Question

    It seems that the Englishmen just cannot live without sports of some kind. A famous French humorist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. Wherever you go in this country, you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it?

Taking all amateur(业余)and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. It is called soccer in the United States. The game originated(起源于)in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier, though as an organized game, or “association football”, it dates only from the beginning of the 19th century.

The next is rugby, which is called “football” in the United States. It is a kind of football played by two teams of fifteen players than eleven. In rugby, an oval-shaped ball is used which can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game.

In summer, cricket is the most popular sport. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British.

Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century, but it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world.

Table tennis, or “ping-pong”, surely is not played on a great scale as it is in China or Japan. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into Britain during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity. Horse-back riding, swimming, rowing and golf all attract a lot of people.

1.The main purpose of Paragraph l is to tell us that the English__________.

A.are all sports lovers B.behave like children

C.like to kick a ball around D.can remain young all their lives

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about football and rugby?

A.They differ in the shape of the ball. B.They are played by different numbers of players.

C.They both can be handled. D.They both can be kicked.

3.The game that was never played in Britain until the late 19th century is__________.

A.basketball B.tennis C.rugby D.football

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

A.The Most Popular Sports B.The English Sports

C.History of Sports D.Sports in Britain

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。本文主要说明了英国人热爱运动，似乎他们离开运动就无法生存。还介绍了英国人的足球，橄榄球，板球，网球及乒乓球运动。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第一句“It seems that the Englishmen just cannot live without sports of some kind.”可知，英国人离开运动之后似乎就无法生存。及此段第三句“Wherever you go in this country, you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls!”可知英国到处都可以看到在运动的人。因此说明了英国人都是运动爱好者。故选A项。

2.细节理解题。由第三段对橄榄球的介绍“It is a kind of football played by two teams of fifteen players than eleven. In rugby, an oval-shaped ball is used which can be handled as well as kicked.”可知橄榄球是一个椭圆形的球，据常识知足球是圆形，因此A选项正确；橄榄球每队15人而不是11人，因此B选项正确；橄榄球既可手传又可脚传，而足球只可脚传，因此D选项正确。故选C项。

3.细节理解题。由最后一段“Basketball and volleyball were introduced into Britain during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity.”（19世纪末，篮球和排球从美国传入英国，并越来越受欢迎。）因此直到19世纪英国人才开始打篮球。故选A项。

4.主旨大意题。文章第一段说明了英国人热爱运动，似乎他们离开运动就无法生存。第二段开始直到最后一段介绍了英国人玩的体育运动，有足球，橄榄球，板球，网球及乒乓球运动。因此D项（在英国的体育运动）为最佳标题。故选D项。