the desert of Morocco, or the mountains of Canada.

Speed and stamina are very important for adventure racers, but there’s one more unusual thing about the sport. To win the race, all team members must finish together. If one person quits, the team is out of the race. “You have to help each other, and you really learn to work together,” says Bryan Martin. “I enjoy that most of all.”

Track 3-7-ol-7

There’s a new kind of competition happening worldwide. No, it’s not the World Cup. It’s the X Games.

In different areas of the word, athletes train and compete in their own versions of the X Games. The best athletes can advance to the global championship. At the championship teams from six regions (Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, South American, and the United States) face each other. There are summer sports (in-line skating, biking, and skateboarding) and winter ones (skiing and snowboarding). Most “X Games” are male, but there are a few women. One woman, in particular, stands out from the crowd. Her name is Fabiola da Silva. She’s an in-line skater and she comes from Brazil.

There are two different in-line skating categories: park and vert. in the park event, skaters compete on a course that has ledges, handrails, and other obstacles. In the vert event, skaters do tricks in a half pipe. Fabiola competes in both events. She has been skating for years and she has always dominated the women’s events.

Fabiola’s would like to see more women in the X Games, but she’s not afraid of the guys. Ever since she received her first pair of skates at the age of 12, she’s played with boys. Now she skates in competitions with them and she beats many of them.

Fabiola’s mother was a housekeeper. It was hard, but she saved her money to buy Fabiola’s skates. It was a good investment. Fabiola has traveled abroad for events and become famous in the skating world.

Success hasn’t gone to her head, though. She’s a typical young woman of the world: she has a boyfriend, likes to listen to rock music, and prefers healthy foods. She doesn’t seem to care much about the attention she gets.

Track 3-7-ol-9

Practice; that good; teenager; reminds; Practice makes perfect; has trouble practicing; not to worry; suggests three different songs to play; for a long time; one of his favorites