Good Luck, Bad Luck: A Reading Activity

Good Luck, Bad Luck

A Reading Activity

Malaysian Athlete

Pandelela Rinong, a diver.

Malaysian Athlete

Lee Zii Jia, a badminton player.

Malaysian Athlete

Farah Ann, a gymnast.

Malaysian Athlete

Azizulhasni Awang, a cyclist.

Multiple Choice

Please choose your favourite athlete.

• Lee Zii Jia

• Pandelela Rinong

• Azizulhasni Awang

• Farah Ann

Open Ended

If you favour none of them, please name one Malaysian athlete that you admire. (Please answer 'none' if you have chosen an athlete in the previous slide.)

Fill in the Blanks

Superstition and Sport

Many sportspeople are superstitious. Did you know that tennis player, Rafa Nadal always takes two identical bottles of water with him to a tennis match? He puts them next to the court before he plays.

Superstition and Sport

Golfer, Tiger Woods always wears red on the last day of a golf tournament. And what about the famous basketball player Michael Jordan? He always wore his old college basketball shorts under his team shorts for luck, so the team shorts on top had to be very long!

Superstition and Sport

Superstitions like these have been part of sport since it began. The superstitions don't make much sense, but many sports champions believe they bring them luck and help them succeed in competitions. When it comes to superstition, athletes aren't the only ones, of course. Many of us have our own little habits.

Personally, I always have to drink my coffee from the same cup, which drives my family crazy!

Superstition and Sport

According to psychologists, following the same routine makes people feel safe. When we do something and everything goes OK, it seems like a good idea to do it the same way next time - we don't want to behave differently in case things go wrong!

Superstition and Sport

Another possible explanation for the athletes' behaviour is that following the same routine helps them relax before a game. Some of them go too far, however. There are stories of footballers who have worn the same pair of socks for many weeks because they thought they were lucky!

Yuck!

Multiple Choice

Based on the article 'Superstition and Sport', how many sports are mentioned?

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

Multiple Choice

For Tiger Woods, it is sometimes important to play golf __________________.

• on a particular day

• in a particular colour

Multiple Choice

Michael Jordan always wore __________________.

• two different pairs of shorts

• one long pair of shorts.

Multiple Choice

In the past, athletes __________________.

• weren't superstitious

• is a bit superstitious as athletes today.

Multiple Choice

The writer of the article __________________.

• isn't superstitious about anything

• is a bit superstitious

Multiple Choice

People sometimes repeat the same behaviour because __________________.

• they are scared of changing it

• they want to be like athletes

Multiple Choice

The word them in pink refers to

• footballers

• athletes