1. Аудирование: понимание основного содержания прослушанного: #249849

Speaker A. I don’t play tennis, but I love watching it. As a fan and spectator, I see lots of pros of tennis compared to other sports. First of all, top-level tennis players are amazing to watch, and most tennis players are pretty easy on the eyes. When they show tennis on TV, the broadcast is always very good quality. Tennis tournaments take less time to watch than football championships, and the tennis rules are easy to understand.

Speaker B. I’ve been playing tennis for some years, and when I have a chance to go and see a tennis match live, I certainly don’t miss it. That’s different with other sports. I mean, I never feel comfortable at a football stadium full of screaming fans. Football fans in particular are notorious for their aggressive behavior and fights. Tennis is a polite sport. It’s generally a very peaceful game and isn’t violent, as some of the other well-known sports are.

Speaker C. I love both playing and watching tennis. It’s a nice game, and no country in the world dominates in tennis. I mean, there are figure skaters and there are Russians. No one is able to compete with Russian figure skaters. But with tennis, successful players are not concentrated in any one part of the world map. People from all continents and most major nations are successful in tennis, which makes this sport truly international.

Speaker D. I’ve been playing tennis since I was about seven, and I’d like to be like my parents, who are in their late 40s and still play tennis very well. My mum says it’s a sport for a lifetime, and you can play at almost any age, from four to 94, as long as you’re mobile. I play doubles because I like having a partner. It’s fun to strategise and I feel I can’t let my partner down, so that keeps me focused. Let’s see if we’ll still be able to play doubles together in 30 years from now.

Speaker E. I don’t look at tennis as an easy-going sport, because frankly it’s not. If it was, then not many people would be into it so much. To me, it’s probably one of the most competitive sports, because there’s the added psychological game that you play against your opponent, and that your opponent plays against you. Tennis is a battle of willpower and minds, which demands a high level of concentration. It’s either you win or you lose, so it’s very intense and certainly not peaceful.

Speaker F. I haven’t played tennis, but I’m thinking of taking it up mainly because of its relatively low costs. I mean, you only need to buy a pair of shoes, a racket, and some balls, and then pay to use a court if you don’t have a private one around. Of course, joining a tennis club or touring adds a lot of expense. But for most of us, regular folks, the costs of tennis are rather low. That’s why I guess tennis is worth a try. And it’s not as dangerous as, say, football.