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Ping Pong

Date: Aug 29 2008

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

The sport called both ping pong and table tennis has one identity for each name. It’s a game played in bars and by children in basements with a funny, onomatopoetic name. And it is also a fast-paced, serious sport that’s sort of like tennis, only smaller.

Table tennis was especially exciting at this year’s Olympics because China loves the sport and is very good at it. In fact, the Chinese swept the medals in both men’s and women’s table tennis.

Many Americans, however, think of ping pong as a children’s game or something to do for fun. So, much to the surprise of many of his friends, Jason bought tickets to see a round of table tennis at the Olympics. Listen to him talk about it with Mason.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Mason

Jason: So the one event at the Olympics that I made sure to see, the only event that I got tickets in advance for, was table tennis.

Mason: Pong?

Jason: Yeah. The thing I like about it is it’s a game you can play in bars and that almost anyone can play, but then there’s…

Mason: There’s like a different level to it. There’s, like, people who are crazy good and take it way more serious than you’d think it could be taken.

Jason: Exactly. And a lot of the athletes have incredibly muscular bodies and look like they could be basketball players or cyclists or any other sport…and lightning quick reflexes. It’s kind of crazy that it’s this whole game around this one-inch, tiny little ball, you know?

Mason: Mm-hm. So being that you were there, how far do they actually stand away from the table? It looks like they’re actually standing as far away from the table as the table is long.

Jason: I saw this really interesting moment. There was Japan playing against Nigeria and the Nigerian guy just kept slamming the ball and the Japanese guy would lob it, and he was further than the table is long away from the table, just lobbing it back and eventually, that guy won which is weird because it seemed like a really defensive position.

Mason: So what about, I mean, I call holding the paddle upside down “Chinese style,” so it’s like ping pong is China.

Jason: That’s right. The Chinese invented that style and that’s how they began to dominate the sport. It was the Swedes who dominated it before about 15 years ago.

Mason: Yeah? Until someone was like, “I can hold this upside down!”

Jason: Yeah, and then it became…I heard on the news in China someone called it “the national sport of China.” So it’s now officially their favorite sport.

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Discussion

Jason arrived in Beijing with tickets for only one event: table tennis. He wanted to see the game he’s been playing for fun for years played by some of the world’s best athletes (read more about his experience here).

One big difference between Olympic ping pong and the game you play in your basement is how far the players stand from the table. Mason has seen Olympic ping pong on TV and asked Jason if the players stand as far back as it appears on the screen. He says that sometimes they do and that he watched a Japanese player win doing that.

Mason has also heard how popular ping pong is in China. Jason tells him that the Chinese invented the current style of playing and that he heard someone on Chinese TV call table tennis the country’s official sport.

What’s your country’s official sport? What barroom game would you like to see in the Olympics? Shuffleboard? Darts?

Comments

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21 through 34 of 34
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longmeiling0829

China

yeah,so nice sport,but I am not good on it,My colleagues are good on it.Maybe I will learn it soon.

sugarszd168@126.com

China

Pingpang-the national sports of China,the proud of Chinese

Kutaibah

Syrian Arab Republic

I didnt use to like this game , but when I tried to play it … I liked it . it is a exciting game and I interested when I played it …

the.brain

Syrian Arab Republic

its avery lovely game and i like it very much.Iam good at it because ilearnd to play it since i was 12year old

joincute

Viet Nam

My name is Thuy. I come from VIet Nam. When I was student,I often played ping pong with my friend once a week. In my opion. this sport is also popular in Viet Nam as it does not neet a large space to play. Accoding to the listening lesson, Jason said that all athletes had incredibly muscular body. However, I don't think this is the most important for athletes playing table tennis. Otherwise, they are skillful and agile to play arround the noe inch with tiny little ball. Finally, it is my favourite sport.

aqua7

China

I love tihs game! I usually play it with friends! To improve my skills,I learn from a coach now.

zeus2006

Turkey

Yeah, Ping Pong is very fast game if you know it. I don't like playing slowly.Our traditional sport is oiled wrestling. If you want to see how it is , you can search ''Here I am – Sertap Erener'' on youtube.

SÉRGIO

Brazil

yeah! it's a nice game! i like it too!! i often play it with some friends of mine! in Brazil it's very popular, usually it's played at school at the break time, there're good players here!!

samjj

Malaysia

I played Ping Pong when I was a boy – It was just a casual game – and of course it was no way near the Chinese style ….that's they domonate the world in this sport ….

Cannibal RJ

Brazil

Hi, I also play table tennis here in Brazil. I´m athletic federated. I love this sport, is necessary very concetration, disciplin, power and velocity. I´d like to live this, but our governments don´t give support for all. The sport is very expensive, else just few peoples can to practice. Here, we help the kids who wants to play, but exist few clubs too. I hope that this it change and the Brazil can to come a big country at near olympiac.

Qi~!

China

there so many yong boys are playing football here. but it's only a joke !play it well has no future in this land, they only can make their dream stars Ronaldo，Del Piero .. in hearts ， forever. it's a pity …

195854255

United States

Our official sport is Ping-pong!! I am Chinese.

There turly some awesome ping-pong ball player in China, Like Den Yaping who has been retired for a long time. She is not only a player, but also a hard-learning woman.

nmyhu

China

you are a lazy pig.

metal21

Nicaragua

I think in my country the official sport is baseball. Although baseball is common a lot of people prefer watching international football matches on tv, because people don't support the national football. As for me I don't like any sport, actually what I really enjoy is listening to music and watching tv, so I could say I am a couch potato.