When talking about basketball, you may think of NBA or CBA. But have you heard of VBA? It means basketball games organized by local people in the countryside, with players being locals.
VBA got popular online across China in the summer of 2022 because of the basketball games held in Taipan Village, Guizhou Province. From July 12 to 20, 176 teams took part in the games which were part of a festival. After that, another 27 games were held from July 30 to August 2 in the village as part of Guizhou, “Beautiful Countryside” basketball competition. Sixteen teams from different towns competed and the final winner got a special prize—a 650-kilogram cow.
The games had no superstar players, no advertisements, and no tickets, but the atmosphere (气氛) was warm. The players ran up and down the court (球场) at all times of the day and night. Although the weather was very hot, thousands of people went to watch the games. Some of them even live hundreds of miles away. Online, tens of millions of people watched the games.
In fact, local Miao people hold basketball games every year to celebrate the traditional Chixin Festival (吃新节). All players must be locals over the age of 22 and professional players are not allowed to take part in the competition. In the past, local people played basketball on dirty ground and even made baskets by themselves. With support from the government, new standard basketball courts have been built in recent years. This has encouraged more people to exercise. In 2021, the “Beautiful Countryside” basketball competition was held for the first time. Since then, the games have got more attention.
43. Which of the following is
TRUE according to the passage?
A.The basketball court was put to good use. | B.There were some superstar players in the competition. |
C.The weather was cool during the competition. | D.More than 200 teams competed within 8 days. |
44. What does the paragraph 4 mainly talks about?
A.a traditional festival of local people. | B.the development of the sports event. |
C.basketball courts built by local people. | D.the number of local people playing basketball. |
45. Who can take part in the games held for the Chixin Festival?
A.Zhang Yuan, 18, a student from a nearby village. |
B.Wang Qiang, 23, a basketball teacher from Beijing. |
C.Zhao Lu, 24, professional basketball player from Shanghai. |
D.Liu Ming, 27, a farmer and basketball lover in Taipan Village. |
46. What can we learn from the passage?
A.VBA players come from the same town. |
B.The Chixin Festival is celebrated twice a year. |
C.People can watch VBA games on their phones or computers. |
D.The “Beautiful Countryside” basketball competition is in its fourth year. |