Тема "Extreme Sports"

Extreme Sports

When most people talk about sports, they say that it is a useful activity. However, there are different kinds of sports which can cause people to be injured or even killed. Some people have questions in their minds about the usefulness of these sports.

Nowadays people are getting more and more interested in extreme sports which are also called action sports, adventure sports or risky sports. They gained popularity in early 1970s. This term refers to some activities which are perceived as having a high level of dander or difficulty. The extreme sport often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear or spectacular stunts.

Extreme sports have the following traits: they are dangerous (and connected) with the highest rate of injury, usually individual rather than team, are usually set in natural venues, where the weather and the relief add to their challenge.

Among te most popular extreme sports are BASE jumping, canoeing, caving, cliff jumping, freestyle motocross, hang-gliding, ice climbing, jet skis, kite-surfing, extreme hiking, mountain climbing, paragliding, rock climbing, extreme scootering, skateboarding, extreme skiing, snowboarding, surfing, windsurfing, white water rafting, sky diving and their number is rapidly increasing.

Why are extreme sports addictive? What makes people absorbed in such activities? First, they are a reaction to the safety of modern life. Psychologists believe we perform risky sports because of our fear response. Fear is an important in-born response to perceive danger. People lacked a feeling of danger in their everyday activities, and started to seek out danger or risk. Fans usually fight with their fear while jumping off cliffs, doing, for instance, cave exploration. By performing such feats, they get to know the limit of their courage and can overcome feeling of fear. Second, they represent a new youth culture and are a sort of youth rebellion against conventional sports. Then, extreme sports create the feeling of happiness and achievement and are more memorable than traditional sports. Generation of a fear response makes the brain more receptive. Endorphins is the name of chemicals released during exercise that can have a positive affect on your mood. Dopamine is present both in fear response and also when we exercise, eat or talk to loved persons. The extreme sports allow people to experience the rush or high due to increased levels of dopamine and endorphins which appear because of the high level of physical exertion. They enjoy doing this because they feel enormous satisfaction that is bigger than the feeling of the possible of risk of death. They are trying to do the best with their lives. For them, noting is compared to the emotions that they can feel. It is something that gives them motivation in their lives.

To conclude, extreme sports are advertised in mass media. As more people become aware of extreme sports, the activities gain more enthusiasts. These sports have some attractive power. One result of the growing interest in that those who pride themselves on participating in challenging activities are constantly searching for new ways to test themselves.

If you do sports, you have so many benefits. Sports play benefits for your body and your mood. However, sports should be geared to the people’s needs and abilities. Fans of these sports risk sustaining damage to their bodies or organs. The lack of suitable equipment leads to increase of the risk, too. Besides it, in extreme sports common sense can be lost. Moreover, in order to complete at the highest level of endurance, many sportsmen start taking drugs.

Word List

- to cause [tǝ kɔ:z] – быть причиной; причинять

- to gain popularity – получать популярность

- to perceive - воспринимать

- to involve speed - предполагать, быть связанным со скоростью

- physical exertion - физическое напряжение

- gear [giǝ] - оборудование, снаряжение (синоним - goods, wares, tackle, equipment)

- to gear to – приспосабливать к; ставить в зависимость от; связывать с

- a spectacular stunt - зрелищный трюк

- trait – черта

- to be connected with – быть связанным с

- rate of injury – травматичность

- team – команда

- to set in natural venues – проходить в естественных условиях

- relief – рельеф

- to add to challenge – увеличивать сложность, трудность

- base jumping - бейсджампинг

- rock climbing - скалолазание

- jet skis - водный мотоцикл

- kite surfing = серфинг на воздушном змее

- ice climbing - ледовое скалолазание

- extreme biking - экстремальный байкинг

- mountain biking - катание на горных велосипедах

- paragliding - парапланеризм

- white water rafting - рафтинг _сплав на плотах) о горным рекам

- sky diving - затяжные прыжки с парашютом

- cave exploration – спелеология

- addictive – вырабатывающий привыкание

- to make smb absorbed in smth – заставлять кого-л. погружаться во что-л., окунаться в

- fear [fiǝ] of response - реакция страха

- to seek out danger – икать опасность

- to perform a feat – совершать подвиг

- to get to know – узнавать

- courage [ʹkʌriʤ] – храбрость

- to overcome fear – преодолеть страх

- rebellion [riʹbeljǝn] against – бунт против

- conventional sports – традиционные виды спорта

- achievement – достижение

- memorable – запоминающийся

- receptive - восприимчивый

- dopamine [ʹdǝʊpǝmi:n] – допамин (нейромедиатор, вырабатываемый в мозге человека и животного)

- to experience the rush or high –испытывать острые ощущения, подъем

- increased levels – повышенный уровень

- to be advertised – рекламироваться

- to become aware of - узнавать, осознавать

- to pride oneself on – гордиться чем-л.

- challenging activity - занятие, дающее преимущество

- to search for - искать

- to test oneself - проверить себя

- to sustain [sǝʹstein] damage to - получить ущерб, травмы

- endurance [inʹdjʊǝrǝns] - выносливость, стойкость