Preliminary for Schools (PET) Paper 1 Reading, Part 3 7 Look at the sentences below about the history of basketball. Read the text and decide if each sentence is correct (A) or incorrect (B). A B 1. Naismith invented this game to get his students fit in winter. 2. Naismith created a special basket that the ball could go through. 3. Canada won the 1st gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1936. 4. N.B.A. was created to promote American teams of professional players. 5. The players of a team can be substituted at any moment of the game. 6. All players have their name, number and the sponsor s name on their jersey. 7. After the interval, teams change baskets. 8. Each attack has a time limit. 9. Jordan had the nickname Air Jordan because he was the bestdefensive player. 10. LeBron won the two last Olympic Games. The popular game of basketball was created by the Canadian American, Dr. James Naismith. He was a physical education teacher and instructor at the International Young Men s Christian Association Training School (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A. In 1892, he published some basic rules for two teams of nine players, whose aim is to throw a ball into a basket placed on a 3.05 m. high stand at the end of the gymnasium. At first the players had to retrieve the ball from the basket after every point, but later the bottom of the basket was removed to let the ball pass through it. In a very short time this sport spread all over the world. It was officially included at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936: on that occasion, his inventor, Naismith gave the first gold medal to the U.S.A. which defeated Canada in the final match. In 1946, the National Basket Association (NBA) was started in the U.S.A. in order to organize professional teams. In the rest of the world the game has developed thanks to the Federal International Basketball Association (FIBA) since 1932. Nowadays, the game lasts 40 minutes, usually divided into four quarters of 10 minutes. Between the second and third quarter there is a break of 10-15 minutes. After that, the teams change fields. Players wear a pair of shorts and a jersey and a pair of high-top sneakers to support their ankles. The players name and number are printed on the jersey and in Europe, the sponsors name too. Each team can attack with the traditional eight-panel orange ball in 24 seconds, otherwise the ball passes to the rivals. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. One of the greatest basketball players of all time was Michael Jordan, who won several NBA championships with the popular team of Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. His leaping ability earned him the nickname Air Jordan and he also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players. Today another great protagonist is LeBron James: he won gold medals both at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012. 30