Learn English with the News – Simone Biles, the GOAT, Leaves Olympic Events

For athletes, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Perhaps behind the fame and success there is something that spectators don’t see. Or maybe they do… As of late, many prominent athletes have voiced their personal problems, putting their mental health first over everything else, and Simone Biles is one of the latest athletes to show us that they are indeed human.
Watch the video and then do the accompanying English language exercises!

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored.

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Simone Biles, the GOAT, Leaves Olympic Events || Answer the Questions

Answer the following questions with the correct form.

Simone Biles, the GOAT, Leaves Olympic Events || Definition Match

Put the following words to the correct definitions.

Simone Biles, the GOAT, Leaves Olympic Events || Multiple Choice

Choose the correct preposition

 

Full Text:

World gymnastics champion and Olympic gold medal winner Simone Biles leaves the USA team because she is concerned about her mental health. The gymnast, often called “the GOAT” (greatest of all time), announced she will not participate in the team events with the other five members of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team.

She competed in two events with her team: floor and vault. Simone faced a difficult moment in her vault event that caused her to decide not to continue the team events. In her vault event, Simone had what gymnasts call “twisties.” Twisties is when a gymnast loses their orientation while spinning in the air. It can be very dangerous because they will not know where they are or how to land. Fortunately, Simone landed safely on the mat.

Twisties can happen when gymnasts face extreme pressure and stress.

Top-level athletes can experience a lot of stress from the pressure of performing on the world stage. Even one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, like Simone, can face these pressures. She made a brave and difficult decision to leave the team events to concentrate on her mental health.

The USA Gymnastics organization told reporters that they don’t know if Biles will participate in the individual all-around competition scheduled for next week.

The 24-year-old athlete will be evaluated by doctors to be sure that her health and safety are prioritized.