Iron men let off steam
What are known as extreme sports have become (0)...increasingly........(DECREASE) popular in recent years. But what if you've already tried bungee jumping, paragliding and all the others, but still haven't (1)......................... (COME) the urge to prove yourself by taking part in (2) .........................(PHYSICS) challenging activities? The answer could lie in a new activity which goes by the name of extreme ironing. (3)...............(PARTICIPATE) describe themselves as “ironists” and what they like to do is to climb mountains, go surfing or trek cross-country, doing their ironing along the way. It all started in 1997, when Philip Shaw, a mountaineering (4) ........................ (ENTHUSE) from Leicester in the English Midlands decided to iron his shirts in the garden on a hot day. His flatmate (5) ......................... (JOKE) described this as “extreme ironing” and the idea of the spoof sport was born. The sport's worldwide (6) ......................... (GOVERNMENT) body, the Extreme Ironing Bureau, has received twenty thousand hits on its website, and future expeditions include such (7) ......................... (LIKELY) activities as hang-gliding ironing and white-water ironing. For ironists, who are now earning the grudging (8).......................(RESPECTFULLY) of some mainstream extreme-sports fans, the motivation for the sport comes from the chance to combine the thrill of an extreme (9) ......................... (DOOR) activity with the (10)......................... (UNSATISFIED ) of a well-pressed shirt.
KEY
iron man: a person of great physical strength and the ability to continue doing something difficult for a long time.
let off steam: to get rid of your energy, anger or strong emotions by doing something active or noisy. Sp. desahogarse, desfogarse, liberar estrés. E.g. I went for a long walk to let off steam.
thrill seeker: A person who is keen to take
part in exciting activities that involve physical risk. E.g. ‘thrill
seekers are paying big bucks to swim with great white sharks’
daredevil: /ˈdeədevl/ (N) a person who enjoys doing dangerous things, in a way that other people may think is stupid. E.g. a reckless daredevil.
daredevil: /ˈdeədevl/ (adj) dangerous, in a way that other people may think is stupid. E.g. Don't try any daredevil stunts.
adrenaline: /əˈdrenəlɪn/ (also adrenalin) a
substance produced in the body when you are excited, afraid or angry.
It makes the heart beat faster and increases your energy and ability to
move quickly. E.g. The excitement at the start of a race can really get the adrenaline flowing. a rush/surge of adrenaline. A rush of adrenaline.
slingshot : a stick shaped like a Y with a rubber band attached to it, used by children for shooting stones.
slingshot attraction:
(0) ..increasingly.........
bungee jumping: the sport of jumping off a very high bridge or similar structure, with a long elastic rope (bungee) tied to your legs, so that the rope pulls you back before you hit the ground. E.g. to go bungee jumping.
paragliding: a sport in which you wear a special structure like a parachute, jump from a high place and are carried along by the wind before coming down to earth to go paragliding.
(1)
overcome
overcome:
to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem that has been preventing you from achieving something. E.g. She overcame injury to win the Olympic gold medal. The two parties managed to overcome their differences on the issue.
urge: /ɜːdʒ/ a strong desire to do something. E.g. sexual urges. Urge to do something I had a sudden urge to hit him.
(2)
physically
Extreme ironing /ˈaɪənɪŋ/ (also called
EI) is an extreme sport and a performance art in which people take ironing boards to remote locations and iron items of clothing.
stamina:
/ˈstæmɪnə/ the physical or mental strength that enables you to do something difficult for long periods of time. It takes a lot of stamina to run a marathon. Exercises aimed at increasing stamina.
endurance: /ɪnˈdjʊərəns/ the ability to continue doing something painful or difficult for a long period of time without complaining. E.g. He showed remarkable endurance throughout his illness. This event tests both physical and mental endurance. powers of endurance. The party turned out to be more of an endurance test than a pleasure. The long journey tested their courage and endurance to the limit.
beyond endurance:There was something about him that irritated Lydia almost beyond endurance. They were humiliated beyond endurance.
suppleness: /ˈsʌplnəs/ the ability to bend and move parts of your body easily into different positions.
supple: able to bend and move parts of your body easily into different positions. Flexible. E.g. her slim, supple body. These exercises will help to keep you supple.
flexible: able to bend or move easily. E.g. A gymnast has to be flexible above all else.
(3)
Participants
trek:
(also go trekking) to spend time walking, especially in mountains and for enjoyment and interest. E.g. We went trekking in Nepal. During the expedition, they trekked ten to thirteen hours a day.
hike: to go for a long walk in the country, especially for pleasure. E.g. strong boots for hiking over rough country
cross-country: across fields or open country rather than on roads or a track. Sp. campo a través. E.g. cross-country running. We rode cross-country.
(4)
enthusiast
(5)
jokingly
spoof: a humorous copy of a film/movie, television programme, etc. that exaggerates its main features. Sp. parodia. E.g. It's a spoof on horror movies. They did a very clever game show spoof.
(6)
governing
(7)
unlikely
hang-gliding: a sport in which you fly while hanging from a frame like a large kite which you control with your body movements. E.g. to go hang-gliding.
white-water: a part of a river that looks white because the water is moving very fast over rocks. E.g. a stretch of white water. White-water rafting.
(8)
respect
grudging: /ˈɡrʌdʒɪŋ/ given or done unwillingly. Reluctant. Sp. reticente. De mala gana. E.g. He could not help feeling a grudging admiration for the old lady. There was grudging admiration in his voice.
mainstream:
considered normal because it reflects what is done or accepted by most people. E.g. mainstream culture/ politics. Mainstream economists/ journalists. The mainstream press/ media.
(9)
outdoor
thrill: a strong feeling of excitement or pleasure; an experience that gives you this feeling. E.g.
It gave me a big thrill to meet my favourite author in person. The thrill of catching a really big fish.
(10)
satisfaction
Exercises:
HERE
Key:
HERE
