(4/5/06)
Match the correct heading to the relevant section of the text.
a) More important than national games
b) Standing with a flag
c) A lack of interest in the Spanish team
d) Hope for the future
e) Regional pride
f) No pride in being Spanish
g) Failure in 1950
h) A less than successful history
i) Real Madrid
j) Representing the region
TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN?
According to the text, are the following statements true or false (or is it impossible to tell?)
1) The Spanish national football team takes priority over club competitions.
2) Catalunya last played in Barcelona in 1987.
3) Most Spanish players refuse to sing the national anthem.
4) The lack of support for the national side is partly due to a lack of feeling for Spain as a country.
5) Barca and Real are no different to the big clubs in other countries.
6) Having a national match in the same week as a Champions' League match causes problems.
7) The Spanish side has not had a lot of success in international competitions.
8) Spanish supporters sometimes believe that there is a hidden reason for the team's failure.
9) France and Italy saw a rise in the popularity of the national team after international success.
SUMMARY
Complete the summary, using no more than three words to fill each gap.
Although football is the ____________ sport in Spain, the ____________ receives less support than in many other ____________. One of the reasons for this is that many Spaniards identify with ____________, not their country. In fact, not all players are ____________ to wear the national shirt. ____________ is that the two main clubs, ____________, divert attention away from the national team as they are representative of regional ____________. The final, and perhaps most important, reason is Spain's ____________ in major tournaments. If Spain could win the World Cup, it might lead to an ____________ in the number of fans of the national team.
MAIN IDEA
Choose the two best sentences to explain the text.
a) Spaniards are not proud people
b) The Spanish national team is relatively unpopular
c) Barcelona players do not play for Spain
d) Success would increase the attraction of the national side
e) Catalunya is a strong region in Spain