What Makes a Soccer Player Great?
Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way - was it through training and practice, or are great players born, not made? First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past - players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate. In the history of soccer, only six countries have ever won the World Cup - three from South America and three from western Europe. There has never been a great national team - or a really great player - from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at the age of three or four.
Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighborhood - a poor, crowed area where a boys dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer. For example, Liverpool, which produced the Beetles, had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a ball made of rags. And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall in the slums of Belfast.
All great players have a lot in common, but that doesnt explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the others.
1. According to the author, which of the following statements is true?
A) Soccer is popular all over the world, but truly great players are rare.
B) Millions of people all over the world are playing soccer, but only six countries have ever had famous stars.
C) Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but only six countries from South America and western Europe have ever had great national reams.
D) Soccer is one of the most popular games all over the world, but it seems the least popular in North America and Asia.
2. The word tricks at the end of Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A) experience
B) cheating
C) skills
D) training
3. The Brazilian streets are mentioned to illustrate that
A) famous soccer players live in slum areas.
B) People in poor areas are born with some unique quality
C) Children in poor areas start playing football at the age of three or four.
D) A great soccer player may be born in a slum area.
4. In the last paragraph the statement but only one became Pele indicates that
A) Pele is the greatest soccer player.
B) the greatest players are born with some unique quality.
C) Peles birthplace sets him apart from all the others.
D) the success of a soccer player has everything to do with the family back ground.
5. The author mentions all the factors that may affect a soccer players success except
A) his family back ground.
B) his neighborhood.
C) his practice.
D) his character.
KEYS: ACDBD
Martin Luther King Jr.
By the time the Montgomery Improvement Association chose the 26-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. as its leader, the hours-old bus boycott by the black citizens of Montgomery, Alabama, was already an overwhelming success. King would later write that his unanticipated call to leadership happened so quickly that I did not have time to think in through. It is probable that if I had, I would have declined the nomination.
Although press reports at the time focused on his inspiring oratory, King was actually a reluctant leader of a movement initiated by others. His subsequent writings and private correspondence reveal man whose inner doubts sharply contrast with his public persona. In the early days of his involvement, King was troubled by telephone threats, discord within the black community and Montgomerys get tough policy, to which king attributed his jailing on a minor traffic violation. One night, as he considered ways to move out of the picture without appearing a coward, he began to pray aloud and, at that moment, experienced the presence of the God as I had never experienced Him before.
He would later admit that when the boycott began, he was not yet firmly committed to Gandhian principles. Although he had been exposed to those teachings in college, he had remained skeptical. I thought the only way we could solve our problem of segregation was an armed revolt, he recalled. I felt that the Christian ethic of love was confined to individual relationships.
Only after his home was bombed in late January did king reconsider his views on violence. Competing with each other to influence King were two ardent pacifists: Bayard Rustin, a black activist with the War Resisters League, and the Rev. Glenn E. Smiley, a white staff member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Rustin was shocked to discover a gun in Kings house, while Smiley informed fellow pacifists that Kings home was an arsenal.
1. What did King think of his nomination as leader of the Montgomery Boycott?
A) He hadnt expected it.
B) He had to think about it carefully.
C) He would refuse to accept it.
D) He was prepared to accept it.
2. Why was King unwilling to lead the movement at first?
A) Because he doubted if the boycott would be successful.
B) Because he was troubled with a traffic accident at that time.
C) Because he thought he was too young to be a leader.
D) Because he himself didnt start the boycott.
3. Which of the following is Not mentioned as something that happened at the beginning of the black peoples movement?
A) King was put into prison.
B) Black people disagreed with each other.
C) Kings armed revolt proposal was turned down.
D) Black people found it hard to accept the policy pursued in Montgomery.
4. Which of the following was the immediate cause that made King change his view on violence?
A) The education he received in college. B) The attack of his home.
C) The influence of two active non-violence advocates.
D) The verdict of the Supreme Court.
5. In Paragraph 4, the last sentence Kings home was an arsenal means
A) Kings home was a place where people got together.
B) Kings home was a place where people tested bombs.
C) Kings home was a place where weapons were stored.
D) Kings home was a place where bombs exploded.
Keys: ADCBC