Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the incident of tragedy involving murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said; “This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.
The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disorder. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury (评审委员会) debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in present organization of Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism (爱国主义).
51. The author thinks that in recent years Olympic Games have _____.
A. showed little international friendship
B. greatly encouraged international brotherhood
C. created goodwill between the nations
D. created only misunderstanding and hatred
52. What did the manager mean by saying “This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished”?
A. This is not a standard hockey match.
B. The federation would not exist any longer after this match was over.
C. His team would not enter the game in three years.
D. The unfair decision ruined both hockey and the Federation.
53. The basketball match showed that _____.
A. aggressive patriotism was displayed in the incident
B. the Russian team should not have taken advantage of the last three seconds
C. the appeal jury was too inefficient in making a decision
D. the American team should have taken the first place
54. The author gives two examples in the 2nd and the 3rd paragraphs in order to show that _____.
A. contests often end in disorder      
B. no contests are fair in Olympic Games
C. competition discourages international friendship
D. unfair decisions are common in sports
55. Which statement best summarizes this passage?
A. Athletes should compete as individuals.
B. The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.
C. Any team that has disrespectful behavior should be suspended.
D. Different teams often have disputes when fighting for the first place.

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