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 Stem. 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 condensate 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 |
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl,she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college. Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）。 Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes； she hopes to get a master‘s degree （M A）。 With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake‘s high school， like that in many high schools in the United States， is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period， which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M. ， Mrs. Blake must meet with parents， make out examinations， check assignments at all， Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.According to the article， which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？
| A．a doctor‘s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree |
| B．a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| C．a master‘s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree |
| D．a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree—a master’s degree |
Which of the following sentences is not true？
| A．Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates |
| B．Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality. |
| C．Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees. |
| D．The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states. |
According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
| A．lonely | B．free | C．funny | D．busy |
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air， water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air， water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us. If you look carefully at the plants around you， you will find that there are two kinds of plants： flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed， some have two， three or four， and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）。 Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places， they usually grow into new plants.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
| A．plants are important for life | B．plants cannot grow without air |
| C．there are many plants in the world | D．we can not live without water |
Plants can make food from______.
| A．flower， water and air | B．water， sunlight and air |
| C．air， water and soil | D．air， sun and light |
What can we infer（推断） from the passage ？
| A．Of all living things animals are most important | |
| B．Spores are seeds | C．All fruits of flowering plants have seeds |
| D．Without plants， man will die out |
This passage may be taken from______.
| A．a medicine book | B．a novel |
| C．a science magazine | D．an experiment report |
The underlined word “protected” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.
| A．damaged | B．polluted | C．prevented | D．guarded |
Valencia is in the east part of Spain. It has a port on the sea， two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia. The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city‘s money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city， with ships， railways， clothes and machine factories. Valencia has an old part with white buildings， coloured roofs， and narrow streets. The modern part has long， wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The university in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century. The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela（委内瑞拉） named Valencia.What is the main difference between the two parts of Valencia？
| A．The colour of the building | B．The length of the streets |
| C．The age of the buildings | D．The colour of the roofs |
When was Valencia the most important city in Spain？
| A．2nd century | B．8th century | C．13th century | D．20the century |
What is Valencia famous for？
| A．Its seaport | B．Its university |
| C．Its churches and museums | D．Its parks and gardens |
The main income of the city of Valencia is from its ______.
| A．markets | B．business | C．Factories | D．farming |
How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration (移民) officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.How did the author know about America before she got there?
| A．From her relatives. | B．From her mother. |
| C．From books and pictures. | D．From radio programs. |
Upon leaving for America the author felt _______.
| A．confused | B．excited | C．worried | D．amazed |
For the first two years in New York, the author _________.
| A．often lost her way | B．did not think about her future |
| C．studied in three different schools | D．got on well with her stepfather |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
| A．She worked as a translator. | B．She attended a lot of job interviews. |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family. | D．She helped her family with her English. |
The author believes that ________.
| A．her future will be free from troubles | B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things | D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
| Anne responded on May 20, 2009 Julie, most of us are never going to achieve the heights you did as the CEO of a company. I just want to say that I was so touched by your transparency (坦诚). I haven’t been attacked publicly ever like you, but I’ve suffered from depression—just recently in fact. It helps a lot to hear personal stories, and it helped to read how you might have handled things differently. |
| Nancy responded on May 21, 2009 Something in Julie drew her to artwork during a very dark time in her journey. And later she stated that it’s beauty that keeps her going. Beauty and creativity can be very powerful in our lives. And it doesn’t surprise me that Julie was drawn to these naturally. Anne, maybe the artistic kinds of activities Julie used will support you well as you move beyond the depressive feelings you’re dealing with. |
| Anne responded on June 4, 2009 Nancy, thanks so much for taking the time to offer some great ideas for using creativity to help with depression. Actually during this time I’ve found that my creative work has been the one thing that’s brought me a lot of joy. |
| Julie responded on June 2, 2009 Nancy, thank you for your insights (深刻见解). Warmly, Julie. |
| Chris responded on May 31, 2009 I don’t normally comment on blogs, but this was a very insightful and transparent post (帖子). I could really feel that you were open and honest about everything you wrote about. Thanks for sharing and good luck with everything that you do. |
| Julie responded on June 9, 2009 Thanks, Chris. |
| Wendy responded on May 30, 2009 Julie, everything you shared here is inspiring. Thank you for having the courage to be so open. I love what you’re doing here. Keep it up! |
| Julie responded on May 31, 2009 Thank you, Wendy. |
The above posts center on a blog passage written by ______.
| A．Wendy | B．Julie | C．Anne | D．Nancy |
Nancy and Anne share the opinion that______.
| A．work can bring joy to people | B．creativity may help reduce depression |
| C．beauty is the most important in life | D．different people handle things differently |
Which of the following about Julie is NOT true?
| A．Julie is the CEO of a company. | B．Julie was once attracted to artwork. |
| C．Julie has never been attacked publicly. | D．Julie was honest about her past experiences. |