Unit 14:
THE WORLD CUP
A . Reading
Before you read
Work with a partner. Answer the following question.
Where was the 2002 World Cup held?
 The 2002 World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan.
Which team became the champion then?
 Brazil became the champion.
Which team was the runner-up?
. Germany was the runner-up.
While you read
Read the following passage and then do the tasks that follow.
World Cup, the international football tournament, is held every four years. It is considered the most popular sporting event in the world. The World Cup is followed with passionate interest around the globe - the final game of the 2002 World Cup tournament attracted more than one billion viewers.
In 1940, FIFA, the governing body for football, was set up. At its first meeting, FIFA planned to organize a world championship. But it was not until 1930 that the first World Cup was held. Only 13 teams took part in the first tournament. The host nation, Uruguay, gained a victory over Argentina in the final and became the first champion in the history of the World Cup. By 2002, the world had witnessed 17 World Cup tournament. National football teams must now compete in elimination games within their own regions before becoming one of the 32 finalists.
The 2002 World Cup final was jointly held by Japan and South Korea. It was the first time the World Cup was played in Asia and the first time it was hosted by two nations. With the victory over Germany in the final match, Brazil became the first team to win the trophy five times. Although Europe and South America are the only continents to have produced World Cup champions, countries on other continents hope that one day they will win the honoured title.
Task 1. The words in A appear in the reading passage. Match them with their definitions in B.
Task 2. Scan the text and complete each of the following sentences with a word or a number.
Only teams competed in the first World Cup.
Today the final tournament of the World Cup has teams.
The teams which was defeated in the first World Cup final was .
The final match of the 2002 World Cup attracted a television audience of over billion viewers.
After FIFA `s first meeting, years had passed before the first World Cup was held in Uruguay.
13
32
Argentina
one
26
Task 3. Read the text again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false ones.
The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1904.
The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930.
The World Cup is held every two years.
The World Cup is held every four years.
The World Cup is regarded as the world championship of the sport.

Germany and Brazil played in the final match of the 2002 World Cup

Brazil is the country that has played five times in the World Cup.
Brazil is the country that has won five times in the World Cup.
After your read: Work in group. Talk about the events mentioned in the passage, using the following figures as cues.
1904 13 1930 17 32 2002
1940 is the year when FIFA was set up.
13 is the number of the teams took part in the first tournament.
1930 is the year when the first World Cup was held.
17 is the number of World Cup tournament that the world had witnessed.
32 is the number of national football teams become the finalists
2002 is the year when World Cup was jointly held by Japan and South Korea.
The end