A
The first true piece of sports equipment that man invented was the ball.In ancient Egypt，as everywhere，pitching(投掷)stones was a favourite children's game.But a badly thrown rock could hurt a child.Looking for something less dangerous to throw，the Egyptians made what was probably the first ball.
At first，balls were made of grass or leaves held together by vines.Later they were made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and filled tightly with feathers or hay.Even if the Egyptians were warlike，they found time for peaceful games.Before long they had developed a number of ball games，each with its own set of rules.Perhaps they played ball more for instruction than for fun.Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill they would need for war.
1．The ball was probably invented because________.
A．throwing stones often caused injuries
B．throwing stones was not fun
C．games with stones did not have rules
D．rocks were too heavy to throw
A [推理判断题。由第一段可推知，球的出现是因为“投掷石块可能会伤了孩子”。]
2．The first balls were probably made of ________.
A．animal skin stuffed with rocks
B．twists of hay
C．skin stuffed with hay or feathers
D．grass and leaves tied with vines
D [细节理解题。由第二段第一句可以得出答案。]
3．This passage says that the Egyptians played ________.
A．many different games with balls
B．many different kinds of games
C．only one ball game
D．different games with similar rules
A [细节理解题。由第二段可知，埃及人发明了许多球类运动。]
4．The best title for this passage is ________.
A．The First Ball Games
B．How Egyptian Children Played Games
C．Egyptian Sports
D．The Beginning of Sports
A [主旨大意题。整篇文章主要讲述了球类运动的出现。]
