1 . Esports (electronic sports) are organized competitions where players—often referred to as “athletes” — face off against each other in video games. They are not just games in a sense. Actually, they are a sport that can improve the players’ thinking ability, hand-eye coordination, willpower and team spirit.
The esports industry has experienced significant growth in recent years around the world, though it’s still in the nascent stage, which means it has huge growth potential going forward.
In the 1990s, Games like the beat’em up Street Fighter II and the first-person shooter Doom added variety to the increasingly popular competitive gaming scene. In the 2010s, MOBA games like League of Legends and Dota 2 became mainstream in the world of esports. In 2022, esports were announced to be officially included in the Asian Games. There are now over 40 esports games with players competing around the world at huge events.
Esports made their first appearance as a medal event at the Asian Games from Sept 23 to Oct 8, 2023. Seven games were included: FIFA Online 4, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, Dota 2, League of Legends, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street and Fighter V.
Previously, eight esports games were scheduled at the Hangzhou Asian Games. However, virtual card game Hearthstone (《炉石传说》) was removed in March. This followed the breakdown of negotiations between Hearthstone producer, Blizzard Entertainment, and NetEase, their local partner company in China, over their rights partnership.
1. What is the current state of esports?| A．They face tough challenges. | B．They come ahead of other sports. |
| C．They have great future prospect. | D．They are no more than video games. |
| A．In the 1990s. | B．In the 2010s. | C．In 2022. | D．In 2023. |
| A．Its version was outdated. | B．Its schedule was up in the air. |
| C．Its gaming scenes were full of violence. | D．Its two parties failed to reach an agreement. |
2 . The FIFA World Cup Trophy (奖杯) is arguably one of the most iconic prizes in the sporting world. So far, two different trophies have been used in the history of the FIFA World Cups.
The Jules Rimet Trophy was the first trophy awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cups. Initially, the old trophy was originally named “Victory”. However, this trophy was renamed “the Jules Rimet Trophy” in 1946. This change was made to honor former FIFA president Jules Rimet, who voted to organize the first FIFA World Cup in 1930. French sculptor Abel Lafleur designed the trophy in 1930. The trophy was 14 inches in height and weighed 8.4 pounds. It was comprised of a winged representation of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory and was inspired by the Nike of Samothrace statue.
Uruguay became the first champion and kept the trophy in 1930. The trophy was eventually retired when Brazil won the World Cup final for the third time in 1970. Following their success in Mexico, Brazil was allowed to keep the trophy permanently. However, the original trophy was stolen for a second time in 1983. It was never recovered, and it was claimed that it had been melted down into gold bars. Following the retirement of the Jules Rimet Trophy, FIFA needed a new cup. Eventually, Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga’s design was selected as the new World Cup trophy.
The modern FIFA World Cup trophy describes two human figures holding the earth on top of their heads. The base of the trophy has “FIFA World Cup” engraved (刻). Furthermore, following every World Cup, the name of the winning team and the winning year is also engraved at the base. The trophy weighs 13.61 pounds. Unlike the Jules Rimet Trophy, the winning nations and future winners don’t get to hold the original trophy anymore. The new regulations state that it remains in FIFA’s possession. Instead, winners are given a gold-plated bronze replica (青铜复制品) provided by FIFA. West Germany was the first nation to lift the modern World Cup trophy in 1974.
The new trophy can hold up to seventeen names and years and is likely to be retired following the 2038 World Cup.
1. Why was the first World Cup trophy renamed?| A．To remember the designer of the cup. | B．To welcome a new global soccer event. |
| C．To expand the popularity of the World Cup. | D．To show great respect for the former FIFA president. |
| A．Italy. | B．Mexico. | C．Brazil. | D．Uruguay. |
| A．It is made of gold and bronze. | B．It is owned by FIFA instead of the winners. |
| C．It bears the word “Victory” at the bottom. | D．It varies the design every seventeen years. |
| A．The rules of the World Cup. | B．The history of the World Cup trophy. |
| C．The growing trend of watching the World Cup. | D．The inspiration for creating the World Cup trophy. |
3 . The Andler Hillclimb is an annual dirt bike competition that has dirt bikers from around Europe try, to reach the top of a dangerous hillside course in Belgium. It’s been held every year for the last two decades, but so far, no one has been able to reach the top.
The so-called “impossible climb” starts out as rough gravel and then switches over to a rough uneven cliff (悬崖) face designed to throw riders off and roll them and their bikes back down to the base of the hill. It’s not the angle of the course that is the problem, according to most riders, but the sudden change of ride surface that makes keeping control of the bike and reaching the top so hard. Some fly off their bike early during the climb. While others get painfully close to the finish line, yet in the end they all succumb to the power of gravity (重力) before reaching their goal.
Despite gathering the most talented dirt bikers in Europe at the start line every year, the Andler Hillclimb has so far remained unconquered. The closest one to success was a Suzuki bike rider who once reportedly crossed the finish line with the front wheel before rolling back down the slope like the rest of the competitors. Sadly, his achievement didn’t count as a valid climb, as the entire bike and its rider must make it to the top of the hill.
