When an NBA player is young he thinks he can win the championship by himself. It is only later when he has aged and been through many battles that he learns an important lesson: there is no “I ” in “team”.
There is no better example of the value of teamwork than the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were all superstars on three different teams. Yet, none of them had any titles to show for it. Then, last season, they decided to sacrifice money and individual statistics to play together. Garnett and Allen joined Pierce on the Celtics and changed the NBA in the process.
It started in simple ways. Garnett and Allen are two of the most intense athletes in the world. They treat every second of every practice like it is the NBA championship. If you want to play alongside them then you will have to do the same. So, the young guys on the Celtics started giving their full effort too.
Pierce had been the star of the Celtics for many years. He used to shoot the ball many times a game. But with the addition of Allen and Garnett he shot less and focused on defense. His selflessness showed the young players that doing what made the team better was the only thing that mattered.
When the Celtics were winning and the game was almost over, Garnett, Pierce and Allen would come out of the game. But they wouldn’t just sit on the bench. Instead, they stood and cheered and screamed for their teammates. They wanted to support their friends and teammates.
Now, the guys who don't play know they can still affect the game by cheering so they scream and cheer when Garnett, Allen and Pierce are playing. The Celtics have developed a strong relationship. They are more than just teammates. They are brothers.
The result: the Boston Celtics won the championship and are considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference championship again this year.
There is a saying that goes, "A successful team beats with one heart." If that is the case, the Celtics may have the biggest heart in the NBA. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.The stories of three famous basketball superstars. |
B.A famous basketball team named the Boston Celtics. |
C.The importance of teamwork among teammates. |
D.Matches between the Boston Celtics and other teams. |
What does this sentence “there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” mean in Paragraph 1?
A."I" will be missing once "I" am on the court. |
B.The cooperation of the teammates is more important than the individual. |
C."I" work so hard in a team that "I" will forget who "I" am |
D.Surrounded by other players, "I" don’t seem to exist. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Pierce’s recent performance?
A.He became an even better shooter with others’ help. |
B.He focused much more attention on defense. |
C.He created more chances for teammates. |
D.He stood and cheered for his teammates |
Which of the following didn’t contribute to the success of the Boston Celtics?
A.The whole team has become devoted to each and every stage of the game. |
B.The cooperation and teamwork among the teammates in the match. |
C.The influence of Garnett, Allen, Pierce and other teammates’ cheering. |
D.The increasing frequency of team players on the bench |
If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year,they have only themselves to blame.Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion,they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores.Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.When you come to think of it,only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe(衣柜) packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste.Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn.Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way,waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have.Skirts are lengthened or shortened;neck-lines are lowered or raised,and so on.No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society.Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth,comfort and durability(耐用).They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort,as long as they look right.There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day,or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion,the conclusions to be drawn are obvious.Do the constantly changing fashions of women’s clothes,one wonders,reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability?Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers.Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability?That is for you to decide.
66.Designers and big stores always make money .
A.by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry
B.because they are capable of predicting new fashions
C.by constantly changing the fashions in women’s clothing
D.because they attach great importance to quality in women’s clothing
67.To the writer,the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as .
A.a waste of money
B.a waste of time
C.an expression of taste
D.an expression of creativity
68.The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the of clothing.
A.cost B.appearance
C.comfort D.suitability
69.According to the passage,which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.
B.The constant changes in women’s clothing reflect their strength of character.
C.The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.
D.Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.
The whole body is covered with skin.The surface of the skin is dead(like the hair and the nails),but it is made from a living layer(层)just under the surface.The outside dead layers wear off(磨损)all the time,with new ones replacing them,and the body forms a totally new skin every three weeks.
The skin protects the body from the outside world and it passes information from the outside.It helps to keep water in the body and to keep the body at the same temperature.Becteria(细菌)can’t get in through the skin unless it is damaged.
If the weather is cold,the blood vessels(血管)in the skin squeeze down,or contract(收缩),so that as little blood as possible comes near the surface.This means that less warmth is lost to the outside.This makes the skin look pale,or even “blue”.At the same time,the hairs on the skin are pulled upright by tiny muscles.
