Phương pháp học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành thể thao (Tập 1): Phần 2

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Nối tiếp phần 1, phần 2 cuốn sách "Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành Thể thao (Tập 1)" trình bày nội dung về Kinds of Sports with a ball bao gồm 7 units. Với sự trang bị kiến thức của bộ sách này, bạn đọc yêu thể thao sẽ tự tin khi ra nước ngoài, làm việc hoặc giao lưu cùng bạn bè quốc tế; theo dõi, binh luận các kênh thể thao trên tuyền hình; sẽ hữu ích cho các cơ quan nhà nước các doanh nghiệp trong công tác quản lý và điều hành công việc...

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Nội dung Text: Phương pháp học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành thể thao (Tập 1): Phần 2

PART II KINDS OF SPORTS WITH A BALL PHẦN 2 CÁC MÔN THỂ THAO DÙNG BÓNG
Unit 1 TENNIS I. PRE - READING TASK Discuss the following questions in groups: 1. Do you think tennis is suitable for all ages? Why? Why not? 2 . Is tennis an indoor or an outdoor sport? 3. Can you name some famous tennis players in the world you know? II. RF.ADI.NG TEXT Tennis is a sport played between two players (singles) or betvveen two teams of two players (doubles). Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollovv rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels o f society at all ages. Tennis is enjoyed by millions o f recreational players and is also a hugely popular worldwide spectator sport, especially the íòurGrand Slam toumaments (Also referred to as the "Majors"): The Ausữalian Open played on hard courts, the French Open played on red clay courts, Wimbledon played on grass courts, and the us Open played also on hard courts. The game isplayedwith a racquet, including a handle, known as the grip, connects to a neck which joins a roughly elliptical frame that holds a matrix of tightly pulled synthetic strings. Racquets vary from size and shape, depending on the net. There are three sizes in common: Standard, medium-sized and big. For the first 100 years of the modem game, racquets were o f wood and o f Standard size, and strings were o f animal gut. Then composites of carbon graphite, ceramics, and lighter metals such as titanium were introduced. These stronger materials enable the production of oversized rackets to resist more power.
Part II: Kinds o f Sporís With A Ball 131 Tennis balls are of hollovv rubber covered with felt coating. They also have numbers in order to be recognized easily. Traditionally white, the predominant color was gradually changed to yellow green in the later part o f the 20'h century to allow visibility. Tennis balls are from 6.35 cm to 6.6 cm in diameter and from 56 to 59.4 grams in vveight. Tennis is played on a rectangular and flat surface, usually grass, clay, or hard court and occasionally carpet (indoor). The court is 78ft (23.77m) long, and 27ft (8.23m) wide for singles matches and 36ft (10.97m) for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width o f the court, parallels with the baselines, divides it into two equal ends. The net is 3 ft 6in (1.07m) high at the post and 3ft (91.4cm) high in the center. Play of a single point The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of tìie net. One player is designated the server, and the opposing player is the receiver. The choice to be server or receiver in the first game and the choice o f ends is decided by a toss before the warm-up starts. Service altemates game by game between the two players (or teams). For each point, the server starts behind the baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. The receiver may start anyvvhere on their side o f the net. When the receiver is ready, the server will serve, although the receiver must play to the pace o f the server. In a legal Service, the ball travels over the net (Without touching it) and into the diagonally opposite Service box. If the ball hits the net but lands in the Service box, this is a let or net Service, which is void, and the server retakes that serve. The player can serve any number o f let services in a point and they are always treated as voids and not as faults. A fault is a serve that falls long or wide of the Service box, or does not clear the net. There is also a "foot fault", which occurs when a player's foot touches the baseline or an extension o f the center mark before the ball is hit. If the second Service is also a fault, the server double faults, and the receiver w ins the point. However, if the serve is in, it is considered a legal Service.
