Reading comprehension

What is the most popular sport in the world? Most people would probably say soccer, because of the many millions who play it and the even larger number who watch it on television. There are some, however, who say the correct answer is basketball – not because of its TV audience, which is certainly smaller than that for soccer, but because the number of people who regularly play the game might be higher (at least 300 million, according to most estimates).

Early basketball looked different from the game today: for example, the basket didn’t have a hole in the bottom, so every time a player threw the ball in, someone had to go up to get it out again! Another difference is dribbling, which is when a player in modern basketball bounces the ball off the floor while moving across the court: it didn’t exist in early basketball because the balls didn’t bounce well enough. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the height of the baskets: James Naismith put the first one 10 feet (3.05 meters) off the floor, and that’s where they’ve stayed.

The biggest international TV audiences in modern basketball are for games in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in North America, a league of 30 teams (29 from the United States and one from Canada), including famous names such as the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. Most of the players in the NBA are American, but there are also some foreign stars such as Yao Ming from China and Dirk Nowitzki from Germany. 

Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

Why is basketball considered to be the most popular sport?

Why did the early basketball differ in earlier times?

What is dribbling?

Where is the NBA?

Choose FALSE or TRUE

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the height of the baskets.

The smallest international TV audiences in modern basketball are for games in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in North America

Famous NBA teams are the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers.

There are no foreign stars in the American basketball teams.

Here are some simple definitions for words that appear in the text. Find the words they refer to.

A _____________(noun) is an area marked with lines where some sports (e.g., basketball or tennis) are played. 

__________(verb): to hit the surface of something and then move away (e.g., a ball moving through the air, hitting the ground, then moving through the air again). 

__________(noun): a group of people who play a sport or a game against another group. 

An ___________- (noun) is a group of people who watch or listen to something (e.g., a movie or a sports game).