2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR 9

Weekend Worksheet 13 STHS

Date: December 15-18, 2023

PART A: READING COMPREHENSION

I. Read the article and answer the questions.
World Cup Starts
Football or soccer? Names could vary. But every four years, World Cup fans feel the same.
Almost 3 billion viewers are expected to join the world's most-watched sporting event.
Thirty-two national teams with the best players in the world compete against each other.
They want to become world champions in this worldwide sport.
Football is the most popular sport in the world. It
just needs an empty field and something round to
kick. The rules are simple: shoot the ball at the goal
without using your hands. Defenders cannot touch
the ball except for the goalkeeper. The game seems
effortless. However, players operate as a team and
perform incredible feats of skill. National teams participate in the World Cup. This heats
the tournament. Football season differs. Top players compete for international clubs. But
for the World Cup, they play for their own country. For instance, Lionel Messi is a famous
player in a French football team. He will play for Argentina at the World Cup.
Qatar hosted the 22nd World Cup this year. It deviated from tradition in several respects. It
took place in the Middle East for the first time. And it was hosted by an Arab country. The
2022 World Cup was the first contested in fall instead of summer because Qatar has
scorching summers. Women were appointed as referees in men's matches for the first
time. Qatar has 3 million people. This is the smallest country to host the World Cup. It
constructed eight ultramodern stadiums in and around Doha, Qatar's capital. Handling 1.5
million international fans cost billions extra.
Thirty-two teams start the competition in four groups. They'll battle forward. The
underdogs want to surprise football superpowers such as Argentina, Brazil, the
Netherlands, and Spain on the group stage. These four teams are favored to win the Cup
this year. Success means reaching the knockout stage of 16. Then they go to the
championship match on December 18.

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 The World Cup is the world's largest celebration of the sport's most popular sport. Whether
the teams win or lose, fans from all countries and backgrounds will celebrate and console
one another. They will also share a passion for what has been called "the beautiful game."

1. Which of these is most important to use in a summary of the previous article?

a. There are many names for football throughout the world.
b. The World Cup is both a competition and a football festival.
c. The World Cup starts with four-team groups of football.
d. In football, players can collaborate and display their skills.

2. Think about the article. What distinguishes the 2022 World Cup from earlier World Cup
competitions?
a. In 2022, only international clubs will compete; however, national teams have competed
in previous editions.
b. In 2022, only male referees will be allowed in the stadium, whereas previous
tournaments included female referees.
c. In the past, World Cups were held in the summer. The 2022 World Cup will be held in
the fall.
d. The Middle East hosted previous World Cups, but Argentina will host 2022.

3. Which of the following supports the idea that football is a sport anyone can play?
a. It just needs an empty field and something round to kick.
b. Getting to the 16th round is a sign of success.
c. The World Cup in Qatar this year will be the 22nd one.
d. But players work as a team and show off exceptional skills.

4. Read this text from the article:

“Almost 3 billion viewers are expected to join the world's most-watched sporting event.
Thirty-two national teams with the best players in the world compete against each
other.”
Which words from this text help you understand the word compete?
a. the best players.
b. 32 national teams.
c. expected to join.
d. against each other.

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 PART B: VOCABULARY
I. Match the words with their meanings.
1. referee (n) ____ A. an act that shows courage or strength
2. console (v) ____ B. a place where many people go to watch a sport
3. feat (n) ____ C. a team or person who is not likely to win
4. underdogs (n) ____ D. to make someone who feels sad or disappointed feel better
5. stadium (n) ____ E. who makes sure the rules are followed in football matches

PART C: USE OF ENGLISH

I. Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

I _______________ (live) in Washington at the time in a

third-floor apartment. It __________ (be) about one
o'clock and I ___________ (sleep). Out of a sudden, I
_____________ (wake up). I _______________ (hear) a
dog barking loudly outside my window.
I ________________ (get up) and _____________
(look) out. It __________ (be) so dark, but I could see that somebody _________________
(climb) up a ladder towards my bedroom window. I quickly ___________ (call) the police. I
was explaining the situation when I __________ (hear) a knock on the window. My
roommate was there. He _____________ (wave) and _______________ (shout), "Please let
me in. I can't find my keys!"

PART D: Writing

Write a paragraph (around 100 words) about the following topic.

Think of an important sports match you watched with

your family.

- What happened?
- How did you feel on that significant day?
- What happened during and after that match?

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Check your progress:

 I have scanned the text to find specific information. _____

 I have used past perfect accurately. _____
 I was able to identify a range of vocabulary meanings. _____
 I have used enough information to support my writing. _____
 I have checked my spelling and punctuation. _____

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!