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The first true piece of sports equipment that man invented was the ball.
In ancient Egypt, as everywhere, pitching stones was a favorite children’s game. But a badly thrown rock could hurt a child. Looking for something less dangerous to throw, the Egyptians made what were probably the first balls.
At first, balls were made of grass of leaves held together by vines. Later they were made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and stuffed with feathers or hay.
Even though the Egyptians were warlike, they found time for peaceful games. Before long they had developed a number of ball games, each with it s own set of rules. Perhaps they played ball more for instruction than for fun. Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill they would need for war.

（20.0分）20.0 分
(1) [单选题] （4.0分）
The ball was probably invented because ______.
A、throwing stones often caused injuries
B、throwing stones was not fun
C、games with stones did not have rules
D、rocks were too heavy to throw
我的答案：A
(2) [单选题] （4.0分）
The first balls were probably made of ______.
A、animal skins stuffed with rocks
B、twists of hay
C、 hides stuffed with hay or feathers
D、 grass and leaves tied with vines
我的答案：D
(3) [单选题] （4.0分）
This selection says that the Egyptians played ______.
A、many different games with balls
B、many different kinds of games
C、only one ball game
D、different games with similar rules
我的答案：A
(4) [单选题] （4.0分）
The Egyptians thought that ball playing was ______.
A、childish
B、 difficult
C、not enjoyable
D、 worthwhile
我的答案：D
(5) [单选题] （4.0分）
The best title for this selection is ______.
A、The First Ball Games
B、How Egyptian Children Played Games
C、Egyptian Sports
D、 The Beginning of Sports
我的答案：A

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