1.2 Going to Extremes

Rellenar huecos

Listen to the dialogues. Which of the sports in the table is each person talking about? Write the letter.

1: 2:

3: 4:

5:

 

horse whitewater mountaineering  wakeboarding  parachuting

Imagen de makelessnoise
bajo licencia CC

Imagen de nukeit1 bajo
licencia CC 

Imagen de regienbb en Flickr
bajo licencia CC

Imagen de derekadk
bajo licencia CC

Imagen de Horia Varan
bajo licencia CC 
    horse riding    whitewater rafting Mountaineering    wakeboarding  parachuting

Enable JavaScript

words

Spend and Take

Look at these examples from the audioscript:

I spent most of my time in the water.

It took a long time to get my balance.

spend+ time + adverb/_ing : there is no theoretical limit to how long it continues:

I spend hours playing cards with my friends at university.

it + take + (person +) time + to + infinitive : time necessary to reach a finite point:

It took me 3 days to learn how to play.

It takes him an hour to get to work.

Ask and answer these questions with your partner

How long does it take you:

                                         to get dressed in the morning?

                                         to have a shower?

                                         to get to work/university/the centre of your town or city?

                                         to get to Madrid from your house/flat?

                                         to do the tasks in the course?

    How long do you spend:

                                            reading a day?

                                            watching TV a day?

                                            doing exercise a week?

                                            studying English a week?

                                           

Going to Extremes

extreme ironing
 Imagen de phil shaw in wikicommons bajo licencia CC

Extreme Ironing (also called EI) is an extreme sport and a performance art in which people take ironing boards to unusual locations and iron items of clothing. According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, extreme ironing is "the latest danger sport that combines the excitement of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-ironed shirt."Part of the attraction and interest the media has shown towards extreme ironing seems to centre on the issue of whether it is really a sport or not. Most people don't take it seriously.

Some locations where such performances have taken place include a mountainside of a difficult climb; a forest; in a canoe; while skiing or snowboarding; on top of large bronze statues; in the middle of a street; underwater; in the middle of the M1 Motorway;   while parachuting; and under the ice cover of a lake. The performances have been done solo or by groups.

A new concept of ironing has been developed that includes both bungee jumping and ironing clothing. Bungee ironing is what some call the ultimate in the thrill of extreme ironing.

Taken from wikipedia