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. 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 |
You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is such a thing as a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside—thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside—looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C. N. Yang (杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. And he is an American citizen.“ABC” in this text stands for “_______”.
| A．three English letters |
| B．a kind of banana |
| C．Americans born in China |
| D．Chinese born in America |
Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because __________.
| A．their bodies are white inside but yellow outside |
| B．they think like Westerners but look like Chinese |
| C．they were born in China but go to study in America |
| D．they are Chinese who look like bananas |
C. N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ________.
A. American Chinese are great
B. we love American Chinese
C. American Chinese are not Chinese citizens
D. Chinese people can win Nobel PrizesThis text is mainly about _________.
A. overseas Chinese
B. different kinds of bananas
C. the Nobel Prize
D. the life story of C. N. Yang
An old gentleman who lives a few doors away from me can always be seen with a bag. He goes out by himself and picks up plastic bottles, plastic bags and pieces of paper everywhere. He does it all carefully and never complains.
The children in the nearby school are probably responsible for some of that litter（废弃物）. “There will come a time when they know better ,” he said . “ It’s just not yet . So, I’ll do it for them.”
Well, this morning I was out walking my neighbor’s dog when I saw another neighbor, a much younger man , out doing the same thing ! He had his two little sons with him and they were having good fun trying to pick up the litter.
When I commented（评论）on what a good job he was doing, he said , “ Well , an older fellow in our street does this . And my friend and I thought it wasn’t fair that he had to do it all the time , so now we take turns .”
Not only was he taking a turn , not only did he have a friend join in as well , but he was passing on the lesson to the next generation（代）！
By the time I had returned the dog to my neighbor I looked again and his children’ s friends had joined in !
This man was teaching a whole group of young children to keep their own street sanitary. An older man had set an example for him and now he was passing it on — the next generation is doing what he did and the generation to come after that !The old gentleman picks up the litter _______.
| A．to make money. |
| B．to keep the environment clean. |
| C．to set an example to children. |
| D．to help the cleaners. |
The underlined word “ sanitary ” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “_______”
| A．polluted | B．crowded |
| C．straight | D．clean |
What can we learn from the text ?
| A．Two heads are better than one. |
| B．Like father , like son . |
| C．The power of example is endless. |
| D．No pains , no gains . |
Visiting animals in their natural homes may sound like a great idea that helps to save them, but is it ?
Researchers writing in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution on Oct9 said that the interactions between wild animals and friendly eco-tourists who want to take their pictures may put animals at greater risk of being eaten.
It is clear that many people visit protected areas every year. “Recent data showed that protected areas around the globe have 8 billion visitors per year; that’s like each human on Earth visited a protected area once a year, and then some!”said Dainel Blumstein of the University of California, Los Anglels. “This amount of nature tourism and eco-tourism can be added to the long list of ways in which humans cause fast environmental change.
The basic idea of the report the report is that humans change the ways animals act and those changes might affect other parts of their lives, according to Science Daily. Those changes in behavior and activity may put animals at risk.
“When animals spend time in ‘harmless’ ways with humans, they may let down their guard,” Blumstein said. As animals get used to feeling comfortable with humans, they may become braver in other situations, he says . “If this bravery continues when they meet real predators（捕食者）， then they will die more often when they meet them.”
Eco-tourism is in some ways similar to making animals live in human homes or in cities. In all three cases, regular interactions between people and animals tame. Evidence has shown that silver foxes that live with people become more laid-back and less fearful; this results from evolutionary changes but also from spending time with humans. Simply put , as Blumstein asked in the Scientific American magazine:“Does eco-tourism make animals dumb?”
And that’s not all - humans can also scare away natural predators , creating the so-called “human shield effect” and a safe environment for smaller animals that might make them braver, too. When humans are around, for example, vervet monkeys don’t see as many leopards (猎豹) trying to eat them.
Blumstein says they hope to do more research into humans’ interactions with wildlife. Scientists will “now have to understand better how different species and species in different situations react to humans and when humans might put them at risk.The main focus of report in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution was the idea that ______.
| A．eco-tourism cause damage to the natural homes of wildlife. |
| B．it is easy for eco-tourists to build up trust with wide animals. |
| C．the changes brought by eco-tourism may be harmful. |
| D．protected areas around the world are overloaded with tourists. |
The underlined word “dumb” in paragraph 6 probably means ________.
| A．anxious | B．active | C．curious | D．stupid |
The author uses vervet monkeys as an example to show that ________.
| A．different species react to humans in different ways. |
| B．the presence of humans reduces the threat from predators |
| C．smaller animals tend to be braver in front of predators. |
| D．interactions with humans make animals more relaxed and less fearful. |
We can infer that the writer wrote this passage mainly to .
| A．explain what eco-tourism is |
| B．tell us something interesting about Nature |
| C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals |
| D．Wildlife tourism may seem helpful, but it can be deadly for some animals |
“Who does the cooking in your home?” I’m often asked by my colleagues. “My wife and I share it 50/50,” I usually say without hesitation.
