Love Football: Love Reading 2014

Appendix resource

World Cup comprehensions

Below are five extracts from different types of text relating to the World Cup: a
newspaper article, a magazine, a non-fiction book, a fiction book and a website.
Under each extract are three questions relating to that particular text – some that
can be answered just by analysing the extract provided, some that may require
some further research and some that are intended to provide a stimulus for
discussion and debate.

Use these activities to encourage children to try reading different types of text, or
create your own using more recent material fresh from the World Cup.
Newspaper
Extract from Matt Law, Football News Correspondent at The Daily Telegraph, 3 June 2014
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/10873528/World-Cup-2014-
England-fans-expected-to-outnumber-Italians-for-Manaus-opener.html

“World Cup 2014: England fans expected to outnumber Italians for Manaus
opener
England are expected to have a significantly bigger support than Italy for their World
Cup opener in Manaus. Despite the fact that the game is not until June 14, the FA has
sold its 2,500 allocation, with all tickets going to members of the official England
supporters’ club…

…Italy have only sold 200 tickets and sent back the rest of their allocation. Italy
supporters traditionally give the early stages of the World Cup a miss and wait for the
knockout stages to watch in significant numbers.”

Questions
1. How many more England fans have bought tickets for the opening match than Italy fans?
(a) 2,300
(b) nearly twice as many
(c) more than ten times

2. Who was responsible for selling England’s allocation of tickets for the match?
(a) the FA
(b) the Daily Telegraph
(c) FIFA

3. Why do you think England’s allocation of tickets we only sold to members of the Official
England Supporters’ Club?
(a) to make sure they can control who watches England, so the tickets go to true fans
who won’t cause trouble
(b) so that friends and family of the players get to watch the games, and no-one else
(c) so that people can buy lots of tickets to sell on at a higher price and make
themselves some extra money

Magazine
Extract from World Soccer: World Cup 2014 Collector’s Issue
“When England were drawn with Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in a tough first-round
group, Football Association chairman Greg Dyke was caught by the TV cameras
making a throat-slitting gesture as he sat alongside manager Roy Hodgson in the VIP
audience in Salvador, Brazil.

Hodgson said before the draw that one place he wanted to avoid was Manaus. So,
inevitably, England were drawn to face Italy in their opening game in the north-western
city, where climactic conditions may overwhelm England.”

1. What climactic conditions do you think Roy Hodgson was worried about?
(a) too cold
(b) too windy
(c) too hot

2. How many of the four teams in England’s group are from Europe?
(a) one
(b) two
(c) three
HINT: Take a look at the FIFA website to help you http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/

3. What do you think the chairman of the FA meant when he made his throat-slitting
gesture?
(a) that he was going to sack Roy Hodgson
(b) that he was going to kill Roy Hodgson
(c) that England were in a difficult group it would be a tough road to victory
 Fiction

*Extract from Keeper by Mal Peet

“‘Are you ready to begin, Gato?’

Faustino had his finger on the pause button. On the table between them was a desk
lamp that threw hard shadows onto the faces of the two men; also, two bottles of water,
a jug filled with ice, Faustino’s packet of cigarettes. And a not very tall chunk of gold. It
was in the shape of two figures, wearing what looked like nightdresses, supporting a
globe. It was not very beautiful. From where Faustino was sitting, it looked like an alien
with an oversized bald head.”

1. What do you think is the mystery object on the table between Gato and Fautino?
(a) the World Cup trophy
(b) a bar of gold bullion
(c) a lampshade

2. How many objects are on the table?

(a) five
(b) six
(c) seven

3. Gato is the nickname of a fictional World Cup winning goalkeeper. What do you think it
means in his language, Portuguese?
(a) the Goat
(b) the Gate
(c) the Cat
Why do you think he has been given this nickname?

*Text © 2003 Mal Peet

From KEEPER by Mal Peet
Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd,
London SE11 5HJ
www.walker.co.uk
Website

Extract from the BBC World Cup pages: Gary Lineker’s Ultimate Guide to Shoot Outs
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zgg334j)

"All you need to do is walk 50 yards, take a penalty and score,” wrote former England
defender Stuart Pearce in his autobiography, but it is not always so easy.

Of the 204 shootout penalties at World Cups, 60 have been saved or missed and
Italy’s talisman Roberto Baggio said his penalty failure in the 1994 final affected him
for years.

Often cruel, always captivating and for some the precursor to huge celebrations, the
first shootout took place on 8 July 1982 when West Germany defeated France 5-4 in
a semi-final in Spain. Since then penalty shootouts have decided two finals and
become a source of huge debate, with Baggio himself arguing that he will never
accept a defeat on penalties.”

1. How many penalties have been scored in World Cup shootouts?

(a) 244
(b) 204
(c) 144

2. What is an autobiography?
(a) a book one person writes about another famous person
(b) a book someone writes about themselves
(c) a book about fast cars

3. Do you think penalties are a fair way of deciding a game of football? Can you think of a
better way?

Answers
Newspaper
1c.
2a.
3a.

Magazine
1c.
2b.
3c.

Fiction
1a.
2b.
3c.

Website
1c.
2b.