Well-being - Module 11B
B2 First · Multiple Choice Reading · First Expert Student's Resource Book, Pearson Education
You are going to read a newspaper article about a personal trainer. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Matt Roberts is one of the UK's leading personal trainers. His clients have included the rich and the famous: people like supermodel Naomi Campbell and well-known pop singers. He has written 12 books about fitness and has his own range of health and fitness products. Unlike many of his clients, Matt has always been sporty. His father, John Roberts, played professional football for top London club Arsenal in the early seventies and Matt looked set to follow in his footsteps. Then, during an athletics match at school, his plans suddenly changed when he was knocked on the head by a stray discus. Doctors ruled out team sports from then on and for a few months, he got no exercise at all. This gave Matt a brief taste of what it's like to be out of condition. After that, he decided to focus on another activity he had always excelled at: sprinting. Matt trained hard and once even represented England, but already by the age of 16, he had set his sights on becoming a fitness trainer with his own gym. He recalls: 'When my injury meant I wasn't getting any exercise, I just wasn't myself. It's the same for people who are overweight or unfit – they aren't themselves.' For Matt remains convinced that fitness is the basis of a full and happy life. After leaving school, Matt went to the USA. This was a lucky move because his arrival coincided with the rise in the fashion for personal trainers amongst celebrities and he became one of the pioneers in the field. His first big break came when a rock star who was preparing for a world tour employed him full-time. 'It was a great experience,' Matt recalls, 'coming up with the entire health package for somebody. But intense.' He's careful, however, even now, not to give away his employer's identity. And it is this acceptance of the confidential nature of their relationship that his clients value highly, perhaps even more than the training itself. So it comes as no surprise that news of his skills spread through word-of-mouth recommendations. After six months Matt moved back to London, where he built up a base of clients whom he trained in their homes, before spotting the premises he was looking for in the city's fashionable Mayfair district. As he was only 22, the banks wouldn't lend Matt the start-up money he needed and suppliers wouldn't lease equipment. But Matt worked hard to save the capital and moved into what would be the first of his chain of gyms. 'It's great to see results in clients,' Matt says. 'I see myself more as a training partner. I don't think the pupil-teacher thing works with most people.' He's probably right there but it's clear to me that the best trainers are also psychologists of a kind, achieving the kind of mental transformation that changes a couch potato into a gymnast, helping us find the inner athlete just waiting to burst free.
He realised it was a dangerous sport.
He was advised against it for medical reasons.
He discovered he was better suited to athletics.
He didn't want to do the same thing as his father.
Why did Matt decide not to follow a career in football?
a place Matt had seen.
a job Matt had tried.
something Matt had learnt to do.
something Matt hoped to achieve.
The expression 'set his sights on' in line 17 refers to
he was able to take advantage of a new trend.
he was the first trainer to attract celebrity clients.
he was sure of finding work as a personal trainer.
he made good contacts amongst fashionable trainers.
According to the article, when Matt went to the USA,
He wasn't well known himself.
He respected their need for privacy.
He was recommended by their friends.
He provided a personal training package.
In the writer's view, what did Matt's early clients appreciate most?
that was what they preferred.
his gym was not in a fashionable area.
he couldn't afford to set up his own gym.
they were able to provide their own equipment.
In London, Matt trained his clients in their homes at first because
He seeks to change people's attitudes.
He tries to teach people the best methods.
He works with people to achieve results.
He expects people to follow his example.
What approach to training does Matt adopt?
Fit for fame
He's the man who keeps the stars in good shape. But Matt Roberts is more than just a fitness trainer.
Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.
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