When it is hot,the blood vessels expand(扩大),or get wider again,to allow plenty of blood to run near the surface of the skin.This helps the body to lose heat,and the skin may look red.At the same time,the sweat glands(汗腺)produce more sweat,which cools the skin.
If your skin has ever been numb(麻木的),you will realize how important the feeling from the skin is.Nerves(神经)in the skin are sensitive(敏感的)to heat and cold,sharpness,hardness and softness,wetness and dryness and pain.If one is not able to feel these things,which can act as warnings,he is likely to be burned,cut or hurt in other ways.
The colour of the skin depends on special colour cells(细胞).These are just below the top layers of the skin.They are needed as protection from some harmful ray of the sun.The stronger the sun is,the more important it is to have a dark skin.People with pale skins may “tan”(晒黑)in the sun.This happens when the body produces extra colour cells in the skin for protection.In the sun,the skin produces a vitamin(vitamin D)which is needed for strong bones.
61.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Our hair and nails are dead like the surface of the skin.
B.There is skin all over our body.
C.The skin of our bodies will be completely different in three weeks.
D.The surface of the skin is made of a living layer.
62.The second paragraph mainly tells us about______.
A.the functions of the skin
B.the information from the outside
C.the water in the body
D.the temperature of the body
63.Bacteria will get in through the skin______.
A.when one’s skin is numb
B.when one is ill
C.when the skin is cut
D.when the sweat glands produce more sweat
64.When the weather is cold,the skin will contract in order to______.
A.allow more blood near B.make the skin look blue
C.keep warmth D.help the body lose heat
65.The colour of the skin is determined by______.
A.the rays of the strong sun B.colour cells
C.top layers of the skin D.vitamin D
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题; 每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
I felt encouraged by his words and began to swim more calmly.But my clothes stuck to me like a heavy weight.I could hardly stay above the surface.
Counsel saw this.“Shall I cut them?”he asked.
With a knife he cut my clothes from top to bottom and took them of quickly while I swam for both of us.Then I did the same for Counsel,and we continued to swim near each other.
But we were in serious trouble.The crew(船员)might not have noticed our disappearance.
And if they had,they could not return because the rudder(舵)had broken.Counsel thought of all this,and calmly made his plans.We decided to wait for the ship as long as possible,because we had no other hope of safety.I suggested that we save our strength so that both of us would not be tired out at the same time.This was how we did it:While one of us lay on his back,quite still,with arms crossed and legs stretched out(伸直),the other would swim and push him along.We changed every ten minutes or so.In this way we could swim for hours,perhaps till daylight.The crash(破裂声)of the ship and the whale(鲸)had appeared at about eleven o’clock.We had about eight hours to swim before daylight.This seemed possible,if the sea remained calm.
56.What happened to the man who told the story?
A.He and his companion got into the water to test their strength.
B.He jumped into the water to save the broken rudder.
C.He was knocked into the water by his enemy.
D.He was thrown into the sea when the ship struck a whale.
57.Why did the two men cut their clothes?
A.Because no people helped them to take off their clothes.
B.Because they couldn’t take off their clothes on the sea.
C.Because they wanted to get rid of their clothes quickly.
D.Because they wanted to lifebuoys(救生圈)with their clothes.
58.What does the word “still” in the last paragraph mean?
A.not moving B.even C.yet D.however
59.In order to save their strength,______.
A.one of them pushed the other while swimming and then they changed
B.they both swam calmly
C.they crossed their arms and stretched their legs on the water
D.they lay on their backs instead of swimming
60.Which one of the following is true?
A.Neither of the two men was good swimmers.
B.The sea was calm before eleven o’clock that night.
C.The story took place at night.
D.The two men had to swim eight hours to catch up with the ship.
Identifying young people with the potential to be great athletes has become a serious, business around the world. Many countries, including Australia, have sophisticated(复杂) programs for identifying and nurturing(培养) talent.
The AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) already runs a program that identifies potential winners starting from the age of 12 based on their physical and physiological(生理的) abilities.
Could genetics improve these programs? The problem is that no one gene test is ever going to do an accurate job of identifying someone with the physical attributes of a sporting champion, says Professor North.
