Task 1: Gap-FillSome words have been removed from the following text. Can you find where they fit? Choose from the words in the box below. NB: There are two extra words that you won’t need to use. (source: www.ylt.com/extremeactivities/)

Task 2: SpeakingMatch the following sports activities with their English names, then discuss the questions with your partner.

• Have you ever tried any extreme sports?• If ‘YES’,

--where did you do it?; what was it like?; why did you choose that particular sport?

• If ‘NO’,--would you like to try them?; why/why not?

• Which do you think is the most dangerous? Why?• Are extreme sports only for the young and the rich? Why/Why not?• What can you achieve by doing extreme sports?• Is it worth risking your safety, health and life when you do extreme sports?

airforopportunitydesirelostadrenalinebuzzsportsseapasséagainstability

Extreme Sports – when traditional sports seem _____________and don’t give you the same___________, you might develop a ______________to push the limits of physical_________________, to go right to the edge, and beyond. If so, you may well be in the process of becoming an ___________________junkie…

Have no fear, all is not____________– you can get your kicks from extreme sports! Pit your skill and determination _________________ the elements, on snow or cliff faces, in the ______________or water, over land and___________________–there are extreme ___________ activities just waiting for you to get stuck into!

parasailing

wing suit flying

canyoning

bungee jumping

zorbing

surfing

BASE jumping

BMX jump

Task 3: MatchingRead about the origins of some extreme sports and find out which they refer to.

Task 4: VocabularyRead the texts above once more. Which words do the following definitions refer to?

• frightening ___________________• move or push forward ___________________• word formed from the initial letters of a group of words __________________• condition of your body with regard to strength ____________________• eccentric, crazy ____________________• wires twisted together ____________________• where nobody lives ____________________• going down ____________________

Task 5: WritingTake side and write an argumentative essay of about 200 words with the title:

Extreme Sports Are the Only Way for You to Prove Your Courage

______________________ became very popular during the 1950-60s with the baby boomer generation on the US West Coast. They adopted and modified the Hawaiian practice of wave riding - where individuals are propelled across the water by the force of waves, while standing on a flat, wide board.

______________________is one of those wacky extreme activities that could only have come out of New Zealand! The great thing about it is that you don’t need to do any special training or fitness regimes to participate, though a strong constitution would certainly help! The equipment needed for this is a gigantic inflatable PVC ball standing about three metres in height, which contains another smaller ball that is suspended into position by thousands of nylon strands which act as shock absorbers during the ride.The equipment is stood at the top of a hill. Once you are secure in the safety harness, you await gravity to take over as it starts its descent and you are sent rolling head over heels downhill.

As if parachuting wasn’t scary enough, __________________________sees participants jump from fixed objects before using a parachute to land! It is an acronym that stands for the four categories of objects from which one can jump: a building, an antenna (an uninhabited tower such as an aerial mast), a span (a bridge, arch or dome), and earth (a cliff or other natural formation).It is much more dangerous than skydiving from aircraft. Its first recorded instance was that of Frederick Law, who jumped from the viewing platform of the Statue of Liberty in 1912.