Module 3B Be a Sport! Activities 1 Discuss with your classmates: What kind of addictions can you name? Health Sports: Drugs can be Dangerous Our 17-year-old son dreams of a professional football career He dedicates every waking hour to getting stronger and, it appears to us, simply becoming more massive Neither my husband nor I are very big people and we are increasingly worried that some of his increase in size and strength is a result of drugs He denies using drugs, but we know that the gym where he goes has a reputation of dispensing steroids Please explain the pros and cons of these drugs How common is their use? Should we be concerned about our son’s health? March 23 Response: Many athletes are convinced, and probably for a good reason, that the drug you have named can help improve their performance In some cases, medical experts agree But the medical community warns that these drugs can be dangerous, especially when taken without medical supervision and in large doses and varied combinations often used by athletes and body builders Selma, San Diego, California Baseball Addict Addicted to Baseball According to Kevin Quirk, recovered sportsaholic and the author of the self-help paperback Not Now, Honey, I’m Watching the Game, my husband is addicted to baseball This means that five or six times a year I accompany him to the ballpark, though I care nothing about the San Francisco Giants and understand few subtleties of the game I turned to Quirk’s book for help to make Ed feel bad about his passion for baseball Ed doesn’t collect pennants and programs and display them in a sports memorabilia room He didn’t name his kids after players and dress them in tiny Giants uniforms He doesn’t paint his face in team colours These are actual behaviours sports addicts admitted to in a survey conducted by Quirk, who was, for a time, as extreme as any of them He once had a heated argument with his wife over his sports habit while having a look at the living room TV set to keep up with the game Quirk says that although the majority of sports addicts are men, women are by no means immune to the condition He describes a pregnant woman who decided to go to the game though her contractions were only ten minutes apart Quirk’s book presents many theories as to why people become obsessed with sports He thinks boys get involved with sports as a way to bond with fathers He also thinks men use sports as an escape, a way of shutting out worries or making up for what’s missing in their lives Ed didn’t buy Quirk’s explanations for why he spends so much time watching baseball and he says he is not a baseball addict Maybe he just loves the game and I just don’t There’s no point in going deeper into the subject Mary Roach, contributing editor at Health magazine Adapted from: www.medicinenet.com English Toolkit - Natural Sciences Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Sunny and warm High: 22°C Low: 12°C Tomorrow: partly cloudy High: 18°C Low: 12°C Module 3B a According to Kevin Quirk’s book, Mary’s husband is …addicted to baseball …not addicted to baseball b The pregnant woman went to the game …decided not to go to the game c Selma’s son… …doesn’t like practising sports …practises sports all day long d Doctors say… …steroids are not really dangerous .…steroids are very dangerous e Mary thinks …Ed is definitely a baseball addict …perhaps Ed just loves sports 3 ‘Your best friend is an addict He tells you his secret’ What can you to help him? Give him two pieces of advice using should and shouldn’t 4 Find information about addictions Choose one and organise a campaign at school to inform your classmates about it English Toolkit - Natural Sciences Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 2 Tick (3) the right option to complete the ideas