Football, to me, is more than just a game. I have probably learned more valuable lessons from it than from school.

      When I joined the team freshman year, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. Even though I had been playing since fourth grade and knew it was  hard  work, nothing would prepare me for the effort I would put into football that year. We worked all summer in the weight room and ran on the track to get in physical and mental shape before the season.

      See, football is more of a mental sport than anything else. So running on the track wasn’t only about getting in shape. We would push our minds by running as hard as we could even if we were going to pass out. At the beginning, I was immature (幼稚) and only thought of myself, sometimes even gave up when I was tired or hurt. Then after the third game I had a season-ending injury. Imagine working all summer and then only being able to play three games! I needed surgery (外科手术) on my arm and at least five months to recover.

      Needless to say, I missed the rest of the season, but this actually helped me realize that since you never know when your last play will be, you should try your hardest in football and life.      After freshman year I decided that I would always give my best effort. Playing varsity (校队的) football has taught me so much more than just what my assignments are on a particular play or how to block (阻挡). I have learned to think about others first and realized how important working hard is. Being with all my friends, even sweating and bleeding with them, really made us unite as a group of hard-working young men, who I know will succeed in life.

56. What is the main idea of the passage?

  A. How the author dislikes the game of football.

  B. When the author began to play football.

  C. How the author has changed his attitude to football.

  D. What sport the author likes best.

57.The author thinks football is      

  A.just a game   B.of a mental sport  C.hard to pass out  D.not worth his effort

58. From the text we can infer___   .

   A. the author joined the football team with a clear aim

   B. football only brought the author certain assignments

   C. the author worked all summer to get ready for the season

   D. the author never lost heart when he met with difficulty

59. In the third paragraph, the underlined phrase “getting in shape” probably means “___”.

   A. becoming healthy

   B. designing the playground

   C. losing weight

   D. measuring the track

60.Why did the author need surgery on his arm?

A.He wanted to play more than three games.      B. He wanted to have a good rest at home

C.There wouldn’t be any games for the moment. D. He wanted to work hard during the summer