Sport Brands

Goddess	Female god (being or spirit that is believed to have power over nature)
Wardrobe	Place where clothes are stored
Brand	Particular make of goods or their trade mark
To put up	To build
Zip	Device for bringing together or separating two rows of metal used for fastening clothes
Stripe	Long narrow band
Bubble	Floating ball formed of liquid and containing air or gas
Sole	Part of a sock, shoe etc covering the bottom surface of the human foot
Bounce	Act of moving up and down in a lively manner
To link	To make or suggest a connection between people or things
Huge	Big, enormous
Profit	Financial gain
Proud	Feeling or showing justifiable feeling of pleasure which one gets from doing something well
To purchase	To buy Welcome to the land of Nike. Here, the great goddess Nike, who wears a Raul shirt, looks down on the other gods, Reebok and Adidas. This land is a dangerous one for parents. How can they make their child, who lives for nothing but sport, happy at Christmas? The trainers children want to wear these days are too costly! Take Agustin Garcia, 17, whose wardrobe is full of basketball trainers: he will only buy well-known brands like Nike and Reebok. "I prefer to wear something that looks smart and gives me comfort" he says, "the inexpensive ones don't last that long." Agustin is not a basketball player and he doesn't watch much basketball; he is just keeping up with the latest fashion. One of the things he likes doing most on Sundays is shopping for the latest trainers. Trainers have been around for at least a hundred years. In 1901 Jeremy Foster put up a company in Switzerland which manufactured and sold trainers. This company, which was then known as Fosters, is now known as Reebok. The name Reebok is African and comes from a type of animal called  "gazelle," which runs very fast. Today, Reebok Classics, which come with a smart zip, are very popular with teenagers; the younger ones may prefer Reebok Fruit, which also have a transparent stripe. The Airmax comes with a bubble in the sole, which gives added bounce to the shoe. The big names in teenage footwear are Reebok, Nike and Adidas and the competition between these companies can be tough. They all want teenagers to buy their shoes and not a competitor brand. One battle the sports companies have been fighting recently is convincing popular sports stars to link their names with their trainers. Football players such as Roberto or Bowen and basketball players as popular as Michael Jackman can cost the footwear companies a huge amount of money in sponsorship fees. However, if sales increase as a result of successful advertising, they can also bring in immense profits. There is only one brand of football boots which young people are proud to be seen  in and that is the "Bowen", or the Adidas Predator Accelerate, which is their official name. Nowadays, trainers seem to be an important part of any teenager's wardrobe. Pop groups have had an enormous influence in making trainers high-fashion wear for girls. Given the power of modern marketing strategy, parents have a hard time convincing their kids to purchase less popular, cheaper brands. Are the brand-name trainers worth the money? They definitely look good, and a lot of effort is made by companies in making their latest models better than the rest. So it seems likely that brand-name trainers will remain to be a choice with both; athletes and kids. 11.(C) Write the missing words & Read aloud Welcome to the land of Nike. Here, the great goddess Nike, who wears a Raul shirt, looks down on the other gods, Reebok and Adidas. This land is a dangerous one ............. parents. How can they ............. their child, who lives for nothing but sport, happy ............. Christmas? The trainers children want to ............. these days are too .............! Take Agustin Garcia, 17, whose wardrobe is full of basketball .............: he will only buy well-known ............. like Nike and Reebok. 'I prefer to wear something that looks smart and gives me ............. he says, 'the inexpensive ones don't last that ............. .' Agustin is not a basketball player and he doesn't watch ............. basketball; he is just keeping up with the latest ............. . One of the things he likes doing ............. on Sundays is shopping for the ............. trainers. Trainers have been around for at ............. a hundred years. In 1901 Jeremy Foster put up a company in Switzerland which ............. and sold trainers. This ............., which was then known as Fosters, is now ............. as Reebok. The name Reebok is African and comes from a type of animal ............. 'gazelle,' which runs very fast. Today, Reebok Classics, which come with a smart zip, are very ............. with teenagers; the younger ones may prefer Reebok Fruit, which also have a transparent stripe. The Airmax comes with a bubble in the ............., which gives added bounce to the shoe. The big names in teenage ............. are Reebok, Nike and Adidas and the competition ............. these companies can be tough. They all want ............. to buy their shoes and not a competitor brand. One battle the sports companies have been fighting recently is convincing popular sports ............. to link their names with their trainers. Football ............. such as Roberto or Bowen and basketball players ............. popular as Michael Jackman can cost the footwear companies a huge amount of money in sponsorship ............. . However, if sales ............. as a result of successful advertising, they can also bring in immense ............. . There is only one brand of football boots which young ............. are proud to be seen in and that is the 'Bowen', or the Adidas Predator Accelerate, which is their official ............. . Nowadays, trainers seem to be an important part of any teenager's ............. . Pop groups have had an enormous ............. in making trainers high............. wear for girls. Given the power of modern marketing ............., parents have a hard time convincing their kids to ............. less popular, ............. brands. Are the brand-.............  trainers worth the money? They definitely look good, and a lot of effort is made by companies in making their latest models ............. than the rest. So it seems likely that brand-name trainers will remain to be a ............. with both; athletes and kids. 11.(D) Answer the questions & Read aloud Are the trainers the children wear these days very expensive? ......................... Whose wardrobe is full of basketball trainers? ......................... Why doesn't he like the inexpensive trainers? ......................... Why does he wear basketball trainers? ......................... When does he buy his trainers? ......................... What kind of trainers are very popular with teenagers? ......................... What have the sports companies been doing recently? ......................... What is 'Bowen'? ......................... Which is the official name of 'Bowen'?