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 rosters（花名册） 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 strategy（战略，策略） 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 scout（寻找，觅得） 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 icons（偶像）in-waiting. It is the ultimate（最后的，根本的） revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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
Below is a table which shows the melting(液化)and boiling points of common substances.Study the table.Then do Numbers 4—7.
| Substance |
Melting point(C) |
Boiling Point(C) |
| Water Alcohol Nitrogen Oxygen |
0 –117 –210 -218 |
100 78 –196 –183 |
The underlined word‘substances'means‘a type of'_________.
| A．matter | B．liquid |
| C．solid | D．gas |
Which of the four should be a liquid at-90 degrees?
| A．water | B．alcohol |
| C．nitrogen | D．oxygen |
Mixing alcohol and water is often used to wash windscreens of cars during the wintertime because _________.
| A．it is easier for alcohol to change into gas |
| B．alcohol is not easily separated from water |
| C．alcohol freezes at lower temperature than water |
| D．the mixture is not expensive |
In order to change water from a solid to a liquid energy must be _________.
| A．removed | B．added |
| C．created | D．destroyed |
Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other words, we learn our looks—we are not born with them. A baby has generally informed face features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around-family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some areas of the United States look so much alike, new Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that cannot be explained by genetics (遗传学). The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set. For many, this can be well into grown-ups. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country area where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia. People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than people in small towns do. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ___________.
| A．has little to do with culture |
| B．has much to do with culture |
| C．is ever changing |
| D．is different from place to place |
According to the passage, the final mouth shape is formed _____________.
| A．before birth |
| B．as soon as one’s teeth are newly set |
| C．sometime after new teeth are set |
| D．around 15 years old |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what area of the United States a person is from by __________.
| A．how much he or she laughs |
| B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
| C．what he or she likes best |
| D．the way he or she talks |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ____________.
| A．physics | B．chemistry |
| C．biology | D．none of the above |
Jonathan James looks like just another kid about to graduate from high school. But this 19-year-old Swede is anything but ordinary, from the computer in his parents’ home he helps the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) find out the world’s most wanted cyber criminals (网络犯罪分子).
Jonathan first made headlines when he and another Swede, Fredrik Bjoerck, found out the maker of the “Melissa” virus (病毒) in March 1999. He came to the aid of the FBI again on May 7, finding out the suspected (嫌疑的) sender of the dangerous “I LOVE YOU” virus. The suspect was caught in Manila on May 8.
Jonathan’s special skills are in hot demand as officials around the world express alarm at the “virtual” crimewave. In between studying for final exams, hanging out with friends and refereeing his younger brother’s football matches, the quiet, gentle teenager also gives lessons on e-security (电子安全) to large companies. He reads a lot and exchanges information with other computer experts to know much about the latest tricks of the hacker (黑客) trade.
Many companies have already tried to employ him, but he is not interested at the moment. Instead, he plans to begin law school in the autumn at Sweden’s Uppsala University and start up his own e-security company.
Although he works with the FBI now, his family insists he’s just “a regular kid”. “Jonathan is a great kid, he has his friends and he does a lot more than just play with the computer,” his little sister Tessa said, adding that he helps the FBI because “he likes to help”, not because he’s looking for fame and recognition.
When the world was hit by the “Love Bug” virus, Jonathan was too busy preparing a speech on e-security to look into the problem. “Finally on May 7, I had some free time, so I began looking.” Within a few hours, he had found the suspect and e-mailed his method and results to the FBI. He said his work on the “Melissa” virus, which took three weeks to solve, was a big help in finding the suspect so quickly.
“This time I knew exactly where to start, I knew what to disregard and what to look at.” The passage mainly wants to tell us that ___________.
| A．Swedish kid helps FBI find out the most wanted cyber criminals |
| B．Jonathan is really a quiet, gentle and ordinary boy |
| C．many companies want the young computer expert to join in |
| D．any cyber criminals will surely be found out wherever they are |
The public started to know something about Jonathan just from _________.
| A．his helping the US FBI to find out the sender of the dangerous “I LOVE YOU” virus |
| B．his work together with Fredrik Bjoerck to find out the maker of the “Melissa” virus |
| C．his little sister’s talk about his good qualities as a regular kid and a good programmer |
| D．his speech on e-security to many computer companies after his fight against hackers |
From Jonathan’s success in finding out the sender of the dangerous ‘Love Bug” virus we can infer that _________.
