原版英语RAZ 教案(S) A Big League for Little Players.pdf
www.readinga-A Big League for Little Players A Big League for Little PlayersA Reading AZ Level S Leveled BookWord Count:1,386Visit www.readinga- for thousands of books and materials.Written by Jane SellmanLEVELED BOOK SWritten by Jane SellmanA Big League for Little PlayersA Big League for Little PlayersLevel S Leveled Book Learning AZWritten by Jane SellmanAll rights reserved.www.readinga-Photo Credits:Cover,back cover,title page,pages 4,5(bottom),6,13,14,15,16,18,19:2006 World Series by Little League photos by Jim Hazen;pages 3,10,11,17(all):courtesy of Little League Baseball,Inc.,Williamsport,PA;page 5(top):Jupiterimages Corporation;page 7:courtesy of Library of Congress,National Photo Company Collection,P&P Div LC-USZ62-135410;page 8:courtesy of Library of Congress,P&P Div LC-USZ62-136032;page 9:The Granger Collection,NYC;page 12:Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/Corbiswww.readinga-Front cover:Catcher Nick De Jong,of the Daniel Boone National Little League in Columbia,Missouri,fields a pitch while umpire Jim Smith of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,calls the game.De Jongs team was the Midwest Regions champion for 2006.Back cover:Canadas team from Surrey,British Columbia,won against the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands team from Saipan in the third game for each team in the 2006 Little League World Series.Title page:Spectators enjoy games at Howard J.Lamade Stadium during the 2006 Little League World Series.Table of contents:The Canadian province of British Columbia dedicated this totem pole to the Little League Organization.British Columbia established one of the first Little League teams outside the United States in 1951.CorrelationLEVEL SO3434Fountas&PinnellReading RecoveryDRA34Table of ContentsIntroduction.4Baseball Begins .7History of Little League Baseball .9How Teams Get to the Championship.13The 2006 Little League World Series .15Conclusion .18Glossary/Index .20Introduction“Josh Lester takes a short lead off first base.Japan leads 10 in the third inning.“As the sun sets behind the bleachers,the players start to notice the bright glow of the lights above the field.The grass here smells different,almost as if its been waiting a whole year for the kids to come back to play.“Cody Walker steps to the plate to face pitcher Go Matsumoto.Weve seen two great pitching performances so far today.Kyle Carter has been at his best pitching for the U.S.team.”Cody Walker takes a swing.A Big Legue for Little Players Level S56Back home in June,there were only about 50 people in the stands.Now its August,and there are almost 5,000,and even more are watching on national TV!All those weekend practices and stretching exercises paid off.The boys are playing in the 2006 Little League World Series.“Heres the pitch.”Every game is exciting,but this is the championship game.The players are no longer representing just their team or their state.Now they represent the whole United States!“There it goes!No doubt about it,that ball is out of here!Its a two-run home run by Cody Walker,and the USA takes a 2-to-1 lead!Wow,what a moment for this young man and his teammates!”That ended up being the game-winning play.Codys team,from Columbus,Georgia,went on to win the Little League World Series championship game 21.The spectators watched as players and their families jumped for joy.Gloves and caps flew through the air.A similar scene plays out every summer in Williamsport,Pennsylvania,as some of the best baseball teams from around the world play in the Little League World Series.This is a popular event today,but how did Little League Baseball get to this point?Teammates from Columbus,Georgia,celebrate their 2006 Little League World Series championship.A Big Legue for Little Players Level S78Baseball BeginsExperts cannot agree on when the game of baseball began.Games with balls and sticks have a long history around the world.Baseball is similar to older games,including the British games of cricket and rounders,but baseball has its own rules and equipment.In 1744,the word base-ball first appeared in print,which helps us know that the game existed at that time.Baseball became popular during the Civil War in the mid-1800s.Soldiers used it as a diversion and played it in their free time.Professional baseball began around the end of the Civil War.The first major league was organized in 1871.It became the National League in 1876.By the 1890s,baseball was so popular that it became known as the United States national pastime.In 1901,a second major league formed:the American League.The first World Series,which matches the champions of the American and National Leagues,took place in 1903.The Boston Americans beat the Pittsburg Pirates in eight games,making them the best baseball team in the United States.A crowd enjoys the professional baseball World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs in 1907.The catcher tries to tag the runner out during this early Washington Senators professional baseball game.A Big Legue for Little Players Level S910History of Little League BaseballFor as long as there has been baseball,there have been kids eager to play it.Before there was television,many children would rush home from school and huddle around a radio to listen to their favorite teams games.Sometimes they would pretend to be one of the star players.“No,wait!Youre Mickey Mantle,and Im Jackie Robinson!”Families living on farms set aside land for a baseball diamond.City kids played stickball in the streets,using broomsticks for bats and mailboxes or trees for the bases.Vacant lots were turned into playing fields.Winning was great,but the joy of playing a sport with your friends was just as important.Playing baseball was fun,but it was not very well organized.Then came Carl Stotz.When Carl was a boy,the older kids would not let him play baseball with them.When he grew up,he wanted to give all young boys a chance to play baseball.His hope was that an organized league would teach boys the ideals of sportsmanship,fair play,and teamwork.Instead of knocking on doors to see whether their friends could come out to play,now kids could be on a team,play scheduled games,and be coached on how to play better.Carl Stotz poses with players before an early 1950s Little League World Series game.Kids play a pickup game of baseball.Carl StotzA Big Legue for Little Players Level S1112In 1939,Stotz formed Little League Baseball in Williamsport,Pennsylvania.The league had only thirty players and three teams.He received donations from local businesses.He was the manager of the Lycoming Dairy team.He asked two brothers to coach two other teams,Lundy Lumber and Jumbo Pretzel.With thirty dollars for each team,he bought uniforms for all the players.Players moms sewed team names on the uniforms.Teams had to share gloves as well as the only catchers mask.The teams played on a vacant lot.In 1947,twelve teams played in the first Little League tournament that would later become the World Series.The Maynard Midgets from Williamsport beat Lock Haven Little League in the championship game.About 2,000 fans turned out,despite the August heat,and a great tradition was born.As news of the league spread,teams quickly formed all over the country.Any boy,age 9 to 13,could play Little League Baseball.He could be any race,religion,or color.