How did a high school football coach build a championship dynasty by never playing to win? In Smith Center, Kansas, Roger Barta, 64, a longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School, wearing a red shirt, stood before his players.“…Guys.We don't talk about winning and losing.We talk about getting a little better every day, about be
ing a team.” Over the next four months, his team went on to beat other teams, winning another perfect season.
Barta grew up in Plainville, and when a back injury ended Barta's playing career, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a college student.One summer, he took a job in the Kansas oil fields.It took him a single rainy day of working in the field to realize that university was for him.“I almost froze to death,” he says.He looked around at his co-workers, who were aged beyond their years."They were all missing fingers and teeth.I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life."
He returned to Fort Hays State to earn a mathematics degree and went on to get a master's in math education at the University of Georgia.Today, Barta spends as much time helping players figure out what they want to do with their lives as he does coaching.
To most kids here, Barta is not just a winning coach but also a mentor(導(dǎo)師,顧問).Barta insists that the members of his team be well-rounded.During last year's playoffs(附加賽), for instance, Joe Osburn was struggling with Macbeth in English class.Barta told him that either he mastered Shakespeare or his season was finished.Barta got the captains involved, and they took turns quizzing Osburn on his lines of Shakespeare.He pulled his grades up and kept playing.
“Roger likes everything about football,” says Barta's wife, Pam.“But what he loves most is watching the boys learn a little more.”
1.What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A.How Barta built a championship dynasty?
B.Barta’s career as a coach.
C.How Barta taught his students football skills.
D.Barta’s attitude towards winning and losing.
2.From the the passage we know Barta .
A.hurt his back in an oil field
B.didn’t want to be a college student
C.wasn’t satisfied with being an oil worker
D.began his playing career at high school
3.Which of the following statements about Barta is TRUE??
A.He earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State.
B.He helps his players deal with life.
C.He likes Shakespeare very much.
D.He loves football more than anything else.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.How to Be a Good Football Coach
B.A Brief Introduction to Roger Barta
C.Coach and Math Teacher—Roger Barta
D.Life Coach—Roger Barta