headmaster told her in 1961 when he was against the girls' basketball program.

　　"We were very discouraged，" said Chapman，a forward(前锋)for her high school team of Des Moines.

　　Nearly 50 years later，Chapman is back on the playground.She's 62 and plays for "Hot Pink Grannies"，joining about 10 other women on a team whose uniforms are black trousers and hot pink socks.They play in the Iowa Granny Basketball League.

　　It's one of dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 that have arisen across the country.For some，it's a chance to exercise and meet people; for others，it's a once­refused chance to make up.

　　"You see more and more elderly women's teams taking part in state and national competitions，" said Michael Rogers，a professor in sports studies at Wichita State University."In the future it will be something common to have leagues like this."

　　Yearly surveys by the National Sporting Goods Association show the number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball at least 50 times a year has grown from 16,000 in 1995 to nearly 131,000 ten years later.

　　The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good­natured but competitive when game time comes.

　　"I think I'm tough"，says Colleen Pulliam,69，showing off her strong arms at her challengers in a game against "Strutters"，known for their bright yellow socks.

　　Granny Basketball Leagues and similar groups spread quickly through much of the country，including California，Louisiana，New Mexico，Pennsylvania and Washington，D.C.

　　【语篇解读】　本文报道了美国涌现出许多55岁以上女士为成员的篮球俱乐部。一些成员是为了锻炼或交友，另一些成员则是为了追求曾经的梦想，如62岁的Jewell Chapman年轻时就因为人们的偏见而放弃了篮球，而在差不多50年之后重返球场。

　　1．Which is right about Chapman?

　　A．She thinks playing basketball isn't ladylike.

　　B．She is now 62 years old and feels discouraged.

C．She plays basketball again about 50 years later.