What the word now calls football, or soccer in the United States, began with the ancient Chinese game of cuju. In the 19th century, the British set up a set of rules and the modern game was born.
Many reasons put the football fun base at about 3.5 billion and nearly 250 million players take part in the game all over the world. The 2018 Word Cup was watched by 3.57 billion people. Cricket(板球) is the next most played and watched sport, but its audience is smaller. Other popular sports such as basketball, baseball, and tennis don’t even come close.
Football is popular for many reasons, but basicly, the biggest one may be this: It’s a simple game. Even if one doesn’t have much knowledge of its rules, he can understand the basics by watching it for the first time. What’s more, football can be played anywhere with anything, like a ball or a can. Besides, “You don’t need to be rich to play soccer,” says one historian. “You just need a flat space and a ball.”
It is this special simplicity that makes football the most popular sport in Africa, where people even in poor areas play the game with handmade balls. Football is the love of everyone there and more than once the game has been a great help. In Ivory Const, for example, immigrants(移民) and Muslims(穆斯林) faced inequality for years. Yet many of the country’s best football players are from Muslim and immigrant families. As a result, the national team has become a symbol of unity.
All over Africa, football is popular with parents and teachers for another reason: it keeps young people, especially boys, in school and out of trouble. “Most clubs here don’t allow boys to play if they don’t go to school,” explains a teacher in Ghana. “Soccer helps to make young people responsible(有责任心的) in society. For us, soccer is also a tool for hope.”
【小题1】What does “it’s a simple game” underlined in Para. 3 mean?① It is affordable for anyone. ② It is easy to master the skills.
③ Its necessary equipment(设备) is simple. ④ Its basic rules are easily understood.
| A．① ② ③ | B．① ③ ④ | C．① ② ④ | D．② ③ ④ |
| A．Football helps to improve peace and harmony. |
| B．Football is a sport for people from any religion(宗教). |
| C．Ivory Coast is broken by different groups of people. |
| D．Ivory Coast is home to many best football players. |
| A．It helps young people fit into society. | B．It makes children able to get better grades. |
| C．It encourages boys to join study clubs. | D．It makes sure young men get more educated. |
| A．Cuju, an ancient Chinese game | B．My favourite sport game |
| C．What makes football so popular | D．Why is football the hope of Africa |