132 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thể thao A legal Service starts a rally, in which the players altemate hitting the ball across the net. A legal retum consists of the player or team hitting the ball beíore it has bounced twice or hit any fixtures except the net, provided that it still falls in the server's court. A player or team cannot hit the ball twice in a row. The ball must travel past the net into the other players’ court. A ball that hits the net during a rally is still considered a legal retum. The fưst player or team to fail to make a legal retum loses the point. The server then moves to the other side o f the Service line at the start o f a new point A tennis match is determined through the best o f three or five sets. For men, the first player who wins three sets wins the match, and for women, the first player who wins two sets wins the match. A set consists o f games, and games, in tum, consist ofpoints. A game is won by the first player who outscores at least four points in total and at least two points more than the opponent’s. The modem game of tennis originated in late 19th century in England, most historians believe that the games ancient origin is from 12th century France, but the ball was then struck with the palm o f the hand. It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use, and the game began to be called "tennis". The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the goveming body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations, found on 1” March 1913. ffl. NEW WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS - racquet ['raekit] (n): vợt - court [ko:t] (n): sân bóng - strike [straik] (v): đánh - rubber ['rAbs] (n): cao su - cover ['kAV3] (v): bao phủ, bao bọc - recreational ['rekri'eiín] (adj): giải trí, tiêu khiển - hugely ['hju:d3li] (adv): hết sức, rất đỗi - toumament ['toinamant] (n): vòng thi đấu - grip [grip] (n): tay nẳm, tay cầm - roughly ['rAÍli] (adv): gồ ghề - elliptical [i'liptik3l] (adj): hình elip - synthetic [sin'0etik] (adj): tồng hợp, nhân tạo - sừing [striĩ|] (n): dây bện - gut [gAt] (n): ruột, ruột lòng (thực vật)
Part II: Kinds o f Sports With A Ball 133 - composite ['kompazit] (n): hỗn hợp - graphite ['graefait] (n): than chì - ceramics [si'raemiks] (n): gốm - metal ['metl] (n): kim loại - titanium [tai'teinÍ3m] (n): titan - coating ['koutir)] (n): lớp phù ngoài - predominant [pri'domin 3nt] (adj): chiếm ưu thế, nổi ứội - diameter [dai'2emit3 ] (n): đưòmg kinh - surface [’s3 :fis] (n): bề mặt - matrix ['meitriks] (n): khung vợt - hollow ['holou] (adj): rỗng - baseline ['beislain] (n): đuòmg biên - spectator [spek'teito] (n): khán giả - visibility [viz 3lbil 3ti] (n): nhìn thấy được, rõ ràng - opponent [3'pounant] (n): đối thủ - palm [pa:m] (n): lòng bàn tay - stretch [stretl] (v): kéo căng ra - diagonally [daĩaeganally] (adv): theo đường chéo - legal [’li:g3l] (adj): hợp lệ, đúng luật - altemate ['o:lta:nat] (v): thay phiên, lần lượt - bounce ['bauns] (v): nảy lên - íixture [Tikstís] (n): vật cố định - rally ['raeli] (n): loạt đánh ứả qua lại - historian [his'to:rÍ 3n] (n): nhà sừ học IV. READING COMPREHENSIONS 1. Ansvver the following qucstions a. Is tennis an individual sport or a team sport? b. What are four Majors toumaments? And what are the differences among them? c. What is a tennis ball made of? And why is it changed into optic yellovv?
134 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thê thao d. Were racquets used to play tennis in the 12lh century? e. Can you describe the dimension o f a tennis court? f. How many sets are there in a tennis match? g. Who determines ửie server and the receiver in a tennis match? h. What is a legal Service? i. What happens if the ball hits the net during the rally? j. When was the International Tennis Federation (ITF) íounded? 2. Decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F) a. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels o f society at teenagers. b. People use their palm to throw the ball over the net. c. There are three sizes in common: Standard, small-sized and big. d. Tennis balls are of hollow rubber covered with felt coating. e. Tennis courts have the same size for both single matches and double matches. f. A net is stretched along the full vvidth of the court, parallels with the baselines, divides it into two equal ends. g. Service altemates game by game between the two teams. h. The player can’t hit any number of let services in a point. i. A player or team can hit the ball twice in a row. j. The ball must go past the net into the other players’ court. V. VOCABULARY 1. Fill ỉn each blank with a w ord/phrase provided in the box treated points millions determined rally vary clear parallels legal rubber 1. Tennis is enjoyed by ......................... of recreational players. 2. Racquets from size and shape, depending on the net. 3. Tennis balls are o f hollow covered vvith felt coating. 4. A net is stretched across the full vvidth o f the court, with the baselines, divides it into two equal ends.
