Most of you know this mathematical game, of course. You and your friend draw crosses and circles on a sheet of paper. You do it one after another. The first pupil who gets three marks in a row wins. But do you know that you can play this game another way and it will become more interesting? You must try to make your friend win. If you get your three marks in a row, you don’t win — you lose!

It is more difficult to play this game the other way. The second pupil can always win (if he plays the right way), but he may not win if the first pupil begins with his mark in the center. Then if the first pupil always takes a place on the other side of his friend’s mark, nobody will win.
If your friend does not know the secret which we have explained, you must play each time so as to leave him the greatest number of ways to win. You may try a few games and you will see how interesting it is to play the game this way.
The passage tells us that it is _____ to play this game.

A．interesting

B．difficult

C．impossible

D．unusual

What s the new rule of the game if we play it another way?

A．The one who gets his three marks in a row wins.

B．The one who makes his friend win wins.

C．The one who plays the right way wins.

D．The one who makes his friend lose wins.

According to the new rule of the game, the second player can always win if the first player __.

A．begins with his mark in the center

B．takes a place on the other side of his friend’s mark

C．tries to get his three marks in a row first

D．doesn’t begin with his mark in the center

What result does the following picture show?
○ =" the" 1st player   × =" the" 2nd player

A．Both of the players win.	B．The first player wins.
C．Neither of the players wins.	D．The second player wins.

What is the best title for this passage?

A．What an Interesting Game	B．A Game of Circles and Crosses
C．The Secret We Want to Explain	D．Marks on a Sheet of Paper