NARRATOR:
You will hear two sports science students, Thomas and Jeanne, discussing Thomas' sporting background and experiences.
NARRATOR:
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.
NARRATOR:
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.
JEANNE:
So how are you finding the course so far, Thomas?
THOMAS:
Really good, actually.
JEANNE:
What made you choose sports science?
JEANNE:
Back at school, were you hoping to become a professional athlete?
THOMAS:
Yes, that was definitely my ambition.
THOMAS:
The other students always expected me to do well.
THOMAS:
They thought I was exceptionally talented.
JEANNE:
It must have been nice to be seen that way.
THOMAS:
I honestly believed I could win almost anything.
THOMAS:
In running events, I was usually the quickest.
JEANNE:
So, what changed?
JEANNE:
Did your parents want you to concentrate on academic work instead?
THOMAS:
No, they supported me.
THOMAS:
Looking back, though, I probably didn't apply myself as much as I could have.
JEANNE:
What do you mean?
THOMAS:
I relied on natural ability and didn't put enough time into practice.
JEANNE:
What made you realize that?
THOMAS:
I was chosen for a two-week training program in Kenya.
JEANNE:
That must have been a surprise.
THOMAS:
They had selected young runners from all over the country and we trained beside some outstanding teenage athletes.
THOMAS:
I felt incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity.
THOMAS:
But competing with them showed me that I wasn't as good as I'd imagined.
JEANNE:
That sounds like a serious shock.
THOMAS:
At first, I simply couldn't accept that it was happening.
JEANNE:
That must have been difficult.
THOMAS:
I've moved on from it.
THOMAS:
This university course suits me much better because it introduces us to such a wide range of sports-related fields.
JEANNE:
That's one of the main reasons I chose it, too.
NARRATOR:
Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.
NARRATOR:
Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
THOMAS:
We need some ideas for next week's discussion session on technology and sport.
JEANNE:
And we're supposed to include examples from several different sports.
JEANNE:
We could look at how pieces of sporting equipment developed over time.
THOMAS:
Take table tennis bats.
THOMAS:
Early ones were eventually covered with rubber that had small raised pimples.
JEANNE:
Weren't the very first bats just made of wood?
THOMAS:
Then in the 1920s, a factory was turning out long rubber strips for horse harnesses on a large scale.
JEANNE:
I wouldn't have connected that with table tennis.
THOMAS:
Someone did and realized the rubber was ideal for covering a bat.
JEANNE:
What about cricket?
JEANNE:
Perhaps we could discuss changes to leg pads.
THOMAS:
I checked that online, but the pads haven't altered much.
THOMAS:
The first cricket helmet appeared in 1978, though.
THOMAS:
The Australian batsman wearing it was booed by the crowd because they thought it looked ridiculous.
JEANNE:
At least it offered protection.
JEANNE:
Now helmets are standard.
THOMAS:
That's different from cycling helmets.
JEANNE:
Yes, professional cyclists use them, but many people riding ordinary bikes still choose not to.
THOMAS:
The older designs looked rather like an upside-down bowl.
JEANNE:
There's a photograph here of a woman wearing one.
JEANNE:
She seems very pleased with it.
THOMAS:
Even so, riders working hard often ended up with their hair soaked from the heat inside.
JEANNE:
Modern helmets have openings that let air circulate so the skin can breathe.
THOMAS:
We could move on to golf balls and clubs.
THOMAS:
Golf clubs have changed a lot.
JEANNE:
The early clubs were entirely wooden, and they snapped so readily that players had to get new ones quite often.
THOMAS:
Clubs aren't made of wood now, are they?
JEANNE:
Newer materials also allow players to hit the ball much farther.
THOMAS:
Is hockey equipment similar?
JEANNE:
Hockey sticks are still made from wood, and in the early days players commonly shaped their own because there were no ready-made ones to buy.
THOMAS:
So they weren't being produced commercially.
THOMAS:
What could we say about footballs?
JEANNE:
The earliest balls were made from animal skin.
THOMAS:
Later, stitched leather was used, but it absorbed water whenever matches were played in the rain.
JEANNE:
Which made the ball increasingly heavy.
THOMAS:
And repeatedly heading that weight could damage a player's neck.
JEANNE:
That sounds painful.
THOMAS:
Well, I think we can put together some useful ideas.
NARRATOR:
That is the end of Part 3.
NARRATOR:
You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 3.
