In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.
When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.
The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.
“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout③ internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 —and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic —number two overall in this year’s draft —are icons④in-waiting. It is the ultimate⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
Notes:
① roster n. 花名册
② strategy n. 战略，策略
③ scout vt. 寻找，觅得
④ icon n. 偶像
⑤ ultimate adj. 最后的，根本的
Choose the best answers according to the above: According to the report, ___.
| A．Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA |
| B．the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great |
| C．Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA |
| D．European countries will host the 2004 NBA games |
The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of ___.
| A．NBA intends to make China its “marketing center” |
| B．NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China |
| C．there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings |
| D．the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China |
. What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?
A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.
B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.
C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.
D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball. When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to __.
| A．farms in the States | B．native Americans |
| C．the NBA training center | D．the USA |
Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
| A．The Non-American Basketball Players | B．NBA Is Coming to China |
| C．The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA | D．NBA Is Making Big Progress |
One cold morning in winter, I went alone to a hillside to do some hunting. I sat there waiting for about an hour. Suddenly, a big beautiful deer appeared less than 20 feet away from me. There was no cover near him. Surely I could shoot him.
To my surprise, he came toward me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid. For this was not a youngster, but a fully grown-up one. He must have known about men and their guns. But this deer came closer, and I still waited. His big eyes never moved away from my face. His wonderful head with a set of antlers (鹿角) was clear in sight.
I was getting a bit nervous as he walked closer. A big deer can do a lot of damage. Well, he walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me.
What happened next was hard to believe. But it all seemed quite natural. I held out my hands and scratched his head right between the antlers. And he liked it. The big, wild, beautiful deer bent his head.
I scratched and touched his head and body. His nose touched my shoulder. I fed him with my last sandwich.
Well, he finally went his way, down the hill. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t, either. Not after that. I just watched him go, a strong deer carrying a proud head.
I picked up my gun, and started walking back. Suddenly, I heard two shots, one after another. If you have hunted much, you will know what two shots mean. They mean a kill. I had forgotten that there were other hunters around.
You will now understand why I gave up hunting from that day on.How the deer behaved toward the writer shows that______.
| A．it pretended to be friendly to the writer |
| B．it wanted to attack the writer |
| C．it was too scared to run away |
| D．it was quite friendly to the writer |
You can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．a grown-up deer usually will not get close to men with guns |
| B．the writer was a little nervous at first as he had been attacked by a big deer before |
| C．the writer felt afraid to kill the deer the moment the deer walked up to him |
| D．the writer had waited for more than an hour before the deer appeared |
After reading the whole passage, we can know that the passage is written in a(n)______tone.
| A．worried | B．excited | C．sad | D．happy |
“I can’t live without my mobile phone!” is what I often hear people say as they talk about how mobiles have become an essential part of their lives.
The all so common sight of heads bent, eyes staring at mobile screens and fingers busy tapping away repeats itself across major cities around the world. Whenever there is a moment to spare while on the train, taxi or waiting in a queue, people busy themselves with their mobile phones.
Some people believe our unhealthy obsession(着迷) with mobile phones is destroying how we appreciate the little things in life or miss the moments that matter. The truth is that technology overall should be seen as just a tool to improve our lives.
Mobile phones have certainly had a great influence on our lives, but I truly believe it is for the better.
It’s changed the way we communicate, whether for work or play. We are now less constrained(限制)by time and geographical location. With my mobile phone, I can dial into conference calls while stuck in a traffic jam, or reply to urgent e-mails while on the go. I can send a text message or share photos and videos with friends who aren’t living in the same country. My phone calendar keeps my life organized, and even Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging are now accessible from mobile phones!
The mobile revolution isn’t just changing the lives of urbanities (都市人) like myself. I know of a young Bangladeshi woman named Shompa Akhter who is crazy about fashion and design. She dreamt about starting her own business and she did just that, opening a shop in Kushtia featuring her own creations. Dealing with supplies in different towns was a problem for Shompa --- purchase orders had to either be hand delivered or mailed out to supplies. Shompa also found it tough publicizing her business to potential customers outside her town. But once she learnt to operate the mobile phone, she was addicted. The 25-year-old businesswoman now stays in touch easily with her suppliers. Mobile e-mail is a blessing in her life.
Who would have thought that mobility could bring about such enormous change? It shouldn’t really be a surprise though.In the first two paragraphs, the author wants to show ____.
| A．mobile phones make people communicate less |
| B．mobile phones make people’s life more enjoyable |
| C．people’s health is greatly affected by mobile phones |
| D．people become addicted to mobile phones in daily life |
What’s the author’s attitude towards mobile phones?
| A．Doubtful | B．Supportive | C．Critical | D．Uninterested |
Paragraph 5 is mainly about__________.
| A．New functions of mobile phones |
| B．New changes in Information Age |
| C．The advantages of mobile phones |
| D．The author’s personal experiences |
How is the text mainly developed?
| A．By inferring. |
| B．By analysing causes. |
| C．By giving examples. |
| D．By comparing different ideas. |
If you are interested in animals, you probably heard about the tragedy at Seaworld Orlando. On February 24, Tillicum, a six-ton orca(虎鲸)，was performing with his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who stood on a platform by his pool.
They had done the same show together many times before, without incident. This time, though, events took a terrible turn. Without warning, Tillicum leaped from the water, took hold of Branchcheau by her hair, and dragged her deep below the water’s surface. Before other trainers could react, Brancheau drowned.
