Don’t Take the Fun Out of Youth Sports

When I joined a private football league a few years ago, the sport meant everything to me. My coach(教练) said that I had lots of potential(潜力), and I became captain of my ___36___. That was before all the fun was taken out of ___37___.

At first, everyone on the team got ___38___ playing time. Then the team moved up to the top division after winning all its games, and the ___39___ started. Some parents, who had paid the coach extra so their daughters could have ___40___one-on-one training, got angry when she didn’t give them more playing time in our ___41___. The coach was replaced.

The new coach, however, took all the fun out of the game. All we did during practice was ___42___. I always wished to God that it would rain so we would not have the ___43___. Of course, all teams run drills; they are ___44___. But we ran so much that, afterwards, we had trouble ___45___. Younger people shouldn’t be doing exercises ___46___ for 18-year-olds.

I was very thin ___47___ I started football, but as a member of this team I wouldn’t eat much, because I was afraid of being too ___48___ to run. I feared making mistakes, and the added pressure caused me to make more than my usual ___49___.

Is all this pressure necessary? I ___50___ up leaving the football team. Four other girls did the same, and two of them stopped playing football completely. That’s ___51___, because they had so much potential. They were just burned-out with all the pressure they ___52___ from the coach or their parents.

I continued playing football at school and ___53___ my love for it. I joined a private team coached by my school coach. When I started playing ___54___ him, he told me I needed to relax because I looked nervous. After I ___55___ down, I played better. When you enjoy something, it’s a lot easier to do it well.

36. A. class     B. club    C. team   D. board

37. A. playing B. living  C. learning     D. working

38. A. great    B. equal  C. right   D. extra

39. A. business       B. struggle      C. attempt      D. pressure

40. A. free      B. private       C. good   D. basic

41. A. matches       B. courses       C. lessons       D. programs

42. A. jump    B. play    C. run     D. shoot

43. A. duty     B. meeting      C. operation    D. training

44. A. necessary     B. boring C. scientific    D. practical

45. A. speaking      B. moving      C. sleeping     D. breathing

46. A. used     B. intended     C. made  D. described

47. A. till       B. since   C. before D. because

48. A. full      B. tired   C. lazy    D. big

49. A. size      B. share   C. space  D. state

50. A. gave     B. kept    C. ended  D. picked

51. A. sad       B. shameful    C. silly    D. serious

52. A. received       B. suffered     C. brought      D. felt

53. A. reconsidered B. rediscovered      C. reformed    D. replaced

54. A. at  B. by      C. for      D. around

55. A. fell       B. stepped      C. slowed       D. calmed

“Don’t go down to that pond — it's dangerous!” Stephanie angrily shouted at her children. She’d overheard them talking about playing near the water on the golf course close to their apartment. It was a Saturday, and 8-year-old Jeremiah was heading outside with his 11-year-old sister, Tiara, and their 13-year-old cousin, Evon McDuffie. They often went to the George Wilson Community Center in Newark, Delaware, just three houses away from their apartment building.
The Wilson center was a good place of activity for the community, especially in warm weather. But January 20, 2006, was a rainy day with winds. It’s a good day to play inside the center. Unfortunately, the three children had other ideas.
Taking no notice of what Stephanie had said, Evon, Tiara and Jeremiah walked beyond the tree line at the back of the community center and headed toward the large pond. The kids climbed through a gap in the fence, then passed a No Entering sign posted on a metal gate nearby. As they reached the pond, they also walked by a No Skating sign.
Tiara and Evon first stepped on the surface ice, and when it held, the children went out on the pond. Evon shouted out to Jeremiah, “I bet you can't cross the whole thing.”
“I bet you I can,” Jeremiah replied, and he took off across the pond.
He made it to the other side, but as he came back, Jeremiah stepped on the thinner ice. The thin surface collapsed under his feet, and the boy sank into the cold water. Evon raced back to the apartment for help, while frightened Tiara tried to reach Jeremiah as he struggled to keep his head above water. But he kept slipping beneath the surface.
When firefighters arrived, all they could see was Jeremiah's coat floating on the water. As the unconscious child was rushed to the hospital, his life was saved, for now, but the effects of hypothermia (降低体温) and lack of oxygen left Jeremiah with serious brain damage.
1. Stephanie shouted at her children because_____________.
A. the children didn’t behave very well at home
B. they were too young to play outside
C. it was raining
D. the children secretly planned to go to the pond
2. It was __________ that made Jeremiah take courage to cross the ice.
A. Evon’s challenge              B. the mother’s words
C. No Entering sign                 D. the view on the other bank
3. What does the underlined word “collapsed” probably mean?
A. changed suddenly             B. broke into pieces
C. became thinner            D. floated away
4. Which of the following is the right order of the events that happened to Jeremiah?
a. Firefighters came and rescued Jeremiah.
b. The kids climbed through the fence and to the pond.
c. Jeremiah walked across the ice.
d. The kids planned to play on the pond.
e. When Jeremiah made a way back, he sank.
A. b, d, c, e, a B. d, b, a, e, c     C. d, b, c, e, a       D. a, e, c, d, b

