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       Just over a hundred years ago, there was a young Canadian physical director who was working in a training school for athletes in the United States.

        One day the Canadian instructor was asked to design a team sport that would provide good exercise and be fun to play. He decided on a ball game. The game had to be flexible (灵活的) and avoid rough play. There was to be no bodily contact between players and running with the ball was prohibited.

        The rules were simple and players didn't need much equipment to play. Peach baskets were originally nailed to a wooden balcony surrounding the gymnasium (体操房). They were placed above the head and the ball had to be skillfully thrown into the basket in order to score. That gave the game its name: basketball. Speed and finesse were the main requirements, not strength. It was an ideal indoor team sport.

        The game was first played in the United States but was introduced to Canada soon after. Canada's most famous team held the World Championship for sixteen years during the 1920s and 1930s. This team also competed in four Olympic demonstration matches (表演赛) winning twenty-seven consecutive (连续的) games, but they received no medals. Why not? Because they were women, and women's basketball wasn't an official Olympic sport until 1976.

 

 

1.		Basketball first appeared in _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
	A) Canada B) England C) America D) Germany
2.		What does "finesse" in Para. 3 mean?
	A) Goodness. B) Great skills. C) Strength. D) Quick response.
3.		Basketball was NOT designed to be a form of sport that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
	A) is played by more than one person at a time B) prohibits bodily contact C) is easy to learn and play D) requires the players to be very strong or heavy
4.		Which of the following statements is TRUE?
	A) Basketball was named after its inventor. B) Basketball-players can run with the balls. C) Basketball was introduced to Canada in 1920s. D) Basketball-players usually move fast.
5.		It can be inferred from the passage that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
	A) women basketball-players did better than men B) women's basketball became an official Olympic sport in 1976 C) basketball becomes very popular in Canada D) basketball was introduced to Canada by its inventor