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Barcelona December 22,2007.
Spain's "El Gordo," the word's biggest lottery ( * * ), gave out 2.2 billion euros (欧元) (1.6 billion pounds)
in Christmas prizes on Saturday.
El Gordo, Spanish for "The Fat One", is designed so that as many people as possible across Spain get a
festive windfall. The top prize this year was 3 million euros -- going to the series of tickets with the magic
number 06381.
Because the tickets are sold in a series of 10, only those who paid 200 euros for the whole strip get the
full prize.
The biggest share of winning tickets was bought by people in the town of Nava, in the north-western
Asturias region.
The draw lasts three-and-a-half hours and is carried live on national television with children from the San
Ildefonso school, a former orphanage in Madrid, in turn chanting the winning numbers and the amount won.
Lotteries have two centuries of history in Spain. The country spent 2.87 billion euros on the lottery -- 5.7
percent more than last year. Seventy percent is paid out in prizes. Most of the rest goes in costs. Eight out of
ten Spaniards bought tickets for the lottery, spending on average 64 euros. Spaniards often choose lottery
numbers matching significant dates although there was no particular favourite in 2007. In 2006, one of the
most sought-after series was 22105, the date on which Fernando Alonso became Formula 1 world champion
for the second year running.
1. The underlined word "windfall" in paragraph two probably means _____.
A. fat gift
B. unexpected fortune
C. big feast
D. wind and snow
2. Who is likely to win the full prize in El Gordo?
A. People who paid 200 euros for the wole group of series.
B. People who bough tickets with the magic number 06381.
C. People who lived in a town in the northwestern Asturias.
D. People who chose lottery numbers matching Alonso's date.
3. According to the text, children from the San Ildefonso School in Madrid will _____.
A. host the draw of lottery live on TV
B. offer a show of three-and-a-half hours
C. perform with the lottery draw as Christmas celebration
D. help make some declarations for the draw as invited guests
4. What can we learn about the history of lotteries in Spain?
A. Most of the money people spent on lotteries goes in the cost.
B. The majority of Spaniards have the experience of buying lotteries.
C. Lottery numbers matching significant dates help people win every year.
D. As the biggest in the world, Spanish lotteries have a history of two centuries.
