Unit1-Part1-Reading

Basketball, an exciting sport.

Basketball is a very popular sport around the world.

Millions of people play it, and millions watch basketball games on TV.

Basketball is a very fast game, and it is fun to play.

It is fun for the spectators too, because it has a lot of excitement in it.

Many schools and colleges have basketball courts and teams.

Children can learn the game at a very early age.

They can become great players when they grow up.

Basketball is mainly an indoor sport.

You play it on a court.

There are two baskets on a basketball court.

A basket is a hoop with a net hanging from it and a backboard.

You can also play basketball outdoors, in parks or in playgrounds.

In a basketball game, there are two teams.

Each team has five players on the court.

Five other players wait on a bench by the court.

Players score a point, or points, when they shoot a basket.

They can move the ball by dribbling or passing it with their hands.

Interestingly, there were no hoops or basketballs at first.

Players used peach baskets and soccer balls.

A sports teacher in America, James Naismith, invented the game in 1891.

He was looking for an indoor winter activity for his students because during the long winters,

they couldn't play any sports outside.

So, he put two peach baskets on the opposite walls of the gymnasium.

They were 10 feet high from the floor.

Players tried to throw a soccer ball into the baskets.

Naismith also wrote 13 rules for the game.

In those days, the game was different from today's game.

Each team had nine players on the court.

The number went down to five in 1898.

Players didn't have any basketballs until 1894,

and they continued using peach baskets until 1906.