DICTATION 5

       Many people’s favorite hobby is sports. They spend much of their spare time playing team games like football or baseball, games for two or four people, like tennis, or golf or practising an individual sport like running, parachuting or swimming. People usually practice a sport for at least two reasons. First they enjoy it and second, they feel a need to keep fit in that they feel better after they have had some exercise.

       But sport is not just for participants. It’s for spectators too. Millions of people all over the world spend hours every week watching sports events on television, or at stadiums. People enjoy being “fans” or supporters of one team or one particular sports personality, and many professionals are now as popular and famous as the greatest Hollywood movie stars.

       Of course, spectators particularly enjoy watching international matches and contests, and events such as the Olympic Games or the World Cup attract more and more spectators as time goes by.