With so many riders having failed to conquer the Andler Hillclimb over the last 20 years, why are people still trying every year? Why not just call the climb impossible and stop it? Well, maybe it has something to do with the bragging rights (胜者为王)? Can you imagine what it would be like to be the very first dirt biker to reach the top of this famous hill?
In case you want to try your luck, or if you simply want to see the hill make fools of dozens of daredevils (蛮干者), this year’s event is scheduled for August.
1. What makes it difficult for bikers to reach the top of the Andler Hillclimb?| A．The bikers’ poor riding skills. | B．The steep angle of the slope. |
| C．The rough gravel road surface. | D．The sudden changes in ride surface. |
| A．Give in to. | B．Break through. |
| C．Learn about. | D．Fight against. |
| A．To criticize the strict rules of the competition. |
| B．To express regret over the Suzuki bike rider’s failure. |
| C．To show how difficult it is to win the competition. |
| D．To explain why the competition is popular with bikers. |
| A．It is the most dangerous European competition. |
| B．It is expected to be held in August this year. |
| C．It is attended by the world’s best dirt bikers every year. |
| D．It aims to throw riders and their bikes back down the hill. |
4 . The Winter Olympic Games are not just an opportunity for athletes to win medals and honour for their countries. Every four years, the Games also offer audiences a chance to get to know more about winter sports from around the world. The Winter Olympics may not have the large crowds and huge stars of its summer sibling, but they share the same Olympic spirit.
One of the most popular sports of the Winter Olympic Games is skiing. Skiers compete in the downhill and slalom, and in the short and long cross-country ski races. Skiing was originally a sport played only in cold northern countries, but now athletes from all over the world compete in this sport, even those from countries without any snow.
Skaters compete with each other in speed races or in figure-skating events. The figure-skaters are generally considered to be the stars of the Winter Olympic Games. These ice princes and princesses are so graceful that it’s easy to forget that they are actually highly skilled athletes.
The skeleton is one of the strongest-named sports of the Winter Olympics. The skeleton is named after the shape of the metal sleds used in the 1890s, when the sport first started. The skeleton is a downhill sled race, usually on ice. This sport looks a little like the luge（无舵雪橇）, where a person sits on the back of the sled with his or her feet forward, but the skeleton is a lot more exciting and dangerous than that. In the skeleton, a person lies on his or her stomach on the sled, with his or her head pointing downhill!
1. What is the “summer sibling” of the Winter Olympics?| A．Summer ball games. | B．All kinds of summer sports. |
| C．The Summer Olympics. | D．Track and field events. |
| A．It was originally a sport played only in cold northern countries. |
| B．It’s named after the shape of the sleds used in the 1890s. |
| C．It is one of the strongest sports of the Olympics. |
| D．It can involve speed and graceful figures. |
| A．They compete in the downhill. |
| B．They are ice princes and princesses with high skills. |
| C．They sit with their feet forward. |
| D．They lie on their stomachs on the sleds. |
| A．Wrestling. | B．Weight listing. | C．Gymnastics. | D．Ice hockey. |
5 . Esports (electronic sports) are organized competitions where players — often referred to as “athletes” — face off against each other in video games. They are not just games in a sense. Actually, they are a sport that can improve the players’ thinking ability, hand-eye coordination, willpower and team spirit.
The esports industry has experienced significant growth in recent years around the world, though it’s still in the nascent stage, which means it has huge growth potential going forward.
While the assumption is that esports are only a recent phenomenon, in reality the first esports-like event was held back in 1972, when some Stanford University students competed against one another in the game Spacewar. The prize? A year-long subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.
The ’80s saw the first true videogame tournament, with over 10,000 players gathering for the Space Invaders Championship. However, most of the period saw that players focused on beating each other’s highest scores rather than competing in organized tournaments.
As gaming became more popular, the ’90s became the first decade when esports (a term which wasn’t yet coined) began to really take off, with companies such as Nintendo and Sega holding professional gaming tournaments. This is also when we began to see money becoming a factor in professional gaming. But it is the 1997 Red Annihilation Quake tournament that is considered the world’s first real esports event. Only a few weeks later, the Cyberathlete Professional League was formed — an organization which is considered a pioneer of esports.
Due to the normalization of gaming and the Internet (along with technological advances), the real surge ( 激增 ) of esports came in the recent decade. It was then that we began seeing what we now know to be modern-day esports. As streaming platforms such as YouTube took off, people began to show interest in not only playing videogames but watching them too. Popular tournaments now sell out stadiums and professional players can earn millions from prize money, advertising and salaries.
1. What does the underlined word “nascent” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Beginning. | B．Peak. |
| C．Mature. | D．Final. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
| A．They spread worldwide overnight. |
| B．Prize money appeared in the 1990s. |
| C．The first real esports event was held in 1972. |
| D．The athletes in esports are programmers. |
| A．They are getting popular. |
| B．They become too commercialized. |
| C．They boost the normalization of the Internet. |
| D．Their development relies on advertising. |
