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 |
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be canceled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone,“ Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”
At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone!” And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room — if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control. ” With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.Why did the author shout at the telephone?
| A．He was mad at the telephone. | B．He was angry with his agent. |
| C．He was anxious about his wife. | D．He was impatient with the secretary. |
What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?
| A．She threw the phone away. | B．She shouted at him. |
| C．She called the agent. | D．She said nothing. |
What made the author laugh?
| A．His changeable feelings. | B．His wife’s suggestion. |
| C．His own behavior. | D．His wife’s sweet kiss. |
What does the underlined word “antics” refer to?
| A．Smart words. | B．Anxious feelings. |
| C．Surprising looks. | D．Unusual actions. |
WASHINGTON --- It’s a great achievement that inspires concepts of robots with consciousness and independent minds.
When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a new ability: it can heal its own damage.
The new robot, which looks like a splay-legged (弓形腿的), four-footed starfish, can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places.
“There is a need for planetary robotic rovers (行星机器探测车) to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the Univer
sity of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”
A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built-in computer. From the information it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking—it used three legs instead of four.
The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea area might be a good choice for a robot that the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfishis much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing s
urgery.The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it________.
| A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems |
| B．works according to a certain computer program |
| C．can find its problems and solve them automatically |
| D．can explore unfamiliar places |
An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ________.
| A．is used to create new programs |
| B．has typical robot functions |
| C．has sensors to observe its movements |
| D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions |
Which of the following is TRUE about the robot “Starfish”?
| A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability. |
| B．It will stumble and fall if damaged. |
| C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken. |
| D．It has started to work on the ocean floor. |
What might be the best title of the passage?
| A．How the Starfish Robot Works |
| B．Do-It-Yourself Robot Repair |
| C．Robots Designed to Work on Other Planets |
| D．New Robot Helping Us in Many Ways |
When we think about giving help to developing countries, we often think about giving money so that these countries can build schools and hospitals, buy food and medicine, or find clean water supplies. These seem to be the most important basic needs of the people we are trying to help. However, it's far from enough. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got to come up with some better 
ideas to help them.
I was very surprised, then, when I read about a plan to make cheap laptop computers for children in developing countries. A man called Nicholas Negroponte invented a cheap laptop computer, which can run without electricity. He decided to invent this computer after he visited a school in Cambodia.
The laptop which Mr. Negroponte has designed is a little different from the normal laptop computers you can buy in the shops. One difference is that it is covered in rubber so that it is very strong and won't be damaged easily. As an electricity supply can be a problem in developing countries, the computer also has a special handle so that children can wind the computer up to give it extra power when needed.
These special laptop computers will cost less than 100 US dollars and Mr. Negroponte wants to build as many as 15 million machines in the first year of production. The idea is that these computers will help the children's education as they will be able to access the Internet. These computers might not help the people in developing countries immediately, but by improving children's education they should help people to find their own solutions to their problems in the long term.
Another idea to help children in developing countries is to recycle old mobile phones so that they can be used again. In the UK, and, probably in many other countries too, millions of mobile phones are thrown away every year. The waste created by throwing away these old phones is very bad for the environment, so it seems to be an excellent idea to recycle them. In this way we will be able to achieve two important goals at the same time. We will reduce the waste we produce and help others. In other words, we will be able to 'kill two birds with one stone', and that is always a good thing.The author gives the example of Mr. Negroponte's cheap computers _______.
| A．to show what high tech can bring us. |
| B．to illustrate the kindness of people in the developed countries |
| C．to show how to find business opportunities in developing countries |
| D．to give an example of how to help developing countries |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Mr. Negroponte's cheap computers?
| A．His computers don’t need any power to function well. |
| B．His computers are covered with rubber so that they are very cheap. |
| C．His computers will help children in developing countries to have better education. |
| D．His computers will help people in developing countries to find all the solutions. |
Where does this passage probably come from?
| A．A magazine | B．A newspaper | C．A lecture | D．An advertisement |
“I usually put my mobile phone in my bag, and I often feel like it is ringing when there actually is no phone call. Now I always want to keep it in my hand, being afraid that I might miss important calls or messages,” Miss Liu tells her doctor.
Miss Gu, a news worker, has to take her mobile phone with her all the time so as not to miss any calls from her office or readers. Gradually, she started to experience a great “panic” about her mobile phone. “Every night when I’m about to fall asleep, I often wake up with a start, feeling that my phone is ringing. Although I’m sure that I have turned it off, I still feel that it is ringing, clearly.”
The above phenomenon is what we call “mobile-phone acouasm (幻听)”. The mobile phone has now become a “new organ” in a white collar’s daily life, and “mobile-phone acouasm” has become a common phenomenon among office workers.
According to a report of China Youth Daily, “mobile-phone acouasm ” most likely results from people’s dependency on hi-tech products. It is associated with certain professions, such as salesmen, consultants and journalists. They use mobile phones almost continuously.
Constantly being in the “stand-by” mode, the strong psychological tension gives them acouasm. Meanwhile, a large number of this year’s graduates are joining the family of acouasm suffers due to the hard job-hunting experience.
“You know that the rings are not from your phone, but you always take it out and have a look. This is subconscious (潜意识) from your body sending you a signal, telling you that you must take a break to reduce your pressure,” Professor Sun Li from Huadong Normal University explains.
There are many ways to solve the problem. The professor says that the key is to deal with pressure from work. “This is just a kind of self-protection”; the most important thing is to find out the source of your pressure. And then take part in some activities that are not related to your work. You can do anything that can relax your body and mind. According to the passage the phrase “mobile-phone acouasm” refers to.
| A．people’s being addicted to mobile phones |
| B．people’s feeling the unreal phone rings |
| C．mobile phones’ going wrong frequently |
| D．mobile phones’ disturbing people constantly |
How does “mobile-phone acouasm ” come about ?
| A．Some mobile phones are in poor quality. |
| B．Some people develop the dependency on mobile phones. |
| C．Some people listen to the music on mobile phones too much. |
| D．Something is wrong with some people’s hearing. |
What kind of people are more likely to suffer from “mobile-phone acouasm” ?
| A．Those who use mobile phones too often. |
| B．Those who like mobile phones very much. |
| C．Those who lead a busy life. |
| D．Those who lead a free life. |
What is the most important measure to deal with “mobile-phone acouasm ” ?
| A．To buy a mobile phone of good quality. |
| B．To turn off your mobile phone. |
| C．To get rid of pressure from work. |
| D．To have your ears examined regularly. |
One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.
Mary Sawyer (1806－1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak an
d looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.
One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.
That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.
Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little 
girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue. The underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means .
| A．fortunately | B．gradually | C．finally | D．kindly |
Why did the poem become a classic?
| A．It had another twelve lines added. |
| B．It was written by a young man. |
| C．It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb. |
| D．A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling. |
Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb” became popular.
b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.
c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.
d. Mary found a little lamb.
e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.
| A． d. b. e. c. a | B． d. b. e. a. c |
| C． d. e. b. c. a | D． d. e. b. a. c |
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb. |
| B．Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship. |
| C．Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem. |
| D．All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America. |