Looking for Canadian culture? Try checking out the ice rink."We love hockey, " says Marion Alexander, a Canadian English teacher in Beijing."It really is Canada's sport.
There is no other sport so close to the hearts of Canadians and no other sport in which Canadians have been so successful.But how much do you know about hockey?
Hockey is played on a court of ice called a rink.Each team has six players-a goalie(goal keeper), a center, two defensemen, and two forwards.All of them wear ice skates.
Instead of a ball, hockey uses a puck, a small black object made of rubber.Each team tries their best to hit the puck with their hockey sticks into the other team' s goal.Whichever team scores the most goals at the end of three periods is the winner.
"Hockey has a lot of rules, " says Alexander, "but once you are used to it, it seems very natural." In Canada, hockey is part of the national identity.Many Canadians play youth hockey when they are growing up, and many Canadian families make a tradition of watching the games.
" I played goalie when I was younger, " remembers Alexander." My family would always watch the Calgary Flames(a team in the National Hockey League)play on TV."
Hockey doesn't just unite families.It also brings the whole country together, especialg during the Olympics." Canada is a diverse country that doesn't have a strong unified culture like China.That is why hockey is so important.Supporting the national team brings all of Canada together " says Alexander.
(1)
How many players are on the rink playing the game?
[ ]
A.
Two.
B.
Six.
C.
Ten.
D.
Twelve
(2)
It is a custom for many Canadian families to ________.
[ ]
A.
play hockey
B.
watch TV
C.
watch hockey games
D.
support the Calgary Flames
(3)
According to Alexander, hockey is very important to Canada because ________.