Part II: Kinds ofSports With A Bcill 135 5. The player can serve any number of let services in a point and they are always ..................... as voids and not as íaults. 6. A fault is a serve that falls long or wide of the Service box, or does not ........................ the net. 7. A legal Service starts a ........................ , in vvhich the players altemate hitting the ball across the net. 8. A ball that hits the net during a rally is still considered a .........................retum. 9. A tennis match i s .........................through the best of three or five sets. 10. A game is won by the fírst player vvho wins at least f o u r......................... in total and at least two points more than the opponent’s. 2. Match a word/phrase in A to a phrase in B to make a mcaningíul sentence A B 1 . Tennis balls a. is a sport played between two players or two teams. 2 . The players b. is played with a racquet. 3. The u s Open c. played on hard courts. 4. The French open d. played on red clay courts. 5. A tennis match e. played on grass courts. 6. The Australian Open f. played also on hard courts. 7. Tennis g. are of hollow rubber covered with felt coating. 8. W imbkdon h. is stretched across the fuH width o f the court. i. start on opposite sides o f the net. 9. The game j. is determined through the best 10. A net o f three or five sets. VI. WORD STUDY: PREFIXES (OUT- /UNDER- / OVER- / DIS- / MIS- /RE- /E N - /+ V — V) To form verbs, preíixes like out- /super- /under- / over- / can be added beíòre the verbs. Exampìe: A game is won by the first player who outscores at least four points in total and at least two points more than the opponent’s.
136 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thế thao 1. O u t-... (hơn) number — outnumber (nhiều hơn, đông hon) ► live — ................................................ * run — ................................................ ► grow — ................................................ > weigh — ................................................ *■ 2. Over-... (quá) Act — overact (cường điệu, * làm quá) stay — ................................................ * take — ................................................ * cook — ................................................ * work — ................................................ * 3. U nder-... (thấp, dưới, không đủ) sell — undersell (bán rẻ hơn) » cook — ........................................................ * estimate — ................................................ ► charge ................................................... do —>................................................ 4. DỈS-... (không) agree — disagree (không đồng * ý) like — ................................................ ► appear — ................................................ » b eliev e —* ......................................................... allow —>................................................ 5. Mis-... (nhầm lẫn, lầm) understand — misunderstand (hiểu lầm) > behave — ......................................................... *
Part II: Kinds o f Sports With A Ball 137 6. Re-... (lại) marry — remarry (tái > hôn) write — ........................................................... » arrange — ........................................................... » do — ........................................................... » take —* ........................................................... 7. En-... (làm cho...) íbrce — enforce (bắt tuân theo) » act — ........................................................... > close — ........................................................... > No te: “en-” can be added aíter some adjectives and nouns to form verbs Example: enrich, enlarge, endanger, encase, ensure, ... EXERCISE: CHOOSE THE BEST VERB TO COMPLETE EACH SENTENCE Example: It has been 3 years since they remarried. 1. Marry and her younger broửier a r e ..................................the dining room to make space for her birthday party. 2. People o fte n ..................................Linda for her tvvin sister. 3. Don’t ..................................anyone when you can’t know exactly their ability. 4. Polices become impotent when dem onsừators..................................them. 5. Farmers can h e lp ..................................the soil by adding fertilizers. 6. Mrs Danny’s jew elry ................................. last night and no one knows who stole it. 7. To avoid having a stomachache, you shouldn’t eat food w h ic h .............................. 8. Tom wants to buy a nevv mobile on his birthday. Uníortunately, his parents .........................................w ith h im . 9. Roger is punished because he .................................. with the reíeree in the last tennis match. 10. Smoking i s ............................................................................................. in the oíĩice.
