Sneakers go back a long way.

In the late 18th century, people

(1)_______rubber soled shoes called plimsolls, but they were pretty
crudefor one thing, there was no right foot or left foot. Around
1892, the U.S. Rubber Company (2)___________with more
comfortable rubber sneakers with canvas tops, called Keds. By
1917, these sneakers began to be mass (3)__________. (They got the
nickname sneakers because they were so quiet, a person wearing
them could sneak up on someone.)
That same year, Marquis Converse produced (4)__________shoe
made just for basketball, called Converse All-Stars. In 1923, an
Indiana hoops star named Chuck Taylor endorsed the shoes, and
they became known as Chuck Taylor All-Stars. These are the bestselling basketball shoes of (5)______times.
Sneakers went international in 1924. Thats when a German
man named Adi Dassler created a sneaker that he named after
(6)________: Adidas. This brand became the most popular athletic
shoe in the world. Track star Jessie Owens wore Adidas when he won
four gold medals (7)______1936 Olympics. Adis brother Rudi started
up another famous sports shoe company: Puma.
During the first half of the 20th century, sports shoes were
worn mostly (8)___________sports. But in the 1950s, kids began
wearing them as fashion statements. Even more teens followed the
fad after (9)__________James Dean in sneakers in the popular
movie Rebel Without a Cause.
Sales of sneakers really (10)___________in 1984, when Michael
Jordan signed a contract to wear a Nike shoe called Air Jordansthe
most famous sneaker (11)_________. Even after Jordan retired from
the NBA, his shoes continued to be best sellers. As companies like
Nike, Reebok and Adidas competed, they changed the way sneakers
(12)_________, adding wild colors and doing away with laces.
Sneakers began to be produced for every sport, including walking,
skateboarding and cross training.
New sneaker technologies increase performance. Nikes Air
Force used little pockets of gas to create better cushioning, while
Reebok introduced The Pumpair pumped into shoes to make them
(13)_________more snugly. Sneaker surprises continue: Spira

Footwear, for example, has built a spring in the soles to reduce foot
stress. Of course, innovations (14)_________these come with a price:
Athletic shoes often cost more than $100 a pair!

1. A. worn;

B. wore;

C. wear;

D. were wearing;

2. A. come up;

B. camed up; C. had come up;

3. A. produced; B. producing; D. produce;

4. A. first;
ferst;

B. the one;

5. A. all;

B. every;

B. at

8. A. to play;
having played;
9. A. saw;

C. no;

10.
A. take off;
take off;

D.

the

D. whole;

C. themselves; D. himself;
C. at the;

B. play;

B. to see;

D. to produce;

C. the first;

6. A. himselves; B. herself;
7. A. on;

D. came up;

D. on the;

C. playing;
C. seeing;

B. took off;

D.

D. seen;
C. taken off;

D.

to

11.
A. ever to make; B. ever make;
making;

C. ever made; D. ever

12.
A. looking;
looked;

B. to look;

C. has looked; D.

13.

A. fit;

B. fitted;

C. to fit;

D. fitting;

14.

A. so;

B. for;

C. like;

D. of;