A
Sports are popular for a number of reasons. Sports are even more popular with people who do not necessarily participate in them, but love being spectators (观众). Here are several most popular sports in the world.
Football (Soccer)-4 billion fans
Football, better known as soccer in the US, is the most popular sport in the world. It is said that the origin of football may go as far back as two thousand years, beginning in China. One reason for football’s popularity is that unlike other sports that require expensive equipment, all you need to play football is a ball and your feet.
Hockey-2 billion fans
Hockey, both on ice and in a field, wins a following of two billion people. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while ice hockey is particularly popular in Canada and the US. Unlike ice hockey, field hockey usually does not involve body contact in the form of checking.
Tennis-1 billion
An estimated one billion people world wide follow tennis. In tennis, players on both sides of an elongated (偏长的) net try to hit a ball with a racket so that it either goes past their opponents or bounces on their opponents' side twice to score points. Pro tennis players, like Roger Federer and Serena Williams, are now household names around the world.
Volleyball-900 million
Volleyball involves two teams, each on one side of a raised net, trying to “volley” a ball onto the ground of the opposing team's side for points. One popular game, known as beach volleyball, is played on sand with people on each team, as opposed to regular volleyball, where there are normally six players on each team.
21. What is special about field hockey?
A. It requires little training. B. It allows body contact in checking.
C. It is only played in four continents. D. It is the main branch of hockey.
22. What can we learn about beach volleyball?
A. It has different features from regular volleyball. B. It is played on sandy flat grounds.
C. It's not as popular as traditional volleyball. D. It only needs two players for a game.
23. Which sport costs the least money?
A. Tennis. B. Hockey. C. Football. D. Volleyball.