(Girls were not allowed to play until 1974.)By 1948,the league grew to ninety-four teams.Today,about 2.7 million children play on Little League teams not only in the United States but also around the world!A crowd cheers during a 1955 tournament game.A Girls Little League team poses for a picture.A Big Legue for Little Players Level S1314 How Teams Get to the ChampionshipNow more than 100,000 teams compete in different divisions.A players age determines the division in which he or she plays.Little League,the most famous division,has teams of 11-and 12-year-old players.Each local Little League team is part of a district that includes teams from the same area.In June,the best players from each district are chosen to be part of an all-star team,which has no more than 14 players.The coach and manager for the all-star team are also chosen.In July,these teams play in many tournaments to narrow the field of competitors.By August,only 16 teams remain in the Little League Baseball Division.They have earned a trip to Howard J.Lamade Stadium in Williamsport for the Little League World Series.Game by game,teams are eliminated until two remain.One team is from one of the 80 countries outside the United States that compete in Little League,and one team is from the United States.These final two teams play one game to determine the Little League World Series champion.A batter from the Saudi Arabian team swings at a pitch during the teams victory over Whalley Little League in 2006s World Series tournament.The Chinese Taipei team gets ready for a game in the mid-1980s.A Big Legue for Little Players Level S1516 The 2006 Little League World SeriesFor the 2006 Little League World Series,teams from as far away as Saudi Arabia and Russia made it to Williamsport in late August.Kawaguchi City,Japan,won the International Championship over Matamoros,Mexico,by a score of 30.Japans star player,Go Matsumoto,hit a home run and was brought in as a relief pitcher to get his team out of a bases-loaded,no-outs bind.In the U.S.Championship game,the team from Columbus,Georgia,defeated the Beaverton,Oregon,team 73.It was up to Georgia to carry the banner of the United States against Japan in the World Series Championship game.And carry it,they did.Georgias pitching phenom Kyle Carter struck out eleven batters and gave up only three hits.Matsumotos pitching kept the game close,but the Georgia team won to take the series for the United States for the second year in a row.It was quite a feat as the Kawaguchi City team had been undefeated.Matsumoto pitches.Kyle Carter talks with his catcher and other teammates on the mound during the game against Japan.Kyle CarterA Big Legue for Little Players Level S1718ConclusionThe Little League World Series continues to grow and change.More than 300,000 people attended tournament games in 2006,and the games were televised around the United States.When second baseman Josh Lester of Columbus,Georgia,fielded the last out of the championship game,the crowd broke into cheers and chanted,“USA!USA!”Successful Little LeaguersMany Little League World Series players have grown up to become baseball,hockey,and football players.Gary Sheffield,a nine-time Major League Baseball All-Star,played in the 1980 Little League World Series.Derek Bell,who played on that same Little League World Series team,later played in the Major League World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays.Little League World Series players Chris Drury(1989),Stephane Matteau(1982),Pierre Turgeon(1982),and Ray Ferraro(1976)have played hockey in the National Hockey League.Brian Sipe,a former Cleveland Browns quarterback,played in the 1961 Little League Baseball World Series.Jason Varitek,Boston Red Sox catcherWilson Alvarez,former Major League Baseball pitcherSean Burroughs,Tampa Bay Devil Rays third basemanGary SheffieldChris DruryThe Georgia team celebrates its 2006 victory for the USA.A Big Legue for Little Players Level S1920In true Little League spirit,the Georgia team members asked the Kawaguchi City players to join them in a victory lap around the field.This proves that Little Leagues goal remains the same after decades of growth:to provide a game that teaches players the principles they should use as good citizens of the world.“Ladies and Gentlemen,boys and girls,well see you next year for another exciting Little League World Series!”Glossarycompetitors people or teams that one plays against(p.13)divisions separate groups that are part of a larger organization(p.13)eager excited and interested(p.9)equipment tools used in work or play(p.7)feat an amazing action or accomplishment(p.16)goal something one wants to accomplish(p.19)organized grouped and managed by leaders(p.8)pastime a hobby or activity(p.8)scheduled set to begin at a certain time(p.10)spectators people who observe an event withouttaking part(p.6)tournament a series of games or competitions that determine a final champion(p.11)ExploreMoreTo learn more about Little League Baseball and Softball,visit the website:www.littleleague.orgFor Little League World Series history,including records and more famous former players,visit the website:www.littleleague.org/worldseriesIndexbase-ball,7Bell,Derek,17Carter,Kyle,4,16championship,5,6,1119Civil War,7,8Divisions,American League,8 Big League,13 Little League,6,919 Major League,17 National League,8 Tee Ball,13Drury,Chris,17Japan,4,15Lester,Josh,18Matsumoto,Go,4,15,16professional baseball,8Sheffield,Gary,17stickball,9Stotz,Carl,10,11tournament,11,13,18Walker,Cody,46World Series,5,6,8,11,1319A Big Legue for Little Players Level S
