Feel good in your runners. Functional skills, PISA task

Think of the criteria for the good sport shoes. One part of the article says, “A good sports shoe should meet four criteria.” What are these criteria?

Read the text and choose the correct answer to the question. For 14 years the Sports Medicine Centre of Lyon (France) has been studying the injuries of young sports players and sports professionals. The study has established that the best course is prevention and good shoes. 18% of sports players aged 8 to 12 already have heel injuries. The cartilage of a footballer's ankle does not respond well to shocks, and 25% of professionals have discovered for themselves that it is an especially weak point. The cartilage of the delicate knee joint can also be irreparably damaged and if care is not taken right from childhood (10–12 years of age), this can cause premature osteoarthritis. The hip does not escape damage either and, particularly when tired, players run the risk of fractures as a result of falls or collisions. According to the study, footballers who have been playing for more than ten years have bony outgrowths either on the tibia or on the heel. This is what is known as ‘footballer’s foot’, a deformity caused by shoes with soles and ankle pants that are too flexible. If a shoe is too rigid, it restricts movement. If it is too flexible, it increases the risk of injuries and sprains. A good sports shoe should meet four criteria. Firstly, it must provide exterior protection: resisting knocks from the ball or another player, coping with unevenness in the ground, and keeping the foot warm and dry even when it is freezing cold and raining. It must support the foot and in particular, the ankle joint, to avoid sprains, swelling, and other problems, which may even affect the knee. It must also provide players with good stability so that they do not slip on the wet ground or skid on a surface that is too dry. Finally, it must absorb shocks, especially those suffered by volleyball and basketball players who are constantly jumping. Dry feet to avoid minor but painful conditions such as blisters or even splits or athlete’s foot (fungal infections), the shoe must allow evaporation of perspiration and must prevent outside dampness from getting in. The ideal material for this is leather, which can be water-proofed to prevent the shoe from getting soaked the first time it rains. What does the author intend to show in this text?

Give the answer to the question. According to the article, why should sports shoes not be too rigid?

Read the text and choose the correct answer to the question. Look at this sentence from near the end of the article. It is presented here in two parts: “To avoid minor but painful conditions such as blisters or even splits or athlete’s foot (fungal infections),…” (first part) “…the shoe must allow evaporation of perspiration and must prevent outside dampness from getting in.” (second part) What is the relationship between the first and second parts of the sentence?