138 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thế thao VII. GRAMMAR FOCUS: PASSIVE VOICE (THE PRESENT SIMPLE AND THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS) 1. The Present Simple Examples: Tennis is eiýoyed by millions o f recreational players. A tennis match is determined through the best of three or five sets. Tennis balls are o f hollow rubber and are covered with felt coating. • Positive: Form:Active voice — Passive voice > Active Subject Verb (-s/es) Object Subject am/is/are + V by + Object Passive (object of A) (-ed/v3) (subject o f A) Example: Acti ve: He opens the window s V Obj Passive: The window Ịs opened by him. s be V-ed Obj (agent) Usage: Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known; however, who or what períorms the action. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice. Example: Some mistakes are made. In this case, the focus is on the fact that some mistakes are made, but we do not blame anyone. Exercỉse: Complete these rules to form the passive voice The object o f the active sentence becomes the ................. of the passive sentence The verb in the simple present is changed into.............+ V past participle (Vpp)
Part II: Kinds ofSports With A Ball 139 The subjcct o f the active sentence becomes the ...................... o f the passive sentence with “by”. Notes: - lf subjects in the active sentences are someone, somebody, people, the objects in the passive sentence are dropped. Example: Someone breaks into the house. — The house is broken into. ♦ - If subjects in the active sentences are no one/ nobody, verbs in the passive sentences are negative. Example: No one knows vvhere he is all the day. — He isn’t known all the day. ♦ • Negative Form:Active voice — Passive voice > Active Subject don’t/doesn’t + V Object Subject am/is/are (not) + V by + Object Passive (object o f A) c-ed/v,) (subject o f A) Example: Active: He doesrTt open the window. s (Aux) V Obj Passive: The window isn’t opened by him. s be (not) V-ed Obj (agent) Exercise 1: Make passive sentences vvith provỉded words 1. is/ The/ us/ set/ table/ by. 2. rooms/ making/used/ These/ for/ are/ classes. 3. This/ very/ swept/ house/ often/ isn’t. 4. not/ to/ her/1/ invited/ party/ am/ invited/ tonight. 5. careíully/ ironed/ N am ’s/ by/ are/ his/ clothes/ mother. Exercisc 2: Revvrite these sentences in passỉve voice 1. They deliver the newspapers every moming. 2. People speak English all over the world. 3. She doesn’t take her children to school to day.
140 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thế thao 4. No one believes his story. 5. People play tennis as one o f the way to relax. • Yes/No question: Form: Active voice — Passive voice * Active Do/ Does Subject V(inf) Subject Passive Am/ Is/ Are V-ed/ v3 (object of A) Example: Active: Does the teacher give the homevvork? Yes, she does. Passive: Is the homevvork given (by the teacher)? Yes, it is. • Wh - questions: Form: Active voice — Passive voice > Active Question word do/does Subject Subject Passive Question word am/is/are (object of A) Example: Active: Where do they find his keys? Passive: Where are his keys found? Exercise 3: Rewrite these questions in the passive voỉce 1. Do they usually hold tennis competitions at the school? 2. How do the police find the lost man? 3. When do they open ửie show? 4. Does she make a cake for us? 5. Why don’t you help them? • Passive sentences with two objects Revvriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one o f the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object is transformed into a subject depends on vvhat you want to put the tòcus on.
Parl II: Kinds o f Sports IVith A Ball 141 Example: Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2 Adv Active Rita Writes a letter to me every day Passive A letter is written to me by Rita every day Passive I am written a letter by Rita every day Exercise 4: Rewrite the sentences in passive voice in 2 vvays 1 . I give that vvoman my phone numbers. — That w om an................................................. * — My phone num bers..................................... * 2. They pay me a lot of money to do the job. 3. Someone tells him the truth. 4. My parents always send me a present on my birthday every year. 5. The vvaiter brings us a lot o f special food. 2. The Prcsent Continuous Example: The old classrooms are being painted. T he m eeting is b ein g held in the hall. • Positive: Form: Active voice — Passive voice »
