II. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with one of these words or phrases taken from the reading

I. Answer these multiple-choice questions to see how well you understood the reading.

1. What was the original name of baseball?

(A) Rounders

(B)One old cat

(C)Townball

(D) Cricket

2. What does the reading say about the game «one old cat»?

(A) It was played by children.

(B)It had very complicated rules.

(C)It was played by soldiers during the U.S. Civil War.

(D) It was also known as «townball».

3. Which of these questions can be answered from the information in the first paragraph?

(A) On what date was the first professional baseball game played?

(B) How have the rules of baseball changed since the first rule book was written?

(C) Which team was the championship team in the American League in 1903?

(D) Which team won the first World Series?

4. What does the reading say about baseball when it was first introduced to Japan?

(A) Its rules were completely different from the rules of U.S. baseball.

(B) It was played only by professional athletes.

(C) It was played in schools as a way to create stronger minds and bodies.

(D) It was played in a disorganized way.

5. In the 1930s, why did companies in Japan sponsor baseball teams?

(A) To create business for themselves

(B) To fulfill government regulations

(C) To have baseball players endorse their products

(D) To get positive publicity

6. How many teams are there in each league in Japanese baseball?

(A) Three

(B) Six

(C) Nine

(D) Twelve

7. Who was the first Japanese baseball player to play on a professional team in the United States?

(A) Mikami Goro

(B) Sadaharu Oh

(C) Murakami Masanori

(D) Nomo Hideo

8. What do Nomo Hideo and Suzuki Ichiro have in common?

(A) They both won Rookie of the Year awards.

(B) They both played for the same team in Japan.

(C) They both play the same position.

(D) They both played for the same team in the United States.

9. For whom is no nickname given in the reading?

(A) Chun Ho Park

(B) Tetsuharu Kawakami

(C) Eiji Sawamura

(D) Babe Ruth

10. Why were the Los Angeles Dodgers called the «United Nations» team in the 1990s?

(A) They were partially sponsored by the United Nations.

(B) They often played in goodwill games around the world.

(C) They sent many of their players to teams in other countries.

(D) They recruited players from many countries.

ranking

contemporary

martial

intertwined

spread

borrowed

pastime

goodwill

lured

defunct

nickname

rigidly

sponsored

lucrative

rival

split

prosperity

transport

mend

washed out

1) The Olympics are partially ____________________ by large international corporations around the world.

2) Karate and other ____________________ arts were developed as methods of fighting and as a means of training warriors to fight.

3) Beginning in the 1950s, the U.S. State Department began sending musicians, dancers, and other performing artists around the world on ____________________ tours.

4) French has ____________________ many words from English, such as weekend, hamburger, and computer. Likewise, English has taken many words from French.

5) «The Big Apple» is a ____________________ for New York City.

6) Chess is a popular ____________________ in my country.

7) Jakarta is one of the largest cities in the world, ____________________ with Mexico City, Shanghai, Tokyo, and New Delhi in terms of population.

8) Industrial espionage usually involves one firm stealing trade secrets from a ____________________ company.

9) Pan American Airways was once one of the most important international air carriers in the world, but it has been ____________________ since 1991.

10) Malaria, yellow fever, and many other diseases are ____________________ by mosquitoes.

11) Eric tried out for his university's ski team, but he ____________________ on the first day of practice. He just didn't have enough experience as a ski racer to make the team.

12) Barges are often used to ____________________ heavy, bulky cargo such as grain or coal on rivers and canals.

III. These statements come from the reading "J-Ball". Read each statement and then answer the questions that follow.

The National League was established in 1876, the rival American League in 1901.

1. A rival league is …

(A) a competing one.

(B) a successful one.

(C) an older one.

Baseball has also taken root in East Asia: in Korea, Taiwan, and, especially, Japan.

2. Something has taken root when it …

(A) has become established.

(B) first appears.

(C) has become less popular.

Baseball has been part of the Japanese landscape since 1873. According to many sources, it was introduced in that year by an American teacher, Horace Wilson. It appeared on the heels of the social, political, and technological turmoil in Japan known as the Meiji Restoration.

3. The phrase on the heels of is another way to say …

(A) in spite of.

(B) just after.

(C) because of.

4. A period of turmoil is a time of …

(A) stability and peace.

(B) disorder and unrest.

(C) crime and injustice.

Between 1964 and 1973, the Giants won nine consecutive Japan Series, just when Japan was becoming an economic superpower. The Giants became «Japan's team», and to cheer against the Giants was practically to cheer against prosperity.

5. The Giants won nine consecutive series. This means that …

(A) all of the series were very exciting.

(B) the Giants won all of the series quite easily.

(C) the Giants won nine series in a row.

6. The word prosperity means …

(A) wealth and good economic conditions.

(B) power and prestige.

(C) excellence and good training.

The next great Giants star was Shigeo Nagashima, still the most revered player in Japanese baseball history.

7. A revered player is …

(A) tremendously talented.

(B) very well-paid.

(C) greatly admired.

In 1946, after World War II, O'Doul brought his team, the San Francisco Seals, to Japan to help mend relations between the United States and Japan.

8. A synonym of mend is …

(A) establish.

(B) repair.

(C) define.

This was Mikami Goro, who came to the United States to attend graduate school but ended up playing in the now defunct Federal League for two years. Because all of his countrymen were then amateur players, Goro therefore became the first Japanese professional baseball player.

9. If something is defunct, it is …

(A) completely forgotten.

(B) no longer in existence.

(C) not as important as it used to be.

10. Find the word opposite in meaning to amateur.

Attracted by Nomo's star status and lured by lucrative contracts, other players have followed Nomo across the Pacific.

11. Find the word that has the same meaning as attracted.

12. A lucrative contract is a …

(A) profitable one.

(B) long-term one.

(C) complicated one.

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