The Joys of Capoeira - Unit 2
B2 First · Gapped Text · Ready for B2 First 4th Edition Workbook, Macmillan Education Limited
You are going to read an article about someone who started to do capoeira as a hobby. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
The Joys of Capoeira
I might now be in great shape like Lawrence, have visited some new countries and have a new circle of friends.
According to Lawrence, there’s also a kind of conversation going on. For example, it can be faster and more intense at one point and more relaxed and friendly the next.
Something you can’t compare is the feeling of freedom in the circle.
He found socialising difficult and didn’t enjoy making small talk.
But in actual fact, Lawrence was bored and wanted to spend time doing something physically active.
Playing the sport, Lawrence has become fitter and more flexible.
For Lawrence, both of these have improved enormously since he started practising capoeira.
Personally, I can say that I have done capoeira once in my life and have never wanted to repeat that experience. I suddenly became aware of how stiff I was. On top of this was the knowledge that I had an audience of other much more flexible people watching me. This only added to the pain of the moment. I wanted the ground to swallow me up! But Lawrence Packford has a very different, much more positive, opinion of the popular Brazilian martial art. A few years ago, he tested video games for a living. He used to socialise with his friends by day and play games by night. Sounds like fun to some.
That was when he heard about capoeira in The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks and was inspired to take it up himself. Six months later and he had given up his job to go to university. So what’s it all about? Put simply, it’s a form of Afro-Brazilian martial art which is like a dance with kicks, flips and leaps. It gets you super fit and you do all this to music.
Within this dialogue, your movements intuitively communicate your character to the other players. In capoeira, participants are known as players. A roda is a circle formed around two players who use a series of gymnastic moves, flips and kicks to dance and beat their opponents. Throughout the game, the level of energy increases with the music and singing that surrounds the players. When it was my turn to play, there was an enormous sense of embarrassment due to my questionable flexibility, especially next to all the athletic bodies around me! Outside the roda, the instrumentalists stand. They actually play a vital role in the activity. The reason is because the person with the berimbau (a traditional stringed instrument) changes the game’s feeling and speed.
The movement of the players follows the music being played. As well as the berimbau, there are also two types of drum called a pandeiro and an atabaque, a single or double bell called an agogô and a kind of scraper called a reco-reco, which originated in Africa. Balance and strength are key when someone tries to kick you in the head without warning!
He is able to do things that he had never imagined he’d be able to do, like walk on his hands and do cartwheels. It’s not just about being more physically fit. There’s also the social aspect, which didn’t suit Lawrence’s insular nature when he first started the sport.
But as his confidence grew, so did his enjoyment of getting out and meeting people from all over the world. So who knows what would have happened if I’d managed to return the next week after my shameful experience!
Whatever you think about the sport, having read the article, it’s probably worth trying. You’ll never know until you do.
Personally, I can say that I have done capoeira once in my life and have never wanted to repeat that experience. I suddenly became aware of how stiff I was. On top of this was the knowledge that I had an audience of other much more flexible people watching me. This only added to the pain of the moment. I wanted the ground to swallow me up! But Lawrence Packford has a very different, much more positive, opinion of the popular Brazilian martial art. A few years ago, he tested video games for a living. He used to socialise with his friends by day and play games by night. Sounds like fun to some. ___ That was when he heard about capoeira in The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks and was inspired to take it up himself. Six months later and he had given up his job to go to university. So what’s it all about? Put simply, it’s a form of Afro-Brazilian martial art which is like a dance with kicks, flips and leaps. It gets you super fit and you do all this to music. ___ Within this dialogue, your movements intuitively communicate your character to the other players. In capoeira, participants are known as players. A roda is a circle formed around two players who use a series of gymnastic moves, flips and kicks to dance and beat their opponents. Throughout the game, the level of energy increases with the music and singing that surrounds the players. When it was my turn to play, there was an enormous sense of embarrassment due to my questionable flexibility, especially next to all the athletic bodies around me! Outside the roda, the instrumentalists stand. They actually play a vital role in the activity. The reason is because the person with the berimbau (a traditional stringed instrument) changes the game’s feeling and speed. ___ The movement of the players follows the music being played. As well as the berimbau, there are also two types of drum called a pandeiro and an atabaque, a single or double bell called an agogô and a kind of scraper called a reco-reco, which originated in Africa. Balance and strength are key when someone tries to kick you in the head without warning! ___ He is able to do things that he had never imagined he’d be able to do, like walk on his hands and do cartwheels. It’s not just about being more physically fit. There’s also the social aspect, which didn’t suit Lawrence’s insular nature when he first started the sport. ___ But as his confidence grew, so did his enjoyment of getting out and meeting people from all over the world. So who knows what would have happened if I’d managed to return the next week after my shameful experience! ___ Whatever you think about the sport, having read the article, it’s probably worth trying. You’ll never know until you do.
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