Lesson idea:
Discuss the quotes below. What ideas come to mind when you read them in hindsight?
- "Everything that can be invented has been invented." (Commissioner US Patent Office, 1899)
- "The telephone has too many short-comings to become a means of communication." (Executive from world’s leading telegraph company, 1876)
- "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." (IBM Chairman, 1943)
- "Guitar music is on the way out." (Record executive who rejected The Beatles, 1962)
- "10 meters in under 10 seconds? Not in our lifetime."
- "An Asian team will never reach the second round of the World Cup."
Watch this motivational video clip about great achievements in the history of sport and complete the blanks in the transcript. The activity is suitable for Básico 2 students. The listening activity starts at 2.20.
What is impossible?
Was it impossible for the humble son of an Alabama cotton (1) ... to enter the politically charged arena of Berlin, win four gold medals, the (2) ... of the world and become the true message and lasting memory of the 1936 Olympics?
Was it impossible for a young girl who at the age of six was diagnosed with (3) ... polio, whose doctors told her she would require (4) ... braces for the rest of her life, to go on to win three gold medals in Rome?
Was it impossible for an athlete who one day decided to jump over the bar (5) ... instead of (6) ... , who was (7) ... at and booed at every track meet, to go on and win gold and revolutionize his sport in the process?
Was it impossible for a man who (8) ... qualified for the Olympic finals to take off into the thin air of Mexico City and land somewhere in the next century, (9) ... a world record that had hardly (10) ... over four decades by 55 centimeters?
Was it impossible that the first gymnast to (11) ... a perfect ten would also be the second to (11) ... a perfect ten, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth and the seventh at the age of 13?
Was it impossible for a (12) ... eighteen-year-old from Kentucky become heavyweight champion of the world only to be (13) ... of all his titles and his freedom because of his (14) ... , only to come back, stronger and faster than ever before to become the (15) ... of all time?
Was it impossible for a team of unknowns, immigrants’ sons, (16) ... and (17) ... in their own country to surprise the world’s very best, (18) ... from game to game, and go on to win the World Cup and the hearts of an entire nation?
Was it impossible for a simple (19) ... from a small town inspired by his passion for sport and athletes to (20) ... an entire industry and become the founder of the world’s largest and most innovative sports company?
It wasn’t. Don’t accept impossible. Adi didn’t. Athletes don’t. And… we’ll never will.
Key:
1 farmer 2 hearts 3 incurable 4 leg 5 backwards 6 forwards 7 laughed 8 barely 9 shattering 10 changed 11 score 12 skinny 13 stripped 14 beliefs 15 greatest 16 underestimated 17 doubted 18 grow 19 shoemaker 20 pioneer