Don’t you just love ice skating every winter？I am sure，that since winter is approaching，your skates are set to come out，just waiting to be used.Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice?skate backwards with the help of these tips.Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic，there’s nothing like it.Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.

Stand Straight

The first thing that you need to do is，stand straight.If you feel that you are falling backwards，then just put your chin(下巴) up and slightly bend your knees.Don’t worry；this happens to all.

Confidence Is What You Need

The most important step while learning how to skate backwards，is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing.How can you achieve this？By practice.Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slop every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort.But before you do that，make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris(碎片) because otherwise，you could land up in the hospital due to some accident.While going backwards，just get used to the feeling of moving backwards.One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance，then scissor(做剪式运动) your skates.Keep practicing this till you are confident about it.

Maintain Speed

Confident now？Great！Now the next step is to maintain your speed.While rolling in a straight line with one skate，with the other try sculling(划桨)，that is，keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke(滑动)．Now bring the skate which you were using to scull，and then again，repeat the same process.Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling.Now，try the same thing using the other foot.Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.

Increase Your Speed Now

Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot，the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed.Try some of your own tricks now.Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.

Scull and Be Aware

While you keep one foot straight，keep sculling with the other.You can do that simultaneously with both feet.Concentrate on what you are doing but don’t get so involved，that you don’t see where you are going.If you are not watching your back，you might just bang against something or someone.

1.According to the text confidence comes from ______.

A．high speed? B．strict coaches

C．constant exercise? D．good techniques

2.Which is the right order of ice?skating backwards?

a．Increasing your speed.

b．Being able to scull with one foot.

c．Being about to stand straight.

d．Trying some different tricks.

A．c→a→d→b? B．c→b→d→a

C．a→c→b→d? D．c→b→a→d

3.In order to keep balance when skating backwards you should ________.

A．skate in a scissor gesture

B．use both your feet to scull

C．skate forward first and then backward

D．put most of your weight on the skate with which you are sculling

4.The purpose of the text is ________.

A．to compare different ways of ice?skating backwards

B．to introduce the culture of ice?skating backwards

C．to explain advantages of ice?skating backwards

D．to offer some advice on ice?skating backwards

Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure, that since winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice-skate backwards with the help of these tips. Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic, there' s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.     

Stand Straight

The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don't worry; this happens to all.

Confidence is What You Need

The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slope every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort. But before you do that, make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris（碎片）because otherwise, you could end up in the hospital due to some accident. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards. One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor (做剪式运动) your skates. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it.

Maintain Speed

Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed. While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling (滑浆), that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke (滑动). Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling. Now, try the same thing using the other foot. Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.

Increase Your Speed Now

Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.

Scull and Be Aware

While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that simultaneously with both feet. Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.

1.According to the text, confidence comes from ________ .

A. constant exercise          B. strict coaches                  C. high speed             D. good techniques

2.Which is the right order of ice-skating backwards?

a. Increasing your speed.                                                 b .Being able to scull with one foot.

c. Being about to stand straight.                                              d. Trying some different tricks.

A. c→a→d→b                     B. c→b→d→a            C. c→b→a→d   D. a→c→b→d

3. In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express _________.

A. one must be brave to learn to ice-skate backwards           

B. skating and keeping cautious are both important

C. it’s difficult to concentrate when ice-skating backwards

D. it' s a common thing to hit someone when ice skating backwards

4.The purpose of the text is _______ .

A. to offer some advice on ice-skating backwards

B. to introduce the culture of ice-skating backwards

C. to explain advantages of ice-skating backwards

D. to compare different ways of ice-skating backwards

 ——Don’t forget to return the book on time.

——________.

A. Really        B. My pleasure      C. Got it      D. That’s all right