A man from Mongolia who loves football is riding his bike from his home to the UK. He wants to see Manchester United play. He started his trip in May. He is doing this to live “without regrets”. His name is Ochirvaani Batbold. He has already ridden his bike for about one third of the total distance. He hopes to arrive at the stadium by December.
He has travelled more than 1,864 miles (3,000km) so far. He went through China and Kazakhstan. The best part of his trip so far was the road to a lake in China. But it was not always easy. Some days were cold, snowy and rainy, and now it is very hot.
He will also go through many other countries before he arrives in the UK. He said, “I will end my story at Old Trafford for my first time. I want to make beautiful memories that I will not forget.”
His love for Manchester United and a bad experience inspired him to do this trip. Someone lied to him and took a lot of money from him and his family. This almost ruined his dream of playing football. But many kind people gave him money to help him. This made him want to do something brave and fulfill his dream.
He loves adventure and Manchester United. He wants to inspire others and show that he can live without regrets. So he decided to ride his bike to Old Trafford. He has been a fan of Manchester United since 2010. His favorite player is Wayne Rooney.
Original news source: Footballer wants Mongolia to Manchester United ride to inspire (BBC)
Listen
Slow
Normal
Fast
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– JOURNEY MAPPING
Instructions: Draw a simple map on the board showing Mongolia, the UK, China, and Kazakhstan. Ask the students to trace the route that Ochirvaani Batbold took on his journey, using colored markers.
– SENTENCE RECREATION
Instructions: Write a simple sentence from the article on the board, for example, “He started his trip in May.” Ask the students to recreate the sentence using different words, for example, “His journey began in May.”
– WEATHER CHAT
Instructions: Discuss the different weather conditions mentioned in the article (cold, snowy, rainy, hot). Ask students to mime the actions they would do in each weather (shivering, wrapping up, using an umbrella, wiping sweat). This will help them to understand and remember the vocabulary related to weather.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Where is the man from who is riding his bike to the UK?
2. Why is the man riding his bike to the UK?
3. When did the man start his bike trip?
4. How far has the man already ridden his bike?
5. What were some of the hard parts of his trip so far?
6. What does the man want to do at Old Trafford?
7. Who is the man’s favorite football player?
8. Why did the man decide to ride his bike to Old Trafford?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A man from (1)______ who loves football is riding his bike from his home to the UK. He wants to see Manchester United play. He started his trip in May. He is doing this to live “without regrets”. His name is Ochirvaani Batbold. He has already ridden his bike for about one third of the total (2)______. He hopes to arrive at the stadium by December.
He has travelled more than 1,864 miles (3,000km) so far. He went through China and Kazakhstan. The best part of his trip so far was the road to a lake in China. But it was not always easy. Some days were cold, snowy and rainy, and now it is very (3)______.
He will also go through many other countries before he arrives in the UK. He said, “I will end my story at Old Trafford for my first time. I want to make beautiful memories that I will not (4)______.”
His love for Manchester United and a bad experience inspired him to do this trip. Someone lied to him and took a lot of money from him and his family. This almost ruined his dream of playing football. But many kind people gave him money to help him. This made him want to do something brave and fulfill his (5)______.
He loves adventure and Manchester United. He wants to inspire others and show that he can live without regrets. So he decided to ride his bike to Old Trafford. He has been a fan of Manchester United since 2010. His favorite player is (6)______.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Do you like football? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever ridden a bike for a long trip? How far did you go?
3. What is your favorite sport and why?
4. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
5. How would you feel if you were riding your bike in the cold, snow, and rain?
6. What’s the bravest thing you have ever done?
7. Have you ever been lied to? How did it make you feel?
8. Do you like to help people? Can you tell us about a time when you helped someone?
9. Can you tell us about a time when you did something that you were proud of?
10. Do you have a favorite player in a sport? Who is it and why do you like them?
11. If you could meet any sports player, who would it be and why?
12. What is something you dream of doing one day?
13. Have you ever done something hard to make your dreams come true?
14. What is something that you love so much that you would travel a long way to see?
15. What is a memory that you will never forget?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. Mongolia
2. football
3. bike
4. stadium
5. distance
6. countries
7. memories
8. adventure
Shuffled Meanings:
A) A game where you kick a ball into a goal
B) A place where sports games are played
C) Things you remember from the past
D) A fun or exciting experience or journey
E) A machine with two wheels that you ride by pushing pedals with your feet
F) How far something is from one place to another
G) Different areas of the world with their own governments and people
H) A country in Asia with lots of mountains and grasslands
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Where is the man from?
