“Tear them apart!” “kill the fool!” “Murder the referee (裁判)!”
These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made，they may seem innocent enough .But let’ s not kid ourselves, They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real violence. Books have been written about the way words affect us .It has been shown that words having certain meanings may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual behavior. I see the term“opponent”as one of those words . Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports term.
The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent”is “enemy”，or“one who opposes your interests.”Thus，when a player meets an opponent，he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. I remember an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player’s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player went away to rub（磨擦）his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then screamed.“Are they wet enough now？”
In the heat of battle，players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the effect that such a move might have on anyone in their way .I have also witnessed
a player reacting to his opponent’s intentional and illegal blocking by hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play .Off the court，they are good friends. Does that make any sense？It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which differs from normal behavior.
Therefore ，I believe it is time we elevated（提升）the game to the level where it belongs，setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent”with “associate”could be a good way to start，
The dictionary meaning of the term“associate”is“friend”or“companion.”You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to term “associate”rather than“opponent”.
1．What did the handball player do when he was not allowed to change his gloves?
A．He refused to continue the game.
B．He angrily hit the referee with a ball.
C．He insisted that the referee was unfair.
D．He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt.
2．According to the passage, players, in a game, may
A．throw the ball at the opponent illegally blocking their way
B．keep on screaming and shouting throughout the game
C．lie down on the ground as an act of protection
D．kick the ball across the court with force
3．What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A．The player’s eagerness to win.
B．The player’s bad behaviour.
C．The player’s attitudes towards the game.
D．The player’s totally different behaviour on and off the court.
4．What can be concluded from the passage?
A．Players should be educated to respect referees on the court.
B．Replacing the present terms on the court can help reduce violence.
C．Raising the referee’s sense of responsibility can help reduce violence.
D．Changing the attitude of players on the sports field can help reduce violence.