"We can think of the elite athlete as what I'd call a complex phenotype(表现型)," she says. “There are going to be a large number of different genes involved. Any one single test is unlikely to be highly predictive.”
Professor Peter Fricker, director of the AIS, agrees. Although he is intrigued in the possibilities of genetic testing, he says using such tests to identify athletes would be difficult. "The feeling I have is that it won't be that easy," he says. "Talent selection is not just about your genes."
Since 2004, the AIS has been forbidden by government from any involvement in genetic work, including genetic testing. But Professor Fricker thinks that is likely to change in the near future. "There's been a shift in view more recently," he says.
When it does, the AIS will resume its work on the genetics of sports performance, Professor Fricker says. They would be particularly interested in looking for more genes that might help shape elite performance, but also for genes that increase the risk of injury.
Last year, the Human Genetics Society of Australasia issued a position statement on gene testing for sport, after concerns that people could use tests to steer children into particular sports.
“The Human Genetics Society thinks there are not enough data to use these tests for determining what sport kids should do,” said Professor David Thorburn, president of the society.
He stressed that genetic tests should not be performed on children, except in very specific medical circumstances.
57.The aim of the AIS’s program is to .
A.predict how genes are connected with injuries
B.find potential great athletes
C.find out what qualities a professor has through gene tests
D.turn an athlete into a champion by transferring genes
58.By saying “Talent selection is not just about your genes”, Fricker means .
A.effort is more important than genes in most cases
B.you can’t choose an athlete just depending on genes
C.to research one’s genes takes a long time
D.most people don’t believe in genetic tests
59.The underlined word “resume” in Para. 7 can be replaced by .
A.stop B.complete C.reduce D.continue.
60.What’s Professor David Thorburn’s attitude towards genetic tests?
A.Genetic tests have a negative effect on children.
B.Genetic tests, under certain conditions, can be conducted on children.
C.Genetic tests can reduce the risk of athletes’ injuries.
D.People could use genetic tests to decide what sport kids should take.
I don’t really care how many claws the animal in a comic book (漫画书) has. I’m not overly concerned whether the bird is colored green or grey. In fact I don’t think comic book “collector” really applies to me at all. I’m probably more of a comic book “appreciator”. My interest has always been in what can be accomplished with the medium of “visual story - telling”. In the respect, comic books are the best thing going. And there are some great comics out there.
I’m not sure exactly where this interest of mine came from. I do know that as a child, comic books allowed me to improve my reading – skills. The Mighty Thor made me develop an interest in Norse legends; Challengers of the Unknown got me interested in science fiction. The combination of words and pictures was a perfect springboard (起点) for my childhood imagination.
So just how does one learn to appreciate comic book art? There is a classic example. Writer Scott Macloud was philosophical (达观的) about what makes a comic book stand out in his best – selling book Understanding Comics. The book, first published in 1994, has been translated into 13 languages and is practically useful for students studying graphic illustration (图示说明).
On the Internet there are some cool comic book sites to be found. More than a few are mainly about superheroes and the like. But there are some choice sites that I would describe as “literary (文学的),” in that you can find some great resources that discuss the comic book as an art form. Among them there is a great article and interview at www.rcharvey.com discussing the influence of several artists and writers in the field.
Check it out. Spend two dollars on a comic book and read it with your children. You may find yourself enjoying what you see and read. You may even find yourself wanting more.
And wanting to read more is a good thing!
53.According to Para. 1 the author is concerned about .
A.the color of the characters in a comic book
B.how many comic books he has collected
C.what he can learn from a visual story
D.whether a story is true to life
54.What do we know about Scott Macloud’s best – selling book?
A.There are many classic examples if comic books in it.
B.It is helpful 1 for students studying science fiction.
C.It suggests what good comic books are like.
D.It is mainly intended for parents.
55.In the passage, the author encourages people to .
A.follow the example of superheroes from comic books
B.join in the discussion at www.rcharvey.com
C.consider comic books to be literary.
D.buy and read more comic books
56.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Children’s favorite books
B.Well – known comic books
C.Comic books – cooler than you think
D.How to become a good comic book writer