Reading Plimsolls The first sports shoes, made over 100 years ago, were called “plimsolls”. They had a flat rubber sole and a canvas top and they were very simple – the left foot and the right foot were the same! In 1917, the U.S. Rubber Company made the first really comfortable plimsolls. They called them “Keds”. Sports shoes from Germany In 1924, two German brothers started a sports shoe company in a small village in Germany. Their shoes had spikes and they were for athletes. The two brothers’ names were Adi and Rudolf Dassler. Adi called the company Adidas. Athletes used Adidas shoes in a lot of Olympic Games and they were soon famous. They were the best sports shoes in the world. Trainers and fashion In the 1930s and ’40s people wore trainers for sports like basketball. Then in the 1950s a famous, young American actor, James Dean, wore trainers, jeans and a T-shirt in a film. Trainers were now “in” – and cheap. Soon, young people everywhere wore trainers (and jeans) too. Hi-tech trainers In the 1960s and ’70s, companies started making hi-tech trainers. The Nike company started in the USA in 1968. Nike, Adidas and other companies made trainers with air in the soles of their shoes. These shoes were very comfortable – but sometimes also very expensive. Today, the price of a pair of trainers can be over $100. . . . . 5 . . . . 10 . . . . 15 . . . . 20 . . . . 25 . The history of trainers Read the magazine article and answer the questions. Workbook p. 22, ex. 6, 7 1 When did the U.S. Rubber Company make the first sports shoes? The U.S. Rubber Company made . 2 What famous company did two German brothers start in 1924? They . 3 Why did trainers become “in” in the 1950s? Because James Dean wore . 11 13Ó listening r3s5yq top sole spike 42 Unit 4 · Then and now Ó worksheet 7ni6j9 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODE3MDE=