Listening Practice Through Dictation Level 1 – Topic: Sports and Health

W:   Did you watch the Boston marathon?
M:   Yes, I went to Boston to see it.
W:   You were in Boston for the marathon?
M:   That’s right. My friend is a runner, so I went there to watch her run. We traveled to Boston together.
W:   You are so lucky! Which part of the marathon did you see?
M:   I watched the entire race, from start to finish.
W:   I don’t know how the runners can finish the whole race! It’s so long and difficult! I could never do something like that.
M:   I tried to run a marathon once. It was really difficult. I just can’t run like my friend can.
W:   Yes, running a marathon is not an easy thing to do. By the way, how did your friend do in the race?
M:   She did quite well! She was not the fastest runner, but she was in the top 50.

B :   Racquetball is a popular sport. It was first played in the US. This game started just a little more than 50 years ago. That makes it quite a new sport.
Other racket sports like tennis and squash have been played for a long time. Racquetball rules are a mix of rules from both handball and squash. A short racket is used to play this game.
This game became popular almost at once when it first came out. More and more people wanted to play it. Clubs began to build racquetball courts. They built these courts for players of this new sport.
People of all ages can play this game. But most players today are young people. Most of
them are between the ages of 12 and 34. Racquetball is now a famous sport. It is played all over the world.

B :   Hi, Alice. What have you been doing? You look tired.
G :   I stayed up late last night to watch the Olympics. We won a gold medal for men’s
basketball. We also won the silver medal for women’s tennis.
B :   That’s great! What about gymnastics?
G :   The men’s team didn’t do so well. But the women’s team won the silver medal.
B :   I haven’t had much time to watch, but I saw the opening ceremony.
G :   What have you been doing this summer?
B :   I’ve been playing baseball and taking swimming lessons.
G :   I like to watch baseball. Maybe I can come and watch your team play some time. When do you usually play?
B :   We have a game this weekend. Why don’t you come and watch us play in the park?
G :   Sure! Just let me know what time the game starts. See you later.
B :   Bye!

B :   Oh! My legs are so sore!
G :   Really? What did you do during the weekend?
B :   I went inline skating with my friends at the park.
G :   Did you have fun?
B :   Yes, I did. But it was also my first time, so it was really difficult. I was scared that I would fall down. After a short time, my muscles were really tired.
G :   Next time will be easier. You just need more practice.
B :   What about you? What did you do during the weekend?
G :   Actually, I also went inline skating. I go every weekend with my father. We usually skate about 20 kilometers each time.
B :   Wow! How can you skate so far? Your muscles must be really strong.
G :   I’ve been skating for three years now. You could skate that far, too. You just need to build up your muscles. Let’s go skating together next weekend.
B :   OK!

W:   The Olympic Games are a famous world sports event. These games are held once in four years. There are summer games and winter games.
People come from countries all over the world to compete in the games. These games started a long time ago in Greece. In those days, only men took part in them. There were only a few sports events.
Now, women take part in the Olympic Games, too. There are team sports, like basketball. There are martial arts, like judo. More and more types of sports are in the games each time they are held.
It is very hard to win a medal at these games. Only world champions take part in the Olympics. Those who compete must work hard for years. Their bodies must be very fit. They must be the best to win medals in these games.