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Mixer #129 | Intermediate B1

What should be an Olympic sport?

Six people discuss what sport should be in the Olympics.

Tim / United States
speakerI think the Olympics focus a little too much on physical strength and prowess, so I would like to see something that is more skilled-base. So, if you could have a type of craft that people would work on, so have competitive chair building or competitive brick stacking. People build something and whoever does the best one wins the gold medal.

Shifani / New Zealand
speakerI pick sumo wrestling. Absolutely, sumo wrestling. I think they're fantastic players. They're absolutely fantastic in the way they play the ritual they follow, so it's an excellent sport.

Katia / Mexico
speakerI think one sport that I would like to see in the Olympics would be ballroom dancing. It's quite competitive. There are many good couples and singles that can do a very good job. So, I think ballroom dancing would be a really competitivesport for the Olympics.

Alex / Australia
speakerI was actually in the Olympics program for taekwondo when I was fifteen and stopped. So, I gave that up, because it was just far too much, practicing every day after school and then all day Saturday and Sunday. I preferred to live my life than getting gold medals, so ... which I probably would not have received anyway. So, yeah, I was able to do taekwondo. However, since then, since I did give it up, it's just gone down the toilet, I'd say.

Mike / Singapore
speakerMy choice would be chess for the Olympic. I think it can be a sport, because it uses a lot of mental strength. So, that would be my choice.

Adria / United States
speakerI don't think I would add any, but I would definitely take some away. There are several sports that I don't like in the Olympics. I know that curling is actually an old sport, but I don't like it. And I think it's boring and doesn't require the right skill for the Olympics.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson!

prowess

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I think the Olympics focus a little too much on physical strength and prowess.

When you have a lot of prowess at something, you are very skilled at it. Notice the following:

  1. He was a lot of prowess in fishing.
  2. She showed prowess in the battlefield.

ritual

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They're absolutely fantastic in the way they play the ritual they follow.

A ritual is a procedure you always do in a certain situation. Notice the following:

  1. Many athletes follow a ritul before every match.
  2. There is a ritual at each church service.

competitive

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I think ballroom dancing would be a really competitive sport for the Olympics.

When you are competitive you love winning and hate losing. Notice the following:

  1. Usually, on competitive companies survive.
  2. Students like games because the are fun and competitive. They want to win.

give up

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I gave taekwando up, because it took too much time.

If you give something up, you stop doing it on a regular basis, usually for some reason. Notice the following:

  1. I used to ski a lot, but I gave it up after I hurt my knee.
  2. She gave up drinking as soon as she got pregnant.

go down the toilet

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My skills have gone down the toilet.

When something does down the toilet, that means it worsens in condition. Notice the following:

  1. With the bad economy, my savings has gone down the toilet.
  2. My grades are going down the toilet this term.

 

Vocabulary Quiz

down the toilet • give up • prowess
ritual • competitive
  1. Recently my love life has gone .
  2. I have to fast food if I want to lose weight.
  3. He is very . He hates losing.
  4. Most weddings have some sort of to them.
  5. He has a lot of on the trading floor.
Answer the following questions about the interview.

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Mixer Video 129
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