Some people argue that the pressures on international sportsmen and sportswomen kill the spirit of sport: the pursuit (追求) of personal excellence. Children kick a football around for fun. When they get older and play for local school teams, they become competitive but they still enjoy playing. The sportsman representing his country cannot afford to think about enjoying himself, he has to think only about winning. He is responsible for an entire nation’s hopes and dreams.
A good example is the football World Cup. Football is the world’s most important sport. It is even more important now that the United States is seriously taking it up. Winning the World Cup is perhaps eh greatest of international sporting success. Mention “ Argentina ” to someone and the chances are that he’ll think of football. In a sense, winning the World Cup “ put Argentina on the map ”.
Sports fans and supporters get quite irrational about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won the World Cup. Last year thousands of Scots sold their cars, and even their houses, and spent all their money traveling to Argentina, where the finals were played.
So am I arguing that international competitions kill the idea of sport? Certainly not! Do the Argentineans really believe that because eleven of their men proved the most skillful at football, their nation is better than all others? Not really. But it’s nice to know that you won, and that in one way at least your country is best.
小题1:What is mainly discussed in this passage is _________.
A．why international sport is necessary
B．what international sport is like
C．how international sport goes on
D．what disadvantages international sport has小题2:Those who are against international competitions think that ________.
A．sport should not be so popular
B．sport should not be competitive
C．sport should be for personal purpose
D．sport should be made easier小题3:We can infer from the passage that the underlined word “ irrational ” means_________.
A．against reasonable behavior
B．having much knowledge
C．unable to understand
D．eager to know小题4:What does the writer mean by saying that winning the World Cup “ put Argentina on t
he map”_____
A．Argentina has the best football player
B．Argentina has become world-famous for football
C．Football is very popular in Argentina
D．Argentina has begun to pay much attention to football
