Lesson 9 Why Play Games?

Why play games? Because they are fun, and we can learn even more while playing. Following the rules, planning your next move, acting as a team member—these are all “game”ideas that you will come across all through your life. They can help you in different ways.

Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping^① and hide-and-seek^②. Such games are very interesting. But perhaps more importantly, they translate part of life into^③ exciting games that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating^④.

Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For example, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which improves the hand-eye coordination^⑤ needed in fishing.

The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competitions^⑥. People who watch the event know that a gold medal^⑦ is a win for the whole country, not just the athlete who got it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or wars, an Olympic win can mean so much.

Sports games are also an event that unites^⑧ people. Football is the most popular sport in the world. People all over the world play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian football player, has discovered a way to spread^⑨ hope through football. He created a foundation^⑩ to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a bright future.

Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other parts of your life.

Notes

① rope-jumping跳繩

② hide-and-seek藏貓貓

③ translate...into（把…）翻譯成；把…轉化成

④ cooperate [k??'?p?re?t] vi. 合作，配合，協助

vt.合群；互助；結合

⑤ coordination [k?????d?'ne???n] n. 協調；和諧

⑥ competition [?k?mp?'t??n] n. 競爭；比賽

⑦ medal ['medl] n. 獎章，獎牌；勛章

⑧ unite [j?'na?t] vt.（使）聯合，統一

⑨ spread [spred] vt.& vi. 伸開；（使）傳播

⑩ foundation [fa?n'de???n] n. 基金（會） ；基礎

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Check the details] What are children expected to learn when they play games?

A. To act as a team leader.

B. To follow the basic rules.

C. To train how to move fast.

2. [Grasp the main idea] What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Games can help people in different ways.

B. People are advised to play games for fun.

C. Sports can get people all over the world together.

3. [Draw a conclusion] What can we learn from the passage?

A. Games can help everybody to make much money.

B. Games can turn real-life experiences into a story.

C. Games can make skill learning more interesting.

4. What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To tell the readers the advantages of playing games.

B. To tell the readers to follow the rule in the games.

C. To tell the readers to be cooperated in the games.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose the best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

1. Many children’s games have a practical side. (Para. 3, Line 1)

A. 多彩的

B. 實際的

C. 有趣的

2. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competitions. (Para. 4, Line 1)

A. players

B. people

C. grown-ups

3. For countries experiencing natural disasters or wars, an Olympic win can mean so much. (Para. 4, Line 4)

A. 饑荒

B. 資源

C. 災難

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