Sports

 

All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.

Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when ‘their’ player or team wins.

Sports change with the seasons. People play different games in winter and summer. Swimming is fun in warm weather, but skating is good in winter.

Sports and games often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too. It is the same with people in Xinjiang and Inner Monglia in China. Millions of people hunt and fish for a living, but hunting and fishing are very good sports, too. Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world.

Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many people love to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.

Some sports or games go back to thousands of years ago, like running or jumping. Chinese Wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.

People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together, they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace.

Answer the following questions:

1. How are people different in enjoying sports?

2. How would you explain “Sports and games often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities.”?

3. What is the most popular sports in your area?

4. Which is your favorite sport? Why?

5. How does the writer understand the sports spirit?