听力原文：W: Hello, Bill. You look very sad. What happened？M: Don't mention it. Our basebal

听力原文：W: Hello, Bill. You look very sad. What happened？

M: Don't mention it. Our baseball team was beaten by Australia last night.

W: Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I know baseball is a traditional pastime in US. But you should not expect your team to win every time.

M: Sure, I know. But it was a matter of pride for the US baseball team to win ill the 1996 Olympic Games. How I wish they could win this time.

W: I also watched the live broadcast yesterday. It was a close game. They gave their best but luck was not on their side.

M: You are right. How about baseball in China？ Is it also very popular？

W: I think it's getting more and more popular now.

M: Yeah, when I first came to China a few years ago, I couldn't find anything about the game on newspapers or in sport reports on TV.

W: I agree. I am a big baseball fan too, and I often go to the Internet to find out who has won and who has lost.

M: Right, as far as media coverage is concerned, I have seen a lot of changes in recent years in China.

W: Baseball in China is becoming an important sport now. I still remember several years ago when I went to the stadium to watch a game, there were only a few dozen spectators. But now at least thousands of fans show at every game.

M: Watching a baseball game in China now is almost like that in the US.

W: Well, even so, I believe baseball in China is not quite up to the level as other "advanced countries".

M: Given some time for good training, I think Chinese baseball teams will reach world-class.

W: Did the Chinese baseball team go to play at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games？

M: No, unfortunately the Chinese team lost in the Asian Championships, and therefore failed to be qualified for the Athens Games.

W: That's too bad. But I am sure with intensive training in the next few years, the Chinese team no doubt will be qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

(20)

A．The difference between the US baseball team and the Chinese one.

B．Efforts taken to promote baseball in China.

C．The popularity and development of baseball in China.

D．The performance of US baseball team in the game last night.