Argentina's Lionel Messi has won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year, becoming the sixth Barcelona player to take the award and the first since Brazilian Ronaldinho in 2005.

Messi beat last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place while Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez finished third in the poll results released by France Football magazine early Tuesday.

Praised by Argentina great Diego Maradona as his successor, Messi won an unprecedented treble（三重） in Spain last season with Barcelona as the Catalan side swept the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey.

The 22-year-old Messi, the first Argentine to win the world-famous award, was the top scorer in last year's Champions League with nine goals, including his superb header（足球中的头球） in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.

Messi, who scored 473 of a possible 480 points, largely controlled the voting and won with a record-margin of 240 points. Real Madrid winger Ronaldo had 233 and Xavi had 170.

"Honestly, I knew that I was among the favorites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009," Messi was quoted as saying by the magazine.

"But I didn't expect to win with such a margin. The Golden Ball is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it."

Barcelona had three players in the Top 5 with Andres Iniesta taking fourth ahead of former Barca player Samuel Eto'o.

In an outstanding season, Messi netted(把…踢进网) 38 goals in 51 games in all competitions, often leaving defenders in his wake(在…之后) with a combination of speed, extraordinary abilities and his effective left-footed strike.

Messi, who led Argentina to next year's World Cup in South Africa, recently signed a new contract with Barcelona through 2016.

Messi had a good start to this season - already scoring nine goals - and put on a great display to help his club defeat archrival Real Madrid 1-0 last Sunday.

"It won't be easy to confirm after a year like the one we just went through," Messi said.

"I hope the next one will reach the same standards. But to win the Golden Ball two years in a row is not an easy thing."

(Read by Guanny Liu. Guanny Liu is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

Which of the following is the suitable title?

A. Messi beats C. Ronaldo to win the European Footballer of the Year

B. Ronaldinho beats Messi to win the European Footballer of the Year

C. Messi beats Xavi to win the European Footballer of the Year

D. Ronaldinho beats Xavi to win the European Footballer of the Year

Messi has some advantages over others EXCEPT _________.

A. a rapid speed           B. a new contract with Barcelona

C. outstanding abilities     D. his effective left-footed strike

By saying “But I didn't expect to win with such a margin.”, Messi means _____.

A. he didn’t think he won unexpectedly    B. he didn’t want to win at all

C. he didn’t expect he won extraordinarily  D. he couldn’t wait to win

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Xavi Hernandez finished second in the poll.

B. Messi treated Maradona as his successor.

C. The 22-year-old Messi was the first European Footballer.

D. Messi said Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009.

Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima was born on 22 September 1976 in a poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Like most of his childhood friends, Ronaldo began his soccer career playing barefoot in the streets of his neighborhood. At the age of 14, he joined SCristovo soccer club and only two years later became the star of Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte scoring a total of 58 goals in 60 matches and earning himself a reputation for his explosive pace and outstanding finishing skills. His goal-scoring record and unusual agility led him to be included in the Brazilian World Cup winning team the following year. After the World Cup, many top European football clubs were trying to sign him. Many people, including Brazilian football legend Pelé, referred to him as the most promising footballer of his generation.

Since his transfer to Dutch team PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo’s biography is one of success after success. Two Copa América s, a UEFA Cup, a Dutch Cup, a Spanish League Cup, and two awards as best player in the world, all in the space of two years, are some of Ronaldo s impressive achievements. On arrival to Inter-Milan in 1997, Ronaldo became the idol of the local fans who refer to him as “il Fenomeno.”

Since the 98 World Cup he has suffered two serious knee injuries that have severely limited his appearances. Just when people began to wonder whether Ronaldo would be able to continue with his football career, he proved to the world that he still could play. In the World Cup held in Korea and Japan, the magical striker won the Golden Shoe award and tied Pelé's Brazilian record for career World Cup goals with 12. He helped Brazil capture its fifth World Cup championship on June 30 with a 2-0 win over Germany. It was the third time that Ronaldo has ever played in the World Cup.

1.We can infer from the passage that Ronaldo _____________.

2.The meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph1 is similar to __________________.

3.From the passage we can conclude that Ronald participated in ____big international soccer matches in all.