Playing sports is fun. Even if you do not win every game, you are still spending time doing something you enjoy. Having fun is not the only reason to get involved in a sport. Playing sports helps you in many different ways.
Making Your Heart Stronger
Your heart is a muscle（肌肉）that pumps（输送）blood through your body. Like any muscle, your heart gets stronger when you make it work hard. How do you know when your heart is working hard? You breathe faster. All sports make your heart work harder.
Making Friends
Playing a sport helps make new friends. If you play on a sports team at school, you can get to know students in other classes. If you play sports outside of school, you can get to know more kids in your community. Some of the people you meet might become new friends.
Learning That Hard Work Pays off
Playing sports is fun, but it is hard work, too. It helps you learn that hard work pays off. Leaning this important lesson will help you at school and throughout your life.
Improving Self-Esteem（自尊心）
Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. People with good self-esteem have confidence and feel good about themselves. Scientists have discovered that playing sports helps most young people improve their self-esteem.
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “get involved in” probably mean? ________| A．get out of | B．take part in | C．get on with | D．come up with |
| A．You sleep deeply. | B．You breathe faster. |
| C．You eat more food. | D．You get stronger. |
| A．Learning that hard work pays off. |
| B．Making new friends with others. |
| C．Spending time doing something you enjoy. |
| D．Working hard to learn something important. |
| A．Did the writer tell us how to make new friends? |
| B．Did the writer help us understand ideas? |
| C．Did the writer offer us good ways of exercising? |
| D．Did the writer show us the importance of playing sports? |