It’s a lie, of course. We’re pretty much even（相等的）when it comes to the children and the elderly. But the paying of bills isn’t 50/50-my wife pays all sorts of household expenses, so I never even have to set eyes on them. And the cooking isn’t 50/50, either.
The truth is that I am the cook. On my recent 40th birthday, I received the following gifts from my children: a new pot, two mini bottles of truffle oil, a decorative salad-dressing pourer, and a juice-making machine. For a moment I longed for something more manly, a cricket bat, perhaps, and then had to admit that all these things would be useful for me.
It’s not that my wife can’t or doesn’t like to cook (she makes delicious Welsh cakes). Nor has it always been this way. In the early years of our marriage I’d be relaxing with a glass of wine while my wife prepared for dinner after work.
But at some point that changed and I became the cook. Ten years with my wife gave me the rewards-I can throw together a roast, and I can make much foreign food. But I have truly become a monster（怪物）in the kitchen, unable to keep myself away from cooking. “You have to add Dijon to the sauce; it brings out the taste of the cheese,” I volunteer, as my wife is cooking. “Quick, stir in the butter so the dish becomes delicious.”
Is it any wonder that my wife has given up coming into the kitchen while I find the whole process of chopping, mixing, and adding things deeply satisfying?What do the writer and his wife probably share evenly at home?
a．Cooking in the kitchen.
b．Taking care of the children.
c．Paying household expenses.
d．Taking care of the elderly at home.
| A．ab | B．bd | C．bc | D．ac |
The gifts that the writer received on his 40th birthday show that .
| A．he is in charge of the cooking at home |
| B．his children don’t know him at all |
| C．he doesn’t get along well with his children |
| D．his children have made wrong choices |
What do we know about the writer’s wife?
| A．She can’t cook. |
| B．She doesn’t like cooking. |
| C．She only knows how to make Welsh cakes |
| D．She used to cook for the family. |
From Paragraph 5 we learn that the writer .
| A．likes sticking his nose into other people’s business |
| B．doesn’t think his wife is good at cooking |
| C．studies very hard in order to cook well |
| D．enjoys cooking in the kitchen |
India has a very vast history and heritage（遗产）. The country has witnessed some of the most important events in the past and every event has an effect of its own on the culture, religion, lifestyle, and economy of the country. This is one of the leading reasons why tourists prefer India to travel and explore. Historical tours in India provide everything that a traveler expects from his/her journey. These historical tours give an opportunity to study and explore Indian history.
Historical tours of India generally consisted of four phases: ancient, medieval（中世纪的）, modern India and contemporary（当代的）India. Some of the historical travel packages are:
Forts and Palaces
The rich cultural past of India is reflected in the countless（无数的）forts and palaces across the country. Most of the forts were constructed as a defense device to keep the enemy away and palaces were made on the names of the kings and queens. Some of the famous forts and palaces are: Agra Fort (Agra), Fatehpur Sikri (Agra), Hawa Mahal (Jaipur), Amber Fort (Jaipur), City Palace (Jaipur), Gwalior Fort (Gwalior), Mysore Palace (Mysore), Red Fort (Delhi), etc.
India Heritage Tours
The main purpose of India Heritage tours is to make Indians as well as tourists familiar with the rich Indian legacy（遗产）. The heritage of the country is at least 5000 years. Some of the heritage tours are: medieval heritage, Rajput heritage, Golden Triangle, splendid Gujarat, etc.
South India Historical Tours
The Southern India is known for its diversity and there are many places, which attract tourists, not only from the country but also from all around the world. The famous tourists’ destinations（景区）in South India include Goa, Cochin, Kerala, Munnar, Periyar, Kottayam and the list goes on and on.The main purpose of this passage is .
| A．to report some important events in the history of India |
| B．to help study the culture and history of India |
| C．to tell us how to explore the history of India |
| D．to introduce some tours that can explore the history of India． |
Many tourists prefer to travel to and explore because .
| A．its culture is greatly influenced by its history |
| B．modern India has little to study |
| C．Indian people have an interesting lifestyle |
| D．India’s history is longer than that of any other country |
Most forts were built in order to .
| A．honor the kings | B．keep enemies away |
| C．act as a palace for queens | D．attract tourists |
According to the passage, Rajput heritage .
| A．is a famous fort in India |
| B．has a history of no more than 200 years |
| C．lies in South India |
| D．is one of the heritages in India |