2013 北京中考）选择性阅读D 篇 The willful blindness in hockey toward concussions (头部撞击) has dropped. Hockey Canada has followed the lead of USA Hockey in preventing body checking (身体拦截) below age 13. A bad head injury of Sidney Crosby, the hockey's greatest star, opened the eyes of hockey people everywhere. This country's children have been facing similar danger at early ages, and Hockey Canada had to deal with a deep worry in the minds of Canadians to make the rule change. The liking for body checking from an early age is part of what makes Canadian hockey what it is. The change in rules should be taken as a chance to draw special attention to skill development in an environment free of danger. It may also control the loss of thousands of young players who don't enjoy that environment. For years, many Canadian hockey parents and coaches have insisted that body checking at early ages is necessary to ensure that players can do it safely at older ages. True or not, there may be a safer way to teach hitting than to make younger players pay a price for it in head injuries. When USA Hockey changed its rules for the 2011-2012 season, it also created body checking-education programs that will be mandatory( 强制的) for all coaches, including those teaching players in the pre-checking ages. And it began to encourage more "touch" - without real body checking - from 9 to 12. It also made the rules for 13 and up stricter. The USA is trying to show that it's possible to teach hockey protective skills without putting11 and 12-year-olds in greater danger. It's worth the try. Hockey Canada has taken serious steps to do away with hits on the head. However, it's hard to change a spor...
