It's summer and a stadium in the USA is full (1) of 40,000 excited fans. Suddenly everyone stands up and sings the American (2) national anthem. The game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox is going to (3) start soon. The game? Baseball of course!
Modern baseball (4) originated in the USA and the sport is an important part of American life. Traditionally people go to a game with all their family. It's very (5) relaxing sociable and noisy, and spectators eat, drink and sing during the game.
The Yankees and the Red Sox are (6) professional teams. There are also professional baseball leagues in Asia and Latin America. It's an Olympic sport, too.
In England, a few thousand supporters are sitting in the rain. There aren't any players on the pitch. They'll continue the match (7) if it stops raining. If it doesn't stop, neither team will win or lose-it'll be a draw. What's the sport? Cricket!
Although England is the (8) home of cricket, the places where cricket is most popular are hot and sunny - Australia, South Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean. A cricket match (9) lasts for a long time – sometimes five days - and each day there are breaks for lunch and tea! However, now there is new, faster version of cricket called Twenty20. There's pop music and the (10) atmosphere at the ground is more exciting. Some people think that Twenty20 will replace traditional cricket one day.