Никоненко Тамара Петрівна

   He doesn’t usually get up till 8.30. On a match day Jim will get up even later. He’ll sit in bed, watch breakfast TV for a while, and then go down, get the mail, have a coffee and read the papers. He’ll have a wash and then he’ll get to go to the club. “Rangers” is probably the only club where the players have to come in every morning wearing a shirt and a tie; it’s a traditional thing and he quite likes it really.
   Every day except Sunday, Jim will be at the club by 10. It’s a short drive but he’ll still be a few minutes late. He has a bad reputation for being late, and that caused his being fined many times. Each day of training is in preparation for the next match. The team will do some weight training and some running to build up stamina. Players work on particular aspects of the game but tactics are usually left till match day.
   The matches themselves are always different from each other. You go through a lot of emotions during a game but really it’s a question of concentration. You’ve got just 90 minutes to give everything you’ve got and take every chance you can. There’s luck, there’s being in the right place at the right time, but you can’t make use of those without concentration and responsibility.
   Sports writers often talk about age but it’s not something that bothers Jim. He’s 30 and feels fantastic. He missed a few games last year due to injury and his place was taken by a young player at “Rangers”. They are friends but the youngster is a threat to Jim’s position. His job is to score goals and if he doesn’t he’ll be replaced.
   Jim tries not to let football rule his home life but his wife would probably disagree; last year they only got three weeks’ holiday. It’s difficult for Alison, Jim’s wife, but Jim thinks she’s learned to accept it. She likes football and comes to the matches. Her husband does like to go out and see friends but he always has dinner with his wife.
   After training Jim will usually have a sauna and then they’ll have lunch; salads and pasta, stuff like that. In the afternoon the players just try to relax. Jim started playing golf with the rest of the lads, and he loves horse racing, too. His other great hobby is music, which helps him to escape the pressure of work.
   The best thing in football is scoring goals – and Jim is a top goal-scorer. It feels absolutely fantastic but he never feels above the rest of the team; if he did, he wouldn’t last two minutes in the dressing room. Any success he has is a team success. Jim’s idol in the past was always Kenny Dalglish. His idols now are the other “Rangers” players.
   Jim usually goes to bed about midnight. Sometimes he does worry when he thinks of the day it all ends and he stops scoring. That scares him, and he can’t see himself playing for any other team, either, but the reality is that the players don’t make the decisions. If someone makes your club a good enough offer for you, they’ll accept it. But Jim tries not to let things like that bother him.
Vocabulary
stamina – виносливість
particular – окремий
responsibility – відповідальність
to bother – надокучати, турбувати
injury – пошкодження
a threat – загроза
Task 1. Decide if the sentences 1-10 are true (T) or false (F)

1. The “Glasgow Rangers” prefer to dress quite formally.
2. Every training session includes work on tactics.
3. Jim doesn’t seem to like discipline very much.
4. Luck is necessary for a football player.
5. Jim is not going to retire yet.
6. Jim and Allison’s marriage is not quite happy.
7. The “Rangers” usually have one training session a day.
8. The players do not seem to be too friendly to each other.
9. Jim usually has enough sleep at night.
10. Jim is always sure in his future.

Task 2. Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to each question:
1. In the morning Jim usually has …
a) only coffee
b) only breakfast
c) coffee and breakfast
d) tea and juice
2.  Training session in “Glasgow Rangers” normally take place …
a) 7 days a week
b) 6 days a week
c) 5 days a week
d) every other day
3. The “Glasgow Rangers” players sometimes have to …
a) play football
b) arrive a few minutes in advance
c) miss training sessions
d) pay money for being late
4. For Jim, playing football is rather a chance …
a) to socialize
b) to express his personality
c) to perform in front of the audience
d) to escape from his wife
5. The main thing for a good football player is …
a) intelligence
b) physical condition
c) ability to focus
d) fortune
6. Jim’s wife …
a) is a good support for her husband
b) only pretends she likes football
c) has always felt the same way
d) likes to play football herself
7. Jim seems to be …
a) a very sociable person
b) a reserved man
c) a bad husband
d) a good eater
8. The “Glasgow Rangers” players normally have spare time…
a) in the morning
b) at night
c) in the afternoon
d) on weekends
9. It looks like Kenny Dalglish was …
a) an example of a team player
b) a very selfish man
c) a very unpleasant person
d) a hermit
10. Jim is aware of the fact …
a) football players have to quit after 30
b) he can be sold to another team
c) it is hard to go to bed at midnight
d) he will never score a goal any more

Завдання Всеукраїнських учнівських олімпіад з англійської мови/ Упоряд. О.С. Любченко. – Х.: Вид. група “Основа”, 2005. – С. 96-98