Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
People around the world love watching sports. Although every sporting event is different, many people enjoy the hobby of relaxing with friends and watching sports on TV. In the US, some of the most popular types of sports are US football, played by the NFL, and basketball, played by the NBA. Also, on TV, there are usually interviews with the athletes after the game.
People love seeing their favorite athlete on the TV. However, the questions and answers in these interviews are often very similar. In fact, some people are really bored by these interviews, and they turn off the TV to avoid them. In a typical interview, an athlete will often say that they played their best and they hoped to score a lot of points.
Andy loves sports, but he’s very bored by sports interviews. Listen as he tries to explain this to Dominique, who doesn’t watch sportsball, in today’s English lesson.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Andy_H: I can’t take it anymore! I love watching sports, you know, NFL, NBA… it’s awesome, but they really have got to do away with these stupid sports interviews afterwards.
Dominique: What’s so stupid about them?
Andy_H: They say the same thing every time! They ask, “What were you thinking out there?” And the athlete answers, “Well, the coach wanted me to play good, and so I tried to do my best and score the most points.” And it’s the same thing every time. I mean, if they could ask them interesting questions that don’t have to do with the game… or… or something… but it’s just the same! Any thoughts? Do you even watch sports?
Dominique: No, I don’t.
Andy_H: OK, yeah, yeah… I have a lot of friends that refer to it as sportsball.
Dominique: Is that a sport?
Andy_H: Noooooo….
Dominique: OK, never mind. I thought I’d heard of it before.
Andy_H: OK, I guess I’m just speaking to myself…. Anyways, I may have to get another hobby if they keep interviewing these athletes.
Dominique: But isn’t that the point? To ask them questions about the game?
Andy_H: The point is to watch the game.
Dominique: And then, maybe, you can turn the TV off when the game is over.
Andy_H: Like another sporting event.
Dominique: Yeah. And you can totally avoid the interviews.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Direct vs. Reported Speech" from this lesson
Quizzes
Lesson MP3
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Discussion
Andy loves to watch almost any sporting event on TV. He enjoys US football, basketball, and many other sports. However, he doesn’t want to hear another sports interview. He tells this opinion to Dominique, who asks for more information. Andy says that the questions and answers are always the same. He wishes interviewers would ask more personal and interesting questions.
Dominique doesn’t have a strong opinion, so Andy asks if she even watches sports. The truth is that she doesn’t. In fact, Andy makes a joke about sportsball, and Dominique thinks he is talking about a real sport. Andy understands that she won’t have a strong opinion about sports interviews. However, she does have an idea for Andy… perhaps, he can just turn off the TV before the interviews begin.
What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Do you enjoy sports interviews?