The word “sport” first meant something that people did in their free time. Later it often meant hunting wild animals and birds. About a hundred years ago the word was first used for organized games. This is the usual meaning of the word today. People spend a lot of their time playing football, basketball, tennis and many other sports. Such people play because they want to. A few people are paid for the sport they play. These people are called professional sportsmen. They may be sportsmen for only a few years, but during that time the best ones can earn a lot of money. For example, a professional footballer in England earns more than 30,000 dollars a year. The stars earn a lot more. International golf and tennis champions can make more than 500,000 dollars a year. Of course, only a few sportsmen can earn as much money as that.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about sportsmen and money is that the stars can earn more money from advertising than from sports. An advertisement for sports equipment does not simply say “Buy our things”. It says “Buy the same shirt and shoes as …”. Famous sportsmen can even advertise things like watches and food. They allow the companies to use their names or a photograph of them and they are paid for this. Sport is no longer just something for people’s spare time.
小题1:From the passage we can learnt that_______.
A. people spend too much money on sports
the development of sport is slower than any other activity
most people enjoy sport because they can earn money
nowadays sport is not merely a pastime for people
小题2:Nowadays, the word “sport” means “________” .
A．what people do in their spare time
B．hunting wild animals and birds
C．organized games
D．something people are paid to do小题3:People play sports for ________.
A．fun
B．different
C．money
D．keeping fit小题4:What surprises people most is that ________.
A．the stars get more money from advertising
B．the word “sport” meant hunting animals
C．professional sportsmen are paid for what they do
D．only a few sportsmen can earn ＄500,000 a year
