Craze In First Run Of Bulls

　　Bulls and humans alike slipped and slid on the cobblestone streets, but the first of Pamplona's annual runs with the bulls was largely free of injury as thousands of daredevils sprinted with the half-ton animals.

　　Some runners, sounding disappointed, said they would seek out greater danger in coming days as the widely popular, centuries-old San Fermin festival serves up six more runs this week.

　　“ It was a bit timid, to be honest. Nowhere near as scary as in the books, ”said Johnny, 26, from New Zealand, here for the first time after reading about San Fermin on a website.

　　“Tomorrow we are going to try and run a bit closer to the bulls and get a bit more adrenaline, ”added his friend, Richard, 26 , cradling the day's first beer.

　　The streets were slightly slick with morning dew as six fighting bulls and six steers dashed from a corral along the 900 -yard course through the city’s old quarter to the bull ring.

　　At two sharp turns, several bulls slipped and went down with a heavy thud, and two bulls were separated from the pack. And a minor pileup of fallen runners formed at the tunnel leading into the bullring. Bulls jumped or stepped over the runners.

　　Thousands of people watching in the street and from balconies shouted as the bulls rumbled through the city’s old quarter, taking just over two and a half minutes to cover course.

　　No one was gored, although four people who were trampled were hospitalized for treatment of head, chest, rib or leg injuries. None was seriously hurt.

　　The steers are meant to keep the bulls more or less in a cluster a spooked, isolated bull is very dangerous

　　The fiesta , famed for its all-night street parties, dates back to the late 16 th century but gained world fame from Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises. Tens of thousands from all over the world have been pouring into Pamplona for the annual festival ever since .

　　閱讀自測

　　Ⅰ. Find the words in the pass age with meaning similar to the following phrases :

　　1. happening every year ( )

　　2. causing fear and alarm ( )

　　3. move suddenly and quickly; rush ( )

　　4. travel a certain distance ( )

　　5. ( cause people or things to) come or go in a continuous stream ( )

　�、�. Are these statements True or False a ccording to the article?

　　1. On the first day of Pamplona's annual runs with bulls, no one was serious hurt.

　　2. A lot of runners were gored by bulls.

　　3. It only took the bulls two minutes to cover the 900-yard course .

　　4. The annual San Fermin festival attracts thousands of people all over the world to Pamplona. 5. The fiesta gained world fame in the late 16 th century.

　　參考答案

　�、�. 1. annual 2. scary 3. dash 4. cover 5 . pour

　　Ⅱ. 1. T 2. F 3 . F 4 . T 5 . F