Skim read the text for one minute before moving on to answer the questions on the next page.
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was developed in France in the 1980s by Raymond Belle and later by his son David Belle and his friends. It is based on military obstacle course training. The aim is to get from one point to another in any way you can, and express yourself while doing so. There are no limits on how you move in parkour: running, climbing, swinging, jumping, rolling and any other types of movement are possible. Parkour is more of a philosophy or set of ideas than a sport. It is a new way of seeing the environment and finding ways to go over, under, around, across or through obstacles.
can be done alone or in groups. The most famous group of traceurs (people who do parkour) were the Yamakasi, a group made up of David Belle and his friends and cousins. They formed in the late 1980s and became popular during the 1990s and 2000s after appearing in several films, documentaries and advertisements. In the Yamakasi, there were strict rules. Members had to arrive on time and they were not allowed to complain or make excuses. They valued humility, so they were not allowed to show off or compete with other members. |
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| is a 'state of mind'. It is about getting over mental as well as physical barriers. It teaches people to touch the world and interact with it. It is about understanding what it means to be human. The organisation Parkour.net believes that parkour can never be a competitive sport. It is an art and is concerned with self-development. They say you can't ask, 'Who is the best at parkour?' Raymond Belle's advice is: 'If two roads open up before you, always take the more difficult one. Because you know you can travel the easy one. |
| are some gyms and camps where you can practise and learn parkour. However, many traceurs do not like the idea of special places for their activity. The idea behind parkour is to adapt to any environment and be creative about how you get through it. It is about freedom and self expression. The founder of parkour refused to teach people how to do moves or get over obstacles. The whole point is to learn your own technique and way of moving. So the idea of having classes or a limited space to practise in conflicts with the values of parkour. |
| is also known as free running. Sometimes free running refers to another form of parkour developed by Sebastien Foucan, which has more focus on the individual. The term free running came out of the filmJump London (2003). It told the story of three French traceurs practising parkour around the famous monuments of London. Free running was the English translation of parkour. There are more similarities than differences between the two activities, and the Parkour UK website uses the two terms to refer to the same activity. |
| Be careful of words like some, often, occasionally that change the meaning of a sentence. For example, some sports does not mean the same as many sports. |
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Questions 1-8
Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. You have to use a limited number of moves in parkour.
2. Parkour is mainly done in the countryside.
3. Parkour began in the twentieth century.
4. The Yamakasi did not allow latecomers.
5. When doing parkour, Raymond Belle recommends that you always choose the easy route.
6. There are many gyms in France where you can do parkour.
7. The founder of parkour was a very good teacher of parkour.
8. Freerunning and parkour are similar.
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Questions 9-15
Complete the summary of the text using the list ofwordsA-M below.
Parkour is an activity that involves in many different ways through different environments. People who practise parkour are called . They believe that parkour is not a sport and can never be part of a . The values of parkour are adaptability, and freedom. Parkour should not be taught because it is about discovering your own way of moving and overcoming . Although there are gyms and other places where you can learn and practise parkour, many feel that this with the values of the discipline. Freerunning is a type of parkour. However, it is more about development than parkour, which is often, but not always, done as part of a group. |
A. agrees
B. barriers
C. competition
D. conflicts
E. creativity
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F. latecomers
G. move
H. moving
I. personal
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J. respect
K. team
L. tournaments
M. traceurs
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Use the strategies you have learnt:
- Read the whole summary first.
- Decide what type of word is needed for each gap.
- Make a prediction before looking at the words given.
- Remember that there are more words than gaps.
- Read the sentence, checking for grammar and meaning.
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