Lesson 13 Soccer Blues
“Okay, everybody, come over here and listen up!” Coach’s voice carried across the soccer field. Kids of all sizes and shapes stopped what they were doing and walked or trotted toward the coach. When the several dozen boys and girls were in a ring around him, the coach continued. “I want all of you to practice dribbling on your own for at least half an hour a day outside of practice. Okay?”
“Okay, Coach!” yelled the circle. Everyone smiled. Coach always liked answers to his questions.
Satisfied with the response, Coach went on. “Most of the passing we do in games is when we’re only 10, maybe 20, yards apart. We need to be able to deliver the ball within that range① every time we pass,” Coach explained. “Now, we’re going to do a one-on-one passing exercise. One partner over here, the other over there,” he said, pointing to one touch line and another invisible② line about halfway across the field. “What I want you to do is ...”
Around the circle, heads nodded as eager③ players listened to Coach. One head, though, wasn’t nodding; it was bobbing④. Perry was so tired and hungry that his knees felt shaky. He was sure he had dribbled his soccer ball a hundred miles already this afternoon. He felt as if one more passing exercise would pretty much finish him off. Somehow, he stumbled through⑤. He was pretty sure he did not impress Coach, though, when one of his passes went wildly across the field.
At the end of practice, Perry flopped into the back seat of the car and buckled⑥ his seatbelt. He didn’t even wait for his mom’s usual question.
“Practice was awful,” said Perry without even opening his eyes. “I don’t ever want to go back.”
（266 words）
Notes
① range [reɪndʒ] n. 范围；幅度；排；山脉
vi. 平行，列为一行；延伸；漫游；射程达到
vt. 漫游；放牧；使并列；归类于；来回走动
② invisible [ɪn'vɪzəbl] adj. 无形的，看不见的；无形的；不显眼的，暗藏的
③ eager ['iːɡə] adj. 渴望的；热切的；热心的
④ bob [bɒb] vi. 上下跳动；振动
vt. 剪短；敲击；使上下快速摆动
n. 短发；摆动；浮子；轻敲；悬挂的饰品
⑤ stumble through 跌跌撞撞
⑥ buckle ['bʌkl] vi. 扣住；变弯曲
vt. 扣住；使弯曲
n. 皮带扣，带扣
Exercises
Ⅰ. How well did you read?
1. [Evaluate the information] In the story, a character has a problem. What is Perry’s problem?
A. He feels awful during soccer practice.
B. He doesn’t like Coach at all.
C. He wants to go back and have a rest.
2. [Note the fact] Dialogue is what the characters in a story say. What did you learn about Perry from his dialogue?
A. He wants to dribble his soccer ball a hundred miles.
B. He wants to go home to have a big meal.
C. He doesn’t ever want to go back to soccer practice.
3. [Give the reason] Why does Coach think that a passing exercise is important?
A. Because the coach wants them to practice dribbling on their own.
B. Because the players need to be able to pass the ball well during a game.
C. Because a passing exercise can make the coach satisfied.
Ⅱ. Read for words.
1. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.
（1） Kids of all sizes and shapes stopped what they were doing and walked or trotted toward the coach. （Para. 1, line 3）
A. jogged B. jumped C. rushed
（2） “…We need to be able to deliver the ball within that range every time we pass,” Coach explained. （Para. 3, line 2）
A. return B. pass C. throw
（3） Around the circle, heads nodded as eager players listened to Coach. （Para.4, line 1）
A. raised the head
B. moved the head up and down
C. shook the head
2. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined expressions.
（1） “I want all of you to practice dribbling on your own for at least half an hour a day outside of practice. Okay?” （Para. 1, line 4）
A. 继续传球 B. 练习运球 C. 独立踢球
（2） At the end of practice, Perry flopped into the back seat of the car and buckled his seatbelt. （Para. 5, line 1）
A. suddenly sat on
B. slowly sat into
C. carefully stood out of
Ⅲ. Writing practice.
1. Why is Perry so unhappy about soccer practice?
2. If you were Perry, what would you do to tell the truth to your mother and your coach?
language box
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