Name 2EXTRA PRACTICE
Read the text and answer the questions that follow.
The Mexican Wave
IYou’ve probably seen it – maybe even taken part in it at some sporting event: spectators stand up, raise their arms
and cheer as the “wave” comes towards them, and then sit down again as it moves on. The ripple moves through the
crowd no matter what the sport: baseball, basketball, American football or soccer. It’s the Mexican wave, simply
“the wave” in the US or La Ola in Mexico.
II The move – originally called the Human Wave – is thought to have started in the US in the 1970s. However, it first
became internationally popular after appearing at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, which explains its current
name. No one knows why it started, or even how many people are necessary to get a wave going. While some
experts claim it can be done with only six people working together, most suggest that the minimum is 25. The wave
generally moves at about 12 metres per second, passing approximately 20 seats, and it usually runs in a clockwise
direction. Although some suggest this is because most people are right-handed, this explanation seems unlikely
because the wave often moves counter-clockwise in countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
III Most people are eager to participate: even Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton took part in one at a
Wimbledon tennis match in 2012. The only ones to spoil the fun seem to be the VIPs at certain games, where the
wave often ends at their box. But the crowd still rules – spectators boo for the entire time that the wave would take
to pass through the VIP section, and then resume the cheer on the other side.
IV According to Guinness World Records, the longest wave, observed at a 2011 basketball game in Australia, lasted
six minutes 54 seconds, and the largest, seen at a 2008 car-racing event in the US, involved 157,574 individuals.
But true sports fans believe it doesn’t really matter how many people participate or how long a wave lasts – being
part of it is what’s important.
1Choose the correct answer.
1. The Mexican wave ...... .
a. requires spectators to sit and wave their arms b.
occurs during many different sporting events c. isn’t
the same as “the wave”
2. VIP occupants are known to ...... .
a. boo during a wave
b. be the most eager to take part in a wave c.
ignore the wave
2Decide if the sentences are T (true) or F (false).
Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.
...... 1. The Mexican wave originated in the US.
.................................................................. ...... 2.
Waves usually take one second to pass along 20
seats.
.................................................................. ...... 3. The
wave usually moves counter-clockwise in the Northern
Hemisphere.
..................................................................
3Complete the sentences according to the
information in the text.
1. In Mexico, the move ..........................................
......................................................................... . 2.
Most experts believe that at least 25 people .....
......................................................................... . 3.
Over 157,000 people .........................................
......................................................................... . 4Find
words in the text that mean the OPPOSITE of the
following:
1. lower (paragraph I) .................................... 2. previous
(paragraph II) .................................... 3. probable
(paragraph II) .................................... 4. unenthusiastic
(paragraph III) .................................... 5. terminate
(paragraph III) ....................................
