Some people argue that the pressures on international sportsmen and sportswomen kill the essence(本质) of sport-seeking for 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. A single person’s 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, dreams and fame.
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 the 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(失去理性的) about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won in 1996. 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 competition kills the idea of sports? Certainly not! Do the Argentineans really believe that because eleven of their men proved that most skillful at football, their nation is in every way better than all others? Not really. But it’s known that you won, and that in one way at least your country is best.
小题1:What is the writer’s main purpose in the passage?
A．To explain the role of sport
B．To compare Scotland with Argentina
C．To show that Argentina is better than all others.
D．To prove that football is the world’s most important sport.小题2:According to the passage, Argentina is world famous because of its ____.
A． clear position on the map
B． successes in the football World Cup
C． excellence at all important sports
D．large number of sports fans and supporters小题3:According to the passage, if a sportsman thinks about winning, he will ____.
A．be irrational
B．be successful
C．fail to succeed
D．lose enjoyment小题4:What is the writer’s attitude towards international games?
A．Nations that meet on football are unlikely to meet on a battle field.
B．Nations that win in international games prove best on the sports field at least.
C．Nations that win the football World Cup are considered as best in all ways.
D．Nations that give much attention to international competitions are world-famous in many ways.小题5: From this passage, we can infer that ____.
A．We should learn from England
B．We should play football only for fun, not for fame
C．We should learn from Argentina
D．We should give chances for other countries to win the World Cup