| A．where there’s a will, there’s a way |
| B．experience is knowledge |
| C．hard work leads to success |
| D．failure is the mother of success |
What do we know about Jonathan?
| A．He is a good fame hunter with various abilities. |
| B．He is such a brave fighter that any criminal will feel afraid. |
| C．He is an expert on security, not interested in running a company. |
| D．He is a regular kid but does something unusual. |
Before a new type of airplane goes into service, every part of it is tested again and again. But there are two tests that are more important than all the others.
The first is called the “tank test”. A modern airplane must fly very high in the sky. Air must be pumped into the plane so that the passengers can breathe. The metal structure (结构) of the plane has to be very strong for this reason. When the plane is filled with air, the air presses against the skin of the plane inside. The pressure (压力) on a small window is like a huge foot that is trying to get out. If a small part of the plane were to fail, the plane would explode in the sky. To test the structure of the plane, the plane is lowered into a huge tank or container of water. Then it is filled with air. The pressure inside the plane is greater than it ever will be when it is high up in the air. Finally, there is an explosion. This does not cause so much damage inside the water tank as it would anywhere else. Engineers can discover which part of the plane has broken. Then that part is made stronger.
The most dangerous test happens when the new plane is going through test flights in the air. The test pilot must find out exactly what happens when the engines (发动机) are all shut off at once. The plane begins to fall like a stone. It is the pilot’s job to find out how he can get control of the plane again. These two tests are examples of how planes are made safe before they ever carry passengers.By doing the “tank test”, the engineers can find out ___________.
| A．the pressure inside and outside the plane |
| B．the strength of the plane structure |
| C．the amount of air in the plane |
| D．the power of the airplane engines |
What will happen to the plane under the “tank test”?
| A．It will be broken. |
| B．It will be made stronger. |
| C．It will be filled with water. |
| D．It will be tested by pilots. |
According to the text, why are test flights most dangerous?
| A．The engines may be damaged. |
| B．The pilot may lose control of the plane. |
| C．The plane may explode in the air. |
| D．Too much air may get into the plane. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．Two Important Tests on Airplanes |
| B．The Danger of Testing Airplanes |
| C．The Importance of Flying Safely |
| D．How Airplanes Are Made and Tested |
Cara Lang is 13. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, in the US. Last Thursday, she didn’t go to school. She went to work with her father instead. Every year, on the fourth Thursday in April, millions of young girls go to work. This is Take Our Daughters to Work Day. The girls are between the ages of 9 to 15. They spend the day at work with an adult, usually a mother, aunt, or uncle. They go to offices, police stations, laboratories, and other places where their parents or other family members work. Next year, the day will include sons, too.
The Ms. Foundation, an organization for women, started the program about ten years ago. In the US, many women work outside the home. The Ms. Foundation wanted girls to find out about many different kinds of jobs. Then, when the girls grow up, they can choose a job they like.
Cara’s father is a film director. Cara says, “It was very exciting for me to go to the studio with my dad. I saw a lot of people doing different jobs.” Many businesses have special activities for girls on this day. Last year, Cara went to work with her aunt at the University of Massachusetts. In the engineering department, the girls learned to build a bridge with toothpicks and candy. In the chemistry department, they learned to use scales. They learned about many other kinds of jobs, too.
Right now, Cara does not know what jobs she will have when she grows up. But because of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, she knows she has many choices. What is Cara’s father?
| A．An engineer. | B．An official. |
| C．A moviemaker. | D．A professor. |
According to the passage, Take Our Daughters to Work Day is __________.
| A．on every Thursday in April |
| B．a holiday for girls of all ages |
| C．a day for girls to know about jobs |
| D．a day for girls to get a job easily |
On this special day, Cara has done all the following EXCEPT that __________.
| A．she learned to use scales |
| B．she worked as an actress |
| C．she went to work with her aunt |
| D．she used toothpicks and candy to build a bridge |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Cara Lang, a Fortunate Girl |
| B．Take Our Daughters to Work Day |
| C．Children’s Day and Work Day |
| D．Ms. Foundation, an Organization for Women |