There are those who point with alarm at Americans’ relative lack of interest in the world’s most popular games, soccer, a sport many feel has important advantag es over football and baseball. Football and baseball of their very nature preven t mass participation; their popularity must therefore bear some of the responsib ility for turning America into a nation of spectators. The violence of football makes necessary specialized conditioning and elaborate equipment if injury is to be avoided; even so there are crippling accidents and deaths each year. Basebal l (hardball, that is) is so difficult that few can participate; throwing a ball demands special talents and training, while hitting is also difficult that a gam e with unskillful players is hardly worth the bother. Soccer, on the other hand, is a game anyone can play and enjoy.: t- o2 v0 J7 g5 [ X
Since soccer’s superiority in encouraging active participation is so obvious, an d since soccer’s ability to arouse intense feeling of identification among spect ators is at least equal to football’s, why has it failed to become a major sport on the professional and college level? Soccer’s worldwide popularity may be jus t what is keeping it from becoming popular. Baseball is also an international sp ort, played in Canada, Latin America, Japan, Korea and, in a minor way, Europe. There are professional leagues in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Japan, but about all this the American public neither knows nor cares. Spectator s here are interested only when American teams play other American teams. The ma jor league baseball teams from Toronto and Montreal hardly destroy this generali zation.
( k" O% ^6 }) x% P 1. Many think soccer has important advantages over football and baseball because ______. b& {2 |$ s+ P% S
A. more people can participate
" ] e9 s+ G4 {7 ~# B3 x% x | B. it is an international sport
6 Y7 N7 ~' Y' Q# j* s4 I; N C. it needs special training8 N+ q P9 K3 K- u# ~* V" P
D. violence is involved in playing the game
% H( Y+ \, h. J% G; R/ m 2. What made the U.S. a nation of spectator?
* L' b; p. z4 v; q& ]- F A. The excellent performance of the players.( i) l' }7 T# j% s0 i' W9 n
B. Mass participation.
' B; S0 ?' Q1 B% W8 X+ {. X) A C. Violence on the playground.
2 l w T6 |0 r t D. Elaborate equipment. 4 j2 q0 Y0 t' }! y: [! Y# d" p
3. Which of the following statements CANNOT be concluded from the passage?+ q% _. |$ z- u! v; ?) a w; h
A. The Americans have a different idea of value in regard to the sports.
! C* W6 c. B/ a* F# \, w0 O B. Some games are more professionalized in the U.S.
% c4 N; j( d ] d/ [ C. Football can arouse intense feelings among spectators.
% Y& v9 D6 F, o: m" r" ? D. Baseball teams from other countries do not play in the U.S.
( S8 a2 O7 H! K 1. A) 根据第二段第一句，足球鼓励人们积极参与。因此，人们认为足球 优于橄榄球，故选A。但是，正是人人都能参加踢足球，美国人不喜欢足球，本题与美国人的看法无关。
3 e, Q9 o8 t/ ?0 u$ w 2. A) 美国人不喜欢看水平低的、人人都能参加的球类比赛，basketball 不一定需要多少装备，baseball不一定有多少拼抢，美国人喜欢的是球艺。
1 \/ L! y# H6 _- \7 c0 Y 3. D) 通过阅读文章可知只有选项D文章没有提及。 |
发表于 2012-8-14 11:20:45
