Do you know when basketball was invented?
Section 1 Before You Read
PAIRWORK
1a List eight sports played in China.
1b How popular is each sport?
Rank them[1-8] in the order of popularity.
Section 2 While You Read
Do you know when basketball was invented?
If you travel around China you will notice
a very popular activity everywhere you go-basketball.
This much-loved and active sport is enjoyed
by many,for fun and exercise.
The sport of basketball is a little over a hundred years old.
It is played by more than 100 million people in over 200 countries including China,
where basketball has been played in parks,
schools,and even in factories.
Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor
named James Naismith,who was born in 1861.
When he was at college,
his class was once asked to invent a new game
that could be played indoors during the long winters.
Dr Naismith created a game to be played
on a hard wooden floor,
so the safety of the players was important.
Knocking into players and falling down would be dangerous.
Dr Naismith divided the men in his class
into two teams and taught them how to play his new game.
The aim of basketball is for players to
get a ball into the "basket"
a net hanging from a metal hoop.
Players shoot from below the basket and may use the "backboard" for guiding
the ball into the basket.
Players move towards one end of court
while throwing the ball to each other.
It is believed that on December 21st,1891,
the first basketball game in history was played.
Then in 1936 in Berlin,
it became an Olympic event.
A team from China took part,
and although they didn't win
they used the experience to help develop the game at home.
Since then,the popularity of basketball
has risen worldwide,and the number of foreign
players in America's NBA
(National Basketball Association)has increased.
Basketball has also become a more popular sport
for people to watch,and many young people
dream of becoming famous basketball players.
Section 3 After You Read
3a Complete the mind-map with the information from the reading.
3b Without referring to the article,
use what you remember from the mind-map
to answer the following questions.
Section 4 Go For It!
Would you like to play on China's national
basketball team one day?
Make a list of good and difficult things about
being a basketball player.
If you have time!
In pairs,choose an invention and do research on it.
Make a mind-map of the information you find.
Then give a report to the class.