One afternoon last week, I saw three tearful children from my son's school being comforted by teachers. That morning, my 11yearold had stomach pains, retching(干呕)into a bowl. Talking to other mothers later, I heard about other children with stomachache or difficult sleeping the night before.
What caused so much pain? Sports day. Sports day might be necessary at a highlycompetitive independent school, but not at a village primary school. For the children who can fly like the wind, sports day causes no problem. For those who are overweight or just not good at sport, it is nightmare(噩梦). Even for those who enjoy running but fall halfway down the track in front of the entire school and their parents, it can prove a disaster.
Why do we put our children through this annual suffering? Some may say competition is character building; or it's taking part, not winning, that's important; or that it is a tradition of school life. I just felt great pity for those children in tears or in pain.
Team games at the end of sports day produced some close races, wild enthusiasm, lots of shouting—and were fun to watch. More importantly, the children who were not so fast or quick at passing the ball were hidden a little from everyone's eyes. Some of them also had the thrill of being on the winning side.
I wish that sports day could be abandoned and replaced with some other lesscompetitive event. Perhaps an afternoon of team games, with a few races for those who want them, would be less stressful for the children and a lot more fun to watch.
57. What can we learn about the author's son from Paragraph 1?
A. He talked with some mothers.
B. He comforted his classmates.
C. He had difficulty in sleeping.
D. He suffered from stomachache.
58. Sports day is still an annul event in this school probably because ________.
A. this is an independent school
B. it is a tradition of the school
C. it helps children lose weight
D. children enjoy watching sports
59. What does the author think about team games?
A. They should include more stressful races.
B. They are acceptable to different children.
C. They should be abandoned at primary schools.
D. They are less fun for those who love running.
60. What is the author's attitude towards sports day?
A. Critical. B. Neutral.
C. Positive. D. Ambiguous.
【要点综述】 本文作者通过描述自己11岁的儿子和几位同学在学校参加完体育比赛后身体不适的经历，提出了自己对于学校体育比赛改革的观点——将激烈的体育对抗比赛改为对抗性较小的赛事。
57. D 细节理解题。根据本段的第二句可知作者的儿子在参加完体育比赛后肚子疼、干呕，故选D。
58. B 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“…or that it is a tradition of school life.”一句可知本题答案为B。
59. B 推理判断题。根据第四段的内容可以推断出作者认为团体比赛为不同的学生所接受，故选B。
60. A 作者态度题。根据最后一段的大意可以推断出作者对于学校体育比赛持批评态度，故选A。
