PART IV. Short Talks
Questions 1 through 3 refer to the following talk.
(W) My brother John just became a soccer referee. He will referee for the first time next month. He has been playing soccer for about three years, and he has always wanted to be a referee. A referee is a person who watches the soccer game and decides if the players are doing anything that they shouldn't be doing, like using their hands, or committing a foul, like kicking another player. It happens more often than you might expect. If the referee finds a player doing anything like this, he can give the player a penalty. If a player gets three penalties, he must leave the game. It's a very serious punishment, and the players can get very upset. Players sometimes get very angry with the referee, so it can be quite stressful. Soccer referees have to know the rules of soccer very well. My brother loves soccer and I know that he will be a great referee.
Questions 4 through 6 refer to the following talk.
(W) Some children start playing baseball when they are very young. Little children, maybe 5 to 9 years old, start by playing T-ball. T-ball is gentler than baseball, so it is a good start. In T-ball, the ball is not thrown to the hitter. It is placed on a stand and the child has three chances to hit it. As children get older, say between 10 to 15 years old, they play in Little League. Little League is a baseball organization for kids that helps them learn about the rules of baseball. A lot of children go to Little League practices after school and play games on the weekend. After that, they may play on their school baseball teams when they are in middle and high school. Baseball is a very popular sport and is played by both boys and girls, although it is more popular with boys. A lot of parents get involved with their children’s teams and go along to watch the games. Some parents even volunteer to coach the team during practice sessions. |