(a) China
(b) Mongolia
(c) UK
(d) Kazakhstan
2. Where is the man riding his bike to?
(a) China
(b) Kazakhstan
(c) Mongolia
(d) UK
3. When did the man start his trip?
(a) December
(b) January
(c) July
(d) May
4. How much of the total distance has the man ridden his bike?
(a) Half
(b) Two thirds
(c) One third
(d) All
5. What was the best part of his trip so far?
(a) The road to a lake in Kazakhstan
(b) The road to a lake in Mongolia
(c) The road to a lake in UK
(d) The road to a lake in China
6. Why is the man doing this trip?
(a) He was inspired by a bad experience and his love for Manchester United
(b) He was inspired by a good experience and his love for Manchester United
(c) He was inspired by a bad experience and his dislike for Manchester United
(d) He was inspired by a good experience and his dislike for Manchester United
7. What is the man’s dream?
(a) To play football
(b) To ride his bike
(c) To watch football
(d) To travel the world
8. Who is the man’s favorite player?
(a) David Beckham
(b) Cristiano Ronaldo
(c) Lionel Messi
(d) Wayne Rooney
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. The man is riding his bike from Mongolia to the UK.
2. The man’s name is Ochirvaani Batbold.
3. He started his trip in June.
4. He has already ridden his bike for half of the total distance.
5. He went through China and Kazakhstan.
6. His favorite player is Lionel Messi.
7. He has been a fan of Manchester United since 2010.
8. He wants to end his story at Old Trafford for his second time.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. Why is the man from Mongolia riding his bike to the UK?
2. How far has the man ridden his bike so far?
3. What was the best part of the man’s trip so far?
4. Why did the man decide to ride his bike to Old Trafford?
5. Who is the man’s favorite player from Manchester United?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. Where is the man from who is riding his bike to the UK?
The man is from Mongolia.
2. Why is the man riding his bike to the UK?
The man is riding his bike to the UK to see Manchester United play.
3. When did the man start his bike trip?
The man started his bike trip in May.
4. How far has the man already ridden his bike?
The man has already ridden his bike for about one third of the total distance.
5. What were some of the hard parts of his trip so far?
Some hard parts of his trip were cold, snowy and rainy days.
6. What does the man want to do at Old Trafford?
The man wants to make beautiful memories at Old Trafford.
7. Who is the man’s favorite football player?
The man’s favorite football player is Wayne Rooney.
8. Why did the man decide to ride his bike to Old Trafford?
The man decided to ride his bike to Old Trafford to live without regrets and fulfill his dream.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. Mongolia
2. distance
3. hot
4. forget
5. dream
6. Wayne Rooney
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. Mongolia
Answer: H) A country in Asia with lots of mountains and grasslands
2. football
Answer: A) A game where you kick a ball into a goal
3. bike
Answer: E) A machine with two wheels that you ride by pushing pedals with your feet
4. stadium
Answer: B) A place where sports games are played
5. distance
Answer: F) How far something is from one place to another
6. countries
Answer: G) Different areas of the world with their own governments and people
7. memories
Answer: C) Things you remember from the past
8. adventure
Answer: D) A fun or exciting experience or journey
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Where is the man from?
Answer: (b) Mongolia
2. Where is the man riding his bike to?
Answer: (d) UK
3. When did the man start his trip?
Answer: (d) May
4. How much of the total distance has the man ridden his bike?
Answer: (c) One third
5. What was the best part of his trip so far?
Answer: (d) The road to a lake in China
6. Why is the man doing this trip?
Answer: (a) He was inspired by a bad experience and his love for Manchester United
7. What is the man’s dream?
Answer: (a) To play football
8. Who is the man’s favorite player?
Answer: (d) Wayne Rooney
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. The man is riding his bike from Mongolia to the UK.
Answer: True
2. The man’s name is Ochirvaani Batbold.
Answer: True
3. He started his trip in June.
Answer: False
4. He has already ridden his bike for half of the total distance.
Answer: False
5. He went through China and Kazakhstan.
Answer: True
6. His favorite player is Lionel Messi.
Answer: False
7. He has been a fan of Manchester United since 2010.
Answer: False
8. He wants to end his story at Old Trafford for his second time.
Answer: False
Go back to questions ⇧
