GAPPED TEXT: PAPER 1, PART 2
You are going to read an article about the Japanese sport of sumo. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences (A-H) the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.A It is a sacred area which only wrestlers, referees and judges are allowed to enter.
B For higher-ranked wrestlers the schedule is a little less demanding as they can rise later and get straight down to a five-hour training session.
C But this short period is full of action, as the two huge fighters attempt to push each other out of the ring.
D Once this entrance is complete, the wrestlers throw a handful of salt into the air.
E The head of the stable. will help the fighter to select one that is also a talisman.
F The biggest difference between sumo and other major sports is the complete lack of celebration by the winner.
G Although its main purpose is to protect the fighters, it has also determined the fighting style of the sport.
H For young trainees in particular it is a hard life.
A beginner's guide to Sumo
Japan's National Sport
Sumo has its origins in mythology. The Japanese god Take-mikazuchi won control of the islands of Japan after defeating a rival god in a sumo contest. Although this is just a legend, it shows the importance that Japanese people attach to this sport. Historians are able to trace back sumo as we know it today over 1,500 years.
Modern sumo wrestlers live and train in a beya or 'stable'. There are 49 of these in Japan, each of which is run by a former wrestler. (1) __ These lowest-ranked wrestlers get up at about 4am, clean the building, prepare the food for the main meal and put in sorne practice. (2) ___ The main meal of the day is a rich stew that provídes the wrestlers with enough calories to bulk up. To ensure they gain the maximum weight, they go to sleep straight after the meal.
It is in the beya that wrestlers choose their fighting names. (3) ___ It will pay due respect to the tradition of the beya and bring good luck throughout his fighting career - in theory at least.
The dohyo is the ring in which the sumo tournaments take place. (4) ___ The fighting area
itself is a circle 15 feet in diameter covered in a thin layer of sand.
The mawashi is the belt that the wrestlers wear. It is made of silk and measures ten yards long by two feet wide. It is folded in six, then wrapped round the wrestler's waist. (5) ___ There are 70 winning moves, nearly all of which involve getting a grip of sorne kind on the opponent's belt. On many occasions, the bout is effectively over when one of the combatants has achieved a
grip on his opponent's belt.
The average sumo match lasts little more than six seconds. (6) ___ A fighter also wins by forcing their opponent to touch the ring around the fighting area with a part of the body other than the soles of the feet. Many of these bouts are one-sided, as many wrestlers succeed with the first attack, but two well-matched fighters can produce a fabulous contest.
Once the bout is over, the referee points to the víctor, and the two wrestlers bow to each other 40 before leavíng the ring. (7) __ Only when he is out of sight of the public can the victor show his excitement over his triumph. This ensures that order and respect, or rei, is maintained throughout the sport.
Extra practice
Now match the words in bold (in the sentences that gapped the text and the text) to the definitions (1-10) below.
- very difficult
- an object that gives you good luck
- a fight between two wrestlers or boxers
- easy to win, without real competition
- make your body larger (fatter or more muscular)
- a kind of thick soup
- the bottom part of your feet
- a very strong hold on something
- of religious importance, holy
- find evidence in history
