Jeremy Taylor - Channel Runner (Great Stories: Low Intermediate)

Athletic tracksuits

stopwatch: A special watch used for timing athletic events. It is very accurate.

pistol start: To start some races, someone shoots a pistol, a small gun (of course with no bullets!). If the race begins like that, we say it has a pistol start. The gun itself is called the starting pistol.

sprint: To run very fast for a short distance.

laps: Long-distance runners sometimes race around a track several times. Each time they go around is one lap. Swimmers who swim back and forth in a swimming pool call are also swimming laps.

trials: A type of sports competition. At the trials, the top athletes are chosen to compete at a larger competition. For example, in each country, athletes compete in their national Olympic Trials to see if they can go to the international Olympic Games.

Measurements

In sports, a lot of things are measured. Here are some measurements you will read about in this story:

• Short distances are measured in centimetres and metres, and long distances in kilometres.
• Weight is measured in kilos.
• Time is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds. In short races, even a few seconds can mean the difference between first and second place. In longer races, runners can be separated by minutes or even hours.

Journalism

Journalism is a type of job. It is the action of writing or broadcasting (such as on television, radio, or the Internet) information. Journalists write stories for newspapers or magazines, or broadcast stories on television or the radio. Some journalists are called reporters. Reporters are people who tell others news.

A photojournalist is someone who takes pictures of the stories that will be printed or broadcast.

Cameramen and camerawomen (camerapeople) have the job of filming the journalists using a television or movie camera.

A press conference is an event where information is given. Journalists can ask questions. Journalists are sometimes called members of the press or just the press.

1. Which sports do you like?
2. Do you prefer doing sports or watching sports on TV? Why?
3. In what ways are men and women equal? In what ways are they different?
4. Why do you think there are there separate competitions for men and women at sports events?
5. Have you heard of Penny Dean or Judit Polgar? Do a quick online search. Who are they? Why are they famous?
6. The story is set in England, and the title is Channel Runner. Do you know where the English Channel is? How wide is it?

British English

The story is set in England, so the book uses British English phrases, grammar, and spelling. Here are a few expressions that are different in American English.