Hi, I'm Georgiana, your English teacher.
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Okay, let's start.
Today, in this episode, I'm gonna talk about the World Cup.
Every four years, it's held in a different country and is an exciting conversation topic.
After that, You'll enjoy an exclusive mini-story that will help you to improve your fluency easily.
Remember that you can get the text of this episode at speakenglishpodcast.com Do you like soccer?
I don't actually like it very much because I find it dull.
Besides, I never understood the rules.
When I watch a soccer match...
I see a lot of men with attractive legs running for about 90 minutes.
Another problem I also see is that there are too many matches and too many competitors.
For example, if you follow only one team, you can watch two games a week.
And from my point of view, that's a lot.
But since some followers of mine from Brazil have suggested this topic to me, I will listen to them.
Hi everyone from Brazil!
On the other hand, my brother is crazy about football.
However, he can also get very disappointed if his favorite team doesn't win.
What I think is that soccer brings out the best and the worst in people sometimes.
It all depends on which team wins, of course.
Well, every four years there's a World Cup.
The participating teams are a selection of the best players from several teams in each country.
There are two main phases.
First, the qualifying process, involving more than 200 teams, and the final round, involving the best 32 teams.
This year's World Cup is being held in Russia.
So let the best team win.
By the way, let's see if you know this question.
Which country has won most World Cups?
And the right answer is Brazil.
The country that has won the most World Cups is Brazil.
They have won five World Cups.
The second is Germany, with four World Cups.
The third, tied with Germany, is Italy.
Then Argentina and Uruguay with two, and Spain, France and England with only one.
As you have seen, Brazil is the country with the most World Cup titles.
They live the passion of soccer like no one else.
It's unbelievable.
If the Brazilian national team players return home with a cup, they are treated almost like gods.
There are many parties and celebrations.
On the other hand, if they don't win, well, they better not go out in public for a while.
Just in case.
Or at least that's what I've been told.
This passion is not only experienced in Brazil, but also in other Latin American countries.
In countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, soccer is also experienced with great enthusiasm.
Okay, well, now you know a little more about soccer and the World Cup.
It's funny because in American English, it's called soccer.
And in British English, it's called football.
If you have the opportunity to practice English with a native speaker, you'll need to know the difference between soccer and American football.
So, what's the difference between soccer and American football?
Well, soccer and American football are two entirely different games.
Football is played with a wrong ball. and can be kicked and headed.
American football however, is more like a rugby-type game, in which the oblong-shaped ball is thrown and passed as well as kicked.
All right now, if it's okay with you, let's practice fluency with a mini-story related to the soccer World Cups.
Here's how it works.
I give you information about something.
I ask questions about this information.
After each question, there's a silence for about 5 or 6 seconds.
Try to answer the question.
Short answers are fine.
After the silence, I'll give you an answer so you can compare.
Of course, you can pause and look at the text if you want to.
Remember that a short, quick answer is better than a slow, hesitant one.
The protagonist of the mini-story is Maradona, a famous Argentinian player of the 80s.
Let's get started.
The renowned player Maradona played in 1986 World Cup.
What year did Maradona play?
In 1986.
Maradona played in 1986.
Was Maradona renowned?
Yes, he was renowned.
Maradona was a renowned soccer player in the 80s.
Did Maradona play in a cup?
No, no.
Maradona didn't play in a cup.
He played in the Soccer World Cup in 1986.
In the 1986 soccer match, Maradona scored a goal with his hand.
Did Maradona score a goal in a 1986 soccer game?
Yes, maradona scored a goal in a 1986 soccer game.
What did maradona score a goal?
Maradona scored a goal with his hand.
How did maradona score a goal with a cup?
No, not with a cup.
With his hand.
He scored it with his hand.
Using your hand to score a goal isn't valid, but the referee didn't see it.
Is it right to score with your hand?
No, it's not right.
In other words, It's not valid to score with your hand.
What's not right?
To use your hand to score.
It's not valid to score with your hand.
But the referee didn't see it.
Did the referee see the goal scored with his hand?
No, the referee didn't see Maradona score the goal with his hand.
Hand scoring isn't valid, but the referee didn't see it.
What didn't the referee see?
The goal scored with the nose?
No, no, not with the nose.
The referee didn't see the goal scored with his hand.
Argentina won the World Cup and that goal was called the hand of God.
Did Argentina win anything?
Yes, Argentina won the World Cup.
Was the goal called the ear of God?
No, the goal wasn't called the ear of God.
It was called the hand of God.
Who won the World Cup?
A hand?
No, not a hand.
A hand can't win a World Cup.
Argentina won the World Cup.
The supporters were so thrilled that they founded the Maradona Church in honor of Maradona.
Were the supporters thrilled or sad?
Thrilled.
The supporters were thrilled.
They had no reason to be sad.
Did the supporters found a church?
Yes, the supporters founded a church, a new religion, called the Maradona Church in honor of Maradona.
In honor of whom did they found the church?
In honor of Georgiana?
No, not in honor of Georgiana.
The supporters didn't found the Georgiana church.
What a pity.
Instead, they founded the Maradonian church.
Great!
This is the end of this short exercise.
As you can see, answering many simple questions can improve your speaking, just like in a real-life conversation.
Today, you've only seen a small example of how the question and answer technique works.
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