小足球的大世界

李蓓

Do you like playing soccer？ It is one of the world’s most popular sports. December 9 is World Football Day. Read on and find out more about this great game.

Playing soccer is exciting and full of（充滿） fun. Players run down the field（球场） and kick（踢） the ball. Tens of thousands of（成千上万的） fans shout and cry around the field.

A soccer ball isn’t expensive（贵的）. And playing soccer is also good for our health（健康）. Kids play soccer outside（在室外）. The fresh air， the sunshine（阳光） and the running are good for their health.

The World Cup started in 1930. It takes place（举行） every four years. The World Cup attracts（吸引） the world’s most sports fans. During the 2018 World Cup， more than 1 billion（亿） people watched the final game（决赛）. Brazil（巴西） won the championship（冠军） five times， more than any other country in the world. And the next World Cup will be in Qatar（卡塔尔，亚洲西南部的一个阿拉伯国家）. It will be the 22nd World Cup.

Argentinean（阿根廷人） Messi is very good at controlling（控制） the ball. When Messi has the ball， it is stuck to（粘住） his feet. Many people believe he is the best soccer player in the world.

Tall and handsome（帅气的） Ronaldo is from Portugal（葡萄牙）. Speed（速度） and the powerful shot（强有力的射门） make him a great player. Ronaldo is also good at heading（头球）.

Spanish（西班牙人） Casillas is one of the best goalkeepers（守门员） in the world. He reacts quickly（反应迅速） to the ball and always stays energetic（精力充沛的）. In 2010 he led（带领） the Spanish national team（西班牙国家队） to their first World Cup championship（冠军）.

A soccer ball usually has 32 leather（皮革） pieces（部分）. It weighs（重） between 410g and 450g.

True of False.

1. A soccer ball has 23 leather pieces. （ ）

2. The next World Cup will be held in South Africa. （ ）

3. Messi is good at controlling ball. （ ）

4. Cristiano Ronaldo is from Brazil. （ ）

（答案请见P48）

（李 蓓/供稿）