Keep On Dancing - Reading Comprehension

1. Read the text and mark the correct sentences

Keep On Dancing

After forty-five minutes of dancing the bell rang. The dancers left the dance floor and slowly headed for the beds in the next room. Fifteen minutes later, the bell rang again and the weary dancers straggled back to the dance floor. All day and all night, the same dancers continued to dance. Weeks passed and they kept on dancing. They were called dance marathons and people were crazy about them in the 1930s. In the longest marathon, the dancing went on for 5,148 hours or nearly 215 days. It was just after the stock market crash of 1929 in the United States. The Great Depression that followed affected everyone, and thousands of people were out of jobs. For some young people, entering a dance marathon was simply a way to earn money for food. As long as they continued to dance, they got food to eat.

The first 500 hours of a dance marathon were the most difficult. Dancers had to get used to sleeping while leaning on theirpartners. Feet got sore and swollen, and tempers flared as dancers got tired. Three times a day, tables were pulled out onto the dance floor and the dancers ate — while dancing.

For many people, watching a dance marathon was. a cheap form of en­tertainment. At any time of day or night they could go and watch the dancersin the marathon. They yelledand threw money at their favorite dancers toencourage them to keep dancing. Some made bets on who would quit or falldown next.

Dancers in a marathon were pushed to their limits. Without proper sleep, many got sick. When several dancers died from overexertion in а І929 dance marathon, government officials tried unsuccessfully to outlaw marathons. Instead, marathons continued to be popular until the United States entered World War II. The wartime economy brought the country out of the Depression and people finally began to lose interest in dancemarathons.

1. Read the text and answer the questions correctly

Keep On Dancing

After forty-five minutes of dancing the bell rang. The dancers left the dance floor and slowly headed for the beds in the next room. Fifteen minutes later, the bell rang again and the weary dancers straggled back to the dance floor. All day and all night, the same dancers continued to dance. Weeks passed and they kept on dancing. They were called dance marathons and people were crazy about them in the 1930s. In the longest marathon, the dancing went on for 5,148 hours or nearly 215 days. It was just after the stock market crash of 1929 in the United States. The Great Depression that followed affected everyone, and thousands of people were out of jobs. For some young people, entering a dance marathon was simply a way to earn money for food. As long as they continued to dance, they got food to eat.

The first 500 hours of a dance marathon were the most difficult. Dancers had to get used to sleeping while leaning on theirpartners. Feet got sore and swollen, and tempers flared as dancers got tired. Three times a day, tables were pulled out onto the dance floor and the dancers ate — while dancing.

For many people, watching a dance marathon was. a cheap form of en­tertainment. At any time of day or night they could go and watch the dancersin the marathon. They yelledand threw money at their favorite dancers toencourage them to keep dancing. Some made bets on who would quit or falldown next.

Dancers in a marathon were pushed to their limits. Without proper sleep, many got sick. When several dancers died from overexertion in а І929 dance marathon, government officials tried unsuccessfully to outlaw marathons. Instead, marathons continued to be popular until the United States entered World War II. The wartime economy brought the country out of the Depression and people finally began to lose interest in dancemarathons.

1.Why were dance marathons popular in the 1930s?

1. How long did the longest dance marathon last?

4.What was the main reason why some young people entered dance marathons?

1. What was the most challenging part of the dance marathon?

1. Why did people throw money at their favorite dancers during the marathon?

6.What happened to dance marathons during World War II?