142 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thể thao Active Subject am/ is/ are + V-ing Object Subject am/is/are+being+V- by + Object Passive (object of A) ed/v 3 (subject of A) Exampỉe: Active: Students are doing exercises at the moment. s be V-ing Obj Passive: Exercises are being done by students at the moment. s be being v3 Obj (agent) • Negative Form: Active voice — Passive voice * Active Subject am/ is/ are + V-ing Object Subịect am/is/are + not + by + Object Passive (object o f A) being + V-ed/V 3 (subject o f A) Example: Active: Students aren’t doing exercises at the moment. Passive: Exercises aren’t being done by students at the moment. • Yes/No questions Form: Active voice — Passive voice > Active Am/ Is/ Are Subject V-ing Object Subject being + V-ed/ by + Object Passive Am/ Is/ Are (object of A) v3 (subject of A) Example: Active: Are students doing exercises at the moment? Passive: Are exercises being done by students at the moment? • Wh - questions: Form: Active voice — Passive voice * Active Question word am/is/are Subject V-ing Object by + Subject being + V- Object Passive Question word am/is/are (object of A) e d /v 3 (Subject of Á)
Part II: Kinds o f Sporls With A Ball 143 Exampỉe: Active: Why is he holding Mrs Danny’s wallet? Passive: Why is Mrs Danny’s wallet being held by him? Exercise 5: Change these sentences into the passive voice 1. Frank is vvriting a report for the meeting tomorrow. 2 . Is the police making inquires about the thief? 3. She is telling nothing about her problem. 4. Marry is preparing dinner while her husband is having a bath 5. W ho are th ey k e e p in g in the room? 6. Are people destroying íòrests unintentionally? Exercise 6: Rewrite these sentences in the active form 1. These boxes are made by hand by orphans. 2. This car isn’t being fìxed by any one. 3. Is red believed to be the Symbol o f luck? 4. The animals at the zoo are being fed. 5. When is this book retumed to the library by you? 6. Is this luggage being looking for by her? VIII. FURTHER EXERCISE Start playing tennis with instruction and advice for beginners on strokes, strategy, rules, terms, and equipment. These free lessons tips on which racquet to buy, and many other resources will help you leam tennis easily. There are 7 steps to leam playing tennis below. Put ứie correct order from the l st step to the 7th step. 1. Start to learn how to serve Hold the tennis ball in one hand and your racquet on the other. To hold the tennis racquet, hold the grip as if you are shaking someone’s hand or by holding the racquet so that the face is perpendicular to the ground then slide your hand down the racquet with your thumb on one side and the remaining íĩngers on the opposite. Throw the ball high enough so that the racket may hit the ball forward. Hit it hard, so that it may go over the net. Hit it diagonally over the net; also hit it in the svveet spot o f the racket (The svveet spot is the center or the place o f the racket which has no vibration).
144 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thế thao 2. Buy a decent tennis racket and high quality tennis shoes at your local sports store or tennis store 3. Find a local tennis club and become a member with the plan that is most appropriate to you 4. Lcarn the backhand next. Use this technique, if the ball isn’t in the side where your racket is at hold your racket with both hands on the grip like a baseball bat. You can either use a two- handed backhand or a one-handed backhand. Make sure you get a good grip. 5. Participate in a fun match play event to meet the pros and other regulars at 6. Start vvith the íorehand Wait until the ball b o u n ces just o n ce on the court w h en it’s Corning to y o u or it’s on your side of the net. Hit the ball on the svveet spot. 7. Read and learn about tennis, including vvhat all the tennis terms are, how to avoid injuries, hovv to hit a proper ball, etc. Hit the ball on the sweet spot upwards to generate topspin, and it would go over the net. IX. FURTHER READING Rules of Tennis for Beginners Corning to the rules of tennis, first, let us assume that we're talking about a singles match being played. The winner in the coin toss gets to decide vvhether he wants to serve or choose the side o f play. The fỉrst serve needs to be taken from the right half of the court, from behind the baseline, and the ball needs to be tossed in the air for the serve. No part o f the foot should touch the baseline until the serve is complete. The receiver has to stand on the diagonal side on his h a l f o f the court, though he is allovved to stand behind or inside the baseline too, whichever he chooses fit. The serve should land in the Service box, which is the square area just after the net on the opposite side of the court. The serve needs to be retaken if it lands outside the Service box or into the net. This is called a fault, and a double-fault results in the loss o f a point. After this serve has been retumed, players can then hit and retum the ball after one bounce in their side of the court, or even directly without letting it bounce. The next serve is taken from the left side of ửie court, and this sequence continues till the end o f the game.
