Module 3
Unit 4
Lesson 1
Student’s Book pages 34-35
Recreation
Before you begin
1 Read the title of the unit. Do you know what it means? How do you think it is related to the photographs above?
Answers
Students’ own answers
2 DW Read the words in the box. What sport links all these words? Check the meaning of any words you don’t know in the Activity Book glossary or in a dictionary.
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coach dressage equestrian groom training trot |
Answers
The words are connected with horseriding
3 Read and listen to the text. What’s so special about Charlotte Dujardin as a British female rider?
The scene is the London International Horse Show, on the 17th of December 2013, and the opening event is dressage, which is a show of skill and communication between rider and horse. Into the stadium trots a beautiful brown horse, with his rider on his back. They stand perfectly still, waiting for the music to begin. As the first chords are played, they start a routine which will break the only record they haven’t broken until now.
This unstoppable team is Valegro and his rider Charlotte Dujardin. They are now world champions in dressage, and they haven’t been beaten for three years. She rose to fame at the Olympics, where she won Great Britain’s first-ever gold medal for dressage. This showed everyone that she was a skilled horsewoman, and she has only got better since then. However, Charlotte, who is Valegro’s trainer as well as his rider, comes from a humble background.
She was born in a town north of London that is called Enfield, and her love for horses and riding began at the early age of two years old! Charlotte’s mother was fond of horses and so she understood Charlotte’s love for the animals and her hobby. Both Charlotte’s parents worked extremely hard to make enough money to fund Charlotte’s passion. Charlotte grew up with horses, taking lessons at the local riding school and spending as much of her free time as she could helping out to care for the horses she rode.
Since she was 16 years old, Charlotte has been working at the stables of a famous horseman, Carl Hester. Carl asked her to work for him, as a groom, after she won a competition. Hester asked Charlotte to train Valegro, and they made an excellent team from the beginning. Their partnership has been developing ever since.
Charlotte’s passion has not been lessened by her success. She trains hard, of course, but she says that she still finds time to relax with Valegro, going for rides in the countryside near her parents’ home. Ever since her first global success, she has been trying as hard as she can to keep her home life as simple and stress-free as possible, by spending time at home.
She says that her family and friends (and horse) are the reason she has been able to stay relaxed and confident enough to keep up her score of unbroken records. However, her mother says she has always known Charlotte would be a star!
Answer
Charlotte Dujardin was the first ever British person to win an Olympic gold medal in a dressage competition. She also holds an unbroken record in all dressage competitions for the last three years.
Comprehension
4 Read and listen to the text again and answer the questions.
1 What is special about the horse and rider’s performance in the event described in the first paragraph?
2 What is meant by the words ‘humble background’? Explain with reference to paragraph 3.
3 How did Charlotte meet her horse Valegro? Explain in your own words.
4 Name two things that Charlotte does to relax.
5 Why do you think Charlotte and her horse are such a successful team?
6 Does this story inspire you to take up a hobby or try harder at something you are passionate about? Why / Why not?
Answers
1 Their performance was so good that it broke a record. This record was also the only one they had not broken before, which makes them world champions.
2 The words ‘humble background’ mean that Charlotte did not have a lot of money growing up (her parents had to work hard to get enough money for lessons).
3 Charlotte met her horse Valegro when she went to work at Carl Hester’s stables, and she started to train the young horse successfully.
4 Charlotte goes for rides in the countryside and spends time at home, in order to relax.
5 Suggested answer: Charlotte and her horse could be a successful team because she trained him and so they know each other well. It might also be because they work hard together.
6 Suggested answer: It inspires me to try harder at all sports because Charlotte loves what she does and is not just competing to win. I would like to be as dedicated to sports as Charlotte is to horses and riding. It obviously makes her very happy and fulfilled.
Unit 4
Lesson 1
Activity Book page 24
Recreation
Vocabulary
1 The words in bold are in the wrong sentences. Rewrite the following sentences with the words in the correct places.
1 You need a good relationship with your trainer, or equestrians, if you are going to become an Olympic champion.
2 Professional riders are called dressage.
3 Horses move at four speeds; walk, coach, canter and gallop.
4 In groom, which is a type of riding competition, horse and rider are judged for their skill and communication.
5 If you want to work with horses, you can become a horsewoman at a stable.
6 Many years of training are needed to become a professional trot.
Answers
1 You need a good relationship with your trainer, or coach, if you are going to become an Olympic champion
2 Professional riders are called equestrians.
3 Horses move at four speeds; walk, trot, canter and gallop.
4 In dressage, which is a type of riding competition, horse and rider are judged for their skill and communication.
5 If you want to work with horses, you can become a groom at a stable.
6 Many years of training are needed to become a professional horsewoman.