Although known as killer whales, orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family. They are easy to train, and performances like Tillicum’s have been done safely thousands of times. Yet Dawn Brancheau’s death was a shocking reminder of what can happen when human being act together with wild animals. People began to ask, “Should orcas be kept in captivity(囚禁)”
Yes
Worldwide, only 42 orcas are being kept by humans. Scientists know very little about these huge sea animals, which are difficult to study in the wild. However, they do know that orcas are easily harmed by pollution. As our oceans become ever more damaged by human activity, observing orcas up close helps us understand them and do a better job of protecting them in nature.
“I think that some dangerous animals, such as killer whales, should be kept in captivity because it raises awareness about them and educates people about wild animals,” says Lauren, 12, a 6-grader from Colorado. “Keeping some in captivity will help protect their species.”
No
Enclosed habitats can be painful to wild animals, and make them act in unpredictable even harmful ways.
“It is wrong to keep these animals in captivity”, says Prathm, 12 The 7th grader from New Jersey, adds, “They should live in their own habitats, not be used as entertainment slaves.”
Richard Ellis, a marine conservationist in New York, agrees. “It is part of human nature to keep wild animals in small spaces and train them to do tricks,” he says. “I’m against it because I think it humiliates the animals.”Why does the author tell the tragedy of Dawn Brancheau ?
| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To express his sympathy. |
| C．To describe the human animal relationship. |
| D．To warn people of the danger of keeping animals. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It is hard to train orcas. |
| B．Orcas are rare sea animals. |
| C．Orcas’ habitat is being destroyed. |
| D．Many orcas are hunted each year. |
The underlined word ”humiliates” in the last paragraph most probably means “ _____”.
| A．makes somebody less intelligent |
| B．makes somebody feel ashamed |
| C．makes somebody physically weak |
| D．makes somebody feel threatened |
The text is mainly about_______.
| A．how to help animals live a better life |
| B．how to develop friendship with animals |
| C．whether killer whales should be protected |
| D．whether animals should be kept in captivity |
Online Money Earning
Yes you can earn money online without any investment or without anytime limit. I have many useful easy methods for earning easy money while we all spend our useful time on the Internet by surfing, chatting, downloading and other work. There is no need to stop any other work. We can earn with or without our daily routine. Here I tell you the complete method for online earning.
First Method
Earn money with “Bux. to”. You can earn money through “Bux.to” by clicking on ads on “Bux. to” site. First you need to open an account at “Bux. to”.
“Bux. To” is a new international and FREE English based service that allows advertisers to reach thousands of potential customers by displaying their ads on our “Surf Ads” page. An exact calculated percentage of all advertising income is paid to our members. “Bux. to” makes money through advertising.
How you make money
You view websites in 30 seconds through the “Surf Ads” page. Once the 30 seconds is up, you’ll either get a green tick sign or a red “x”. The green tick sign means you’ve earned $0.01and the “x” means you have not earned money for the visit. You’ll get red x’s when you have more than one websites from the “Surf Ads” page open. When this happens, you get no credit.
Earnings example
You click 10 ads per day =$0.10
20 referrals(转送) click 10 ads per day =$2.00
Your daily earnings =$2.10
Your weekly earnings =$14.70
Your monthly earnings =$63.00
How to get paid
If you have at least $10.00 accumulated, you can click on your account balance within your states area and it will meet your request. At present, it only makes payments through “AlertPay”. It will soon be using other methods of payment.
AlertPay is the payment processing solution that we use to pay members. Your AlertPay address is the e-mail address you use to register with AlertPay. You can get a free AlertPay account at http:// alertpay. com.
Method 2 will publish soon…What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To introduce a surprising way to earn money. |
| B．To tell an interesting story. |
| C．To solve a puzzling problem. |
| D．To present an exciting research. |
You can earn money by ________.
| A．chatting online |
| B．advertising some products |
| C．clicking on advertisement |
| D．choosing green ticks or x’s |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．You’ll earn $0.10 if you click 1 ad. |
| B．You’ll get many green ticks if you have many websites open. |
| C．You can get your payments through AlertPay. |
| D．Your AlertPay account is not for free. |
A few years ago, I felt like a true failure．I was doing Weight Watchers for the third time in order to lose weight but not making progress．
At that time, I spent hours every day working out to my videos and was still overweight．I decided that there was no point in fighting it．I thought I was meant to be fat forever．I needed a change of heart and mind．That change came in the most unexpected way．It came with running．
After dinner on Thanksgiving, I went out for a walk with my family．I had turned my little MP3 player on and was enjoying the music when my favorite song came on．I felt like dancing, but that was out of the question （I had two teenagers with me）．So I caught the speed a bit and started to run slowly．I was quite pleased with my burst of activity．
What was more surprising was that I got up the next morning and went out again．After running, I felt strong and calm at the same time．I recalled the good feelings I felt when I used to run 20 years ago and decided that I wanted more of that．I signed up for a spring race and practiced hard for it．
Even though my weight is still heavier than what I would like, I no longer care about it．I try to stay more focused on my life．Most importantly, my workouts are less than an hour per day and I take Sundays off completely．My goal is to keep exercising in my life but not let it take over my life．After all, I am so much more than my weight．What was troubling the author according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．That she was considered to be a failure by others． |
| B．That she had too little time to work out． |
| C．That she couldn't enjoy the food she liked． |
| D．That she failed to lose weight． |
According to Paragraph 3, the author started running instead of dancing because .
| A．she thought running would help her more． |
| B．she didn't want to dance at that moment． |
| C．it was inconvenient for her to dance at that moment． |
| D．she considered it useless to dance． |
In Paragraph 4 the author mainly wants to tell us that ____．
| A．she was a good runner 20 years ago |
| B．she had strong will-power |
| C．she often surprised others |
| D．she really liked running |
What was the author's biggest change after she started running?
| A．That she changed her attitude towards losing weight． |
| B．That she no longer wanted to lose weight． |
| C．That she spent more time in working out． |
| D．That she lost more weight than expected． |