take ?

[bosunyum]

I am not sure what the follwing sentnece means. can anybody clarify it or if possible can you paraphrase it for me? Thanks in advance.

1.Moran asked him( once he was a famous sport player) how much he missed the adulation, the glory of professional sport. had he felt lonely? well, saild Moran " I [B]know it does take a lot of players like that. but you have to remember i had my betting to fal back on. [/B( what is the exact meaning of take here? and what does it mean by i had my betting to fall back on?)

2. John was one of Britain's leading Formula One drivers until 1987 when he was suddenly dropped by Mclaren in favour of Alain Prost.
( what is Formula one drivers? and what does it mean he was dropped by Mclaren in favour of Alain Porst? also, what is Alain Prost?

3. The American obsession with the motor car would seem to have been tamed, at least in this small corner of the USA.
( what does it mean by tamed here?

4. As a university town , Davis has always had more than its fair share of bicycles- and ecological awareness too.
( what does it mean by had more than its fair share of bicycles?

[Tdol]

1 The loneliness of retiring and not having the adulation hits them. He felt that betting was a consolation, so he didn't feel the loneliness.
2 Formula One = racing car sport, dropped = left out of a team suddenly, Alain Prost was the driver who took over when they sacked him
3 Controlled
4 More than most places