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Steroids

Learn English with this sports English lesson

Date: Nov 26 2012

Themes: Sports

Grammar: Modal Verbs

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Intro

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Recently, world-famous cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, and banned from the sport of cycling for life. What did he do that was so terrible? He is accused of using steroids, a type of drug that makes athletes perform better than they possibly could without them.

Armstrong isn’t the first major sports figure to be connected with steroids in recent years, but he’s certainly one of the most high profile. If so many people use these drugs, is it fair that Armstrong has been treated so harshly? What can be done to stop athletes from doping? Learn English sports vocabulary and hear Marni and Jeff discuss these issues in this sports English lesson.

Dialog

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

Marni

Jeff

Marni: So Jeff, what do you think of this recent scandal involving Lance Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles because of steroid use?

Jeff: It’s pretty heavy. It’s a big deal.

Marni: It is a big deal. Does everybody do it to get ahead? Can you compete professionally without it? I don’t know.

Jeff: I’ve heard that everybody does it, so even if he did and everybody else did it, he’s still very talented…

Marni: Well, my feeling is, performance-enhancing drugs, even if everybody’s doing it, it’s wrong, right? Because you’re just cheating yourself, because if everybody just leveled the playing field and didn’t take ‘em, then we’d really know who had the true talent and who didn’t. But Jeff, what do you think could be done to stop it, if it’s so common and pervasive? What can we do to stop steroid use?

Jeff: Maybe make an example of everyone?

Marni: I mean I guess they could start testing everyone, and just making it like mandatory drug testing before you compete for any sort of event, but wow, that just seems so time-intensive and crazy.

Jeff: You know, I think maybe Lance will be the example that turns things around, straightens everybody out…

Marni: Perhaps.

Jeff: ...as far as the drug use goes.

Marni: Maybe.

Jeff: Who knows?

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Marni asks Jeff what he thinks about the news that Lance Armstrong has had his cycling medals taken away, because of steroid use. Jeff thinks it’s significant.

Marni wonders if these days every athlete needs to use performance-enhancing drugs to succeed. Even if that’s the case, she still thinks it’s wrong. She thinks everyone should just compete on the basis of their natural talent.

Can anything be done to stop steroid use? Jeff thinks one way might be if all athletes who used steroids were held publicly accountable. Marni thinks the answer might be mandatory drug testing, but she doesn’t know if that’s a realistic way to deal with the problem.

All the two can hope is that the Armstrong scandal might somehow scare everyone into ceasing to use performance-enhancing drugs.

What did you think when you heard about the Lance Armstrong scandal? Why do you think steroid use is such a problem in professional athletics? What do you think can be done to stop it?

Comments

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kimnga

Viet Nam

I felt both shock and sorry for Lance Armstrong when I learnt that he had used steroid to win his cycling medals.

VOLTS

Brazil

Wow… It’s normal U.S. athletes use steroids!!!! I couldn’t imagine that!! so many gold medals in olimpcs… I guess, getting use of that is not fair… I mean.. there are athletes who really train very hard to conquer a title… they eat the necessary food… they go sleep in the correct time… they waste money and time with trainning… and then… another one win just for using doping…

I can say , doping rarely happens here. When some swimmer or footballer is caught in the doping test, he is punished.

In my opinion, not only he would have to strip of the titles, but the other athletes, who didnt win, they would deserve to receive those medals, they work hard for that, in a fair way.

Master2020

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

performance-enhancing drugs is cheating. it’s just like bringing a book to exam.

Katia1

Brazil

I think it was very important to the people see what happened with him. I agree with Marni because the athltics are an example being followed and they cant to do wrong things, an especial for the youngers. Might be a healthy stile still the best thing for to do.

Marcelolic

Brazil

Hummm this is a controversial subject…I think when you are a top athletic and you compete major tournaments or proves you might be clear and free of drogs that make you have advantage over the other competitors,because the competition has to be fair for everyone…

Now I`m not againist the use of anabolics,long as be yourself,but the use must be responsable and orderly manner…I workout every day and I do use at certain time of the year of a small dose just to give me a “up” in my performance…

HammadOmar

Saudi Arabia

i really didn’t understand the last question , could anyone explaines it to me ?

javier_man

Mexico

Another Idol had fallen

Nabilo

Germany

That was a shoking news but also a good news to turn the sport competition around to be clean and fair;). They do that because they only want to be famous and become rich. I quite agree with Jeff regarding the way to stop this..

debra c

Oman

I felt really very disappointed hearing this news.

Actually now people do not think of much about the value’s.They can earn with such wrong ways,but they won’t get good and relaxed sleep too.

I wish the cyclist to stand-up again and be confident and use to earn with positive means.

bellaboo2422

Pakistan

hapless armstrong. we all know its no big deal to use steriods in any kind of sport these days less or more players are doping. we are aware of its disastarous effects on health and its an open cheating in fare game. its inflicting our youth like snake in a snake and ladder game. sorry to say but its armstrong’s destiny of being striped of bcoz in every walk of life there are two ways to walk on ‘right path’ and ‘wrong path’. right path means the way is full of hardships we have to etched that we dawlde on behaving like a plucky one and it leades to success and its unerring always. the wrong path is a way of shortcut and easy to run on breakneck speed but leads to failure like in armstrong senerio. we have to contemplate before choosing any one of two options according to our required. outcome. i’m not goin to shepherding any one decesion ll be yours.

sorry guys the word above is dwadle not dwalde.

Annisa

Indonesia

In this case sportsmanship must be kept and respected. As we as know steroid and doping are banned in sport. In other hand scientists explain that Consuming steroid in high dosage and long period gave negetive side effects for health, especially for important organs such kidney and heart. Although in medicine steroid is accepted for treatment under control of doctors, but we must use it wisely. If we love ourselves why we must spoil our body :)

mojtaba

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

haha.you want whit this lesson less of amestrong’s fault but this is not true

korhansaresimge

Turkey

corruption starts at high profile and be cleaned and be fined to be fair

Persian Gulf Girl

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Joy just stay at home and don’t go out at all othewise you would bother basset…you would break his heart

The Last Joke

Yemen

Ryo :

Ok ! I’m going to move on ( to home ( the time is too late 6:00 am in sana’a , today, i have a lot of works , i have only 2 hours to sleep ) , if you want to talk about this just or you need anything else , just let me know or just leave your comment ! see you !