Bài tập Reading Passage 1 VSTEP B1

READING PASSAGE 1

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLPARK!

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie… you just can’t get more American than that! Frank Bell gives us a look at baseball, no longer just America’s favorite sport!

Baseball is sometimes called a national pastime in America because it is a much-loved national sport. Of course, baseball is not limited to the USA. It has been played for many years in the countries of South America and is very popular in Japan. Europe is another matter, not many baseball teams exist in Europe today. That, however, is slowly changing. Since baseball is an Olympic sport, more and more countries are putting together teams and joining the game! (A)

Going to baseball games is a way of life for many fans. They sit in the stands on hot and sunny spring and summer days, eat hot dogs or popcorn, sip cola or lemonade and enjoy the game. Adults and children alike attend games, and it’s a sport that everyone seems to love. Baseball is such a part of American life that nearly everyone’s favorite childhood memory includes a day at the ballpark.

When and where did the game of baseball start? Well, people have been playing games with a stick and a ball for hundreds of years! Modern baseball, however, began about 150 years ago in New York, USA, and has been a popular sport ever since. It has changed a little bit over the years but the basic game remains the same. Baseball is played with a bat, which is a stick about 100 cm long made of metal or wood, and a small hard ball. Each player also wears one heavy leather glove to catch the ball. Baseball gear usually consists of a lightweight shirt and trousers that come down just past the knees. (B)

Baseball is played on a special outdoor field that has two parts, the infield, and the outfield. In the infield is an area shaped like a diamond that indicates the boundaries of the playing area. On the diamond, there are also the three bases that the players must run over to score. The outfield is an open grassy area where players wail to catch balls that are hit by other players.

The game of baseball is divided into nine parts, called innings. During an inning, each of the two teams takes its turn to bat, which means trying to hit the ball that is thrown to them by the pitcher of the other team. After the ball is hit, the player tries to run and touch three different bases before running to the home base. The team not batting tries to catch the balls that are hit and stop the runners before they score. The team that scores the most runs by the end of the ninth inning wins. It’s a game that can go very slowly for a while and then suddenly have a series of fast and exciting moves! (C) Fans love baseball games! The stands are usually filled for the games. People enjoy a day at the ballpark cheering on their favorite team and relaxing in the summer sun. So what are you waiting for? Put on your baseball cap and give it a try! (D)