Part II: Kinds ofSports With A Balỉ 145 A point is won if the opponent cannot retum the ball, the opponent hits the ball into the net on his side, the opponent's retum goes outside the sideline or the baseline on your side o f the court, if you hit the ball and the opponent cannot get to it, and even if the opponent touches the net or comes into your side o f the court. Aíter this, 20 seconds is the maximum time allowed for the server to start the next point. Balls that land on any part o f a sideline or baseline are considered to be in, and play continues. In a doubles match, all players serve tum-by-tum each game. That means, the same player gets to serve again every fifth game. Just like in singles, the íĩrst serve is taken from the right half o f the court, and then the left. The two players in the serving team thus svvitch sides every point, while the players in the receiving team do not, which means that the player receiving each serve changes for every point. Once the serve is taken and retumed, players can then go to any part o f the court, hit the ball aíter one or wiứiout a bounce, and any player from each team can retum the ball, meaning, from then on, no sequence needs to be followed in the course of the point. Tennis is a great sport that can be either played as a pass-time, form o f exercise, or even professionally. All the basic tennis shots need to be practiced day in and day out in order to get better and move on to a competitive level. If we take a look at all the past and present champions, they took up this sport as beginners when they were kids, and years o f practice got them to where ứiey are/were. Skills Developmcnt for Tennis Beginners In order for tennis beginners to develop theứ tennis skills, apart ữom practicing their serve, the two most important ground sứokes are the forehand and the backhand. The forehand and backhand needs to be practiced as often as possible. As the player becomes more skilled, additional tennis sừokes can be added as well as the reíinement o f the tennis technique. Right from ửie start, the tennis beginner needs to concentrate on how to play tennis by developing the right technique for the strokes. This will make the ball easier to control, while making the direction o f ứie shot more successíul and physically less tiring. Beginners should pay close attention to their positioning on the court when receiving. They should attempt to alvvays be able to reach the ball at the correct distance for ửie retum. Alvvays consider the position o f the opponent, where are they moving from and where to. As the beginner grows in coníidence, there is the possibility to become more o f a shot maker controlling the shots in the rally and ứie opponents ability to respond.
146 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thê thao These basics o f how to play tennis are good starting points for where a beginner can leam tìie basics of the game o f tennis. Tennis will be a joumey with ups and downs and with obstacles in the way o f your goals. By following a steady path to improve, a tennis beginner can leam how to play tennis in a fast and easy manner. X. POST - READING TASK Work in groups. Discuss the topic “Is Tennis ứie most famous sport in Vietnam?” And “Is it a sport for rich people to play?
Unit 2 TABLE-TENNIS I. PRE - READING TASK Discuss the following questions in groups: 1. Where does table tennis originate? 2. What countries are dominant in the world table tennis now? 3. What is the other name o f table tennis? II. READING TEXT Table tennis is a game that is quite similar to lawn tennis. It is played by two or four players. The equipment required for playing table tennis include a table, wooden paddles and a small hollow plastic ball. Like in lawn, the table has a net, which divides the playing area into two portions. During the Service, the ball must bounce once before clearing the net and should again bounce before being struck by the player at the other end. Hovvever, the player who retum the ball back should not let it bounce T a b íe . T e n r tiò again on his side once striking the ball! N A T I o N In a table tennis game, a player scores a point when his opponent’s Service does not land properly or when his opponent’s ball is not retumed properly. Players require to serve five times in a row. The player who fírst earas 21 points wins the game. Table tennis, also knovvn as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightvveight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, players must allovv a ball played tovvard them only one bounce on their side of the table and must retum it so that it bounces on the opposite side. Points are scored when a player fails to retum
148 Giáo trình Tiếng Anh trong Thê thao the ball vvithin the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A skilled player can impart several varieties o f spin to the ball, altering its trajectory and limiting an opponent's options to great advantage. Table tennis is govemed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), íòunded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 217 member associations. The table tennis oHìcial rules are speciíied in the ITTF handbook. Since 1988, table tennis has been an Olympic sport, with several event categories. In particular, from 1988 until 2004, these were: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008 a team event has been played instead o f the doubles. In the meantime, after íìnding its way to the Asian countries, table tennis started to fade from the European scene but in the early 1920s it was again revived in England. By that time the name “ping pong” had actually become a registered trademark of the game. However, the term table tennis was still retained for the more serious organizations where table tennis was actually played for sport. Equipment Ball The intemational rules specify that the game is played with a light 2.7 gram, 40 mm diameter ball. The rules say that the ball shall bounce up 24-26 cm when dropped from a height o f 30.5 cm on to a Standard Steel block thereby having a coeíĩicient o f restitution of 0.89 to 0.92. The 40 mm ball was introduced after the 2000 Olympic Games. However, this created some controversy as the Chinese National Team argued that this was merely to give non-Chinese players a better chance of winning since the new type of balls has a slower speed, while at that time most Chinese players were playing with fast attack and smashes. A 40 mm table tennis ball is slower and spins less than the original 38 mm (1.5 inch) one. The ball is made o f a high-bouncing air-filled celluloid or similar plastics material, colored white or orange, with a matte íinish. The choice of ball color is made according to the table color and its surroundings. For example, a white ball is easier to see on a green or blue table than it is on a gray table. Stars on the ball indicate the quality of the ball. Three stars indicate that it is of the highest quality, and is used in in oíĩĩcial competition.