In 1949,two leagues came together to form the NBA. In 1996the NBA created the WNBA, the Women's National Basketball Association. And in 2001 the NBA created a development league to help train future players. Today about one NBA player in five was born outside the US. The NBA currently has thirty teams, which is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the US. The others are the National Football league, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.
In 1992,the US Olympic men's basketball team was called the " Dream Team " . For the first time there were players from the NBA. The Americans brought home the gold medal that year from Barcelona.
It was during the 1990s that a growing number of top NBA players began to come from outside the US. In 2002,Yao Ming was the first choice in the NBA draft, who was picked by the Houston Rockets. He also became the third Chinese national ever to play in the NBA. The first was Wang Zhi-zhi, who joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2001.
The NBA may be the world's most famous basketball league. But the 28th Summer Olympics in Athens provided an example of how the game is improving internationally.
Argentina defeated the US men's basketball team in the semifinals, then claimed the gold medal over Italy. It was the first medal ever for Argentina in Olympic basketball. It was also the first loss for the American team since 1988 in Seoul. In fact, between 1936and 2000,there was only one other time when the US did not win. That was at the 1972 Munich Games. Both times the Soviet Union took home the gold. From Paragraph 1,we can conclude that _________.
A.the WNBA is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the US |
B.about 80% of the NBA players come from the US |
C.the development league to help train future players doesn't belong to NBA |
D.the National Volleyball League belongs to the four major professional sports leagues in the US |
The US didn't win the gold medal in Olympic basketball EX-CEPT _________.
A.1972 | B.1988 |
C.1992 | D.2004 |
_________ won the men's basketball silver medal in the 28th Olympic Games.
A.The US | B.Argentina |
C.Italy | D.The Soviet Union |
The NBA players began to attend Olympic Games formally in _________.
A.1936 | B.1988 |
C.1992 | D.1996 |
Since the gene , called DAF-16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging ,immunity and resistance in humans the scientists said.
“We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits such as immunity,”said Robin May , who led the study.
Populations across the world are aging at a surprising pace , bring potentially big challenges for health and social care systems . A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in rich world today will live to celebrate their 100th birthday . Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try to develop drugs to help them stay healthier lives extend.
“What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend go hand in hang “ May said in an interview
May’s team compared longevity ,stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They also looked for differences in the activity of DAV-16 in each of the four species and found that they were all quite distinct.
May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes called FOXO genes , which scientists believe play a role in the aging process.“The fact that subtle differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on aging and health is very interesting and many explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen during evolution,”May saidIn which section may the text appear in a newspaper?
A Education B Science C Entertainment D Culture According to May ,
A resistance has a lot of to do with aging B FOXO genes can be found in worms
C genes play the same role in difference species D new drugs will change the genes in older peopleFrom the text we know that DAF-16
A is a gene that is only found in worms B can make people live longer
C has an effect on aging and immunity D has been quite familiar to scientists
How to make friends with people from a different culture? The rules are as follows:
Appreciate the person
Most Americans like to be recognized as individuals as someone special with unique, personalities. Therefore never say,“you are from America so I want to be your friend.” Also don’t imply that the reason why you approached them is that you wanted someone to practice your English with . That turns people off. Instead try saying,”“you seem like a real nice and interesting person and I would like to get to know you better .’ This way , they are much more inclined to be friendly because you see them as a three dimensional person and appreciate them for who they are in the inside . And by doing so , you not only learn about Americans and practice your English , but also gain a real friend in the process
Quit Calling Us Foreigners.
Please avoid calling a foreigner especially in his face . The word makes people feel like an outsider , and even unwelcome , suggesting separation and insurmountable difference , widening an already existing gap in the situation. When Americans travel , they rarely say,“I’m foreign to your place .” They tend to say ,”I’m new in town . I’m new here.” The reason is because new and unfamiliar things can bec
ome old and familiar. But can foreign things become native? You catch my drift.
Just Do It .
Some students like to be told about American culture but are less interested in spending the time and effort to actually experience it .As Americans always say ,“get your hands dirty.” You should have first hands on experience, or you will never really know anything.
Find that Common Language.
Now I just must stress the importance of finding a common language. By that I don’t mean English, Chinese , German ,French,etc. I mean finding something you have in common with another person on a spiritual and philosophical level: likes , dislikes, worldviews, ways of thinking and attitudes toward life. And to start , you must first enhance your knowledge of the particular culture from which your potential The underlined sentence“get your hands dirty” means .
A get involved B talk about American culture C star with dirty work D Don’t wash your hands too often
Americans prefer to make friends with those who .
A avoid talking about their homeland B recognize their personalities
C obey rules of communicating with friends D needn’t practice English while playing togetherAccording to the passage , which of the following is friendly?
A I am longing to make friends with an American.
B This is my friend Tom , who is a foreigner.
C There must be a gap between us in many things.
D You ‘ve got a great personality In the last paragraph , the author suggests we should
A Learn at least one foreign language well
Bfind common interests or opinions with our potential new friend
C make sure we can understand each other
D ask where our potential new friends come from
In their book Time to Eat the Dog : The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, Robort and Breanda Vale say keeping a medium-sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km a year in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser.
“We ‘re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog .We are just saying that we need to think about and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted.”
Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41hectares of land ,while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares or 1.1hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd.
Convincing flesh-eating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the sake of the planet is a non-starter,
The Vales say .Instead they recommend keeping greener, smaller, and more sustainable pets ,such as goldfish, chickens or rabbits.
The book ‘s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully recycled, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die ,may not appeal to animal fans .
Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert vale said.
“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog . It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,” he said
It about much more challenging and difficult issues, he added . Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things , you might decide to have the cat but not also to have two cars and three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself.. The authors gave their book the playful title to.
A make it amusing B create a vivid image
C show writing skills D arouse people’s concern . In Paragraph 3 the writer mainly wants to tell us .
A the amount of consumed land B the neglected ecological impact
C some familiar examples D some actual figures. What does “sustainability” mean according to the passage?
A Going vegetarian B Raising cats and dogs
C Using a cloth bag D Keeping a greener life. Who may not the idea of “recycling” pet animal?
A Manufactures B Drivers C Animal fans D The authorities. Wha
t do the authors thing of living a sustainable life?
A Challenging B Inspiring C Inviting D Touching
During my many contacts with people in China, I have been asked by two different people what I would recommend to them so that they could be happy. One of these people was my student and friend who began her question by saying I always appeared happy to her. She then asked how I could be this way and if I could teach her how to be happy all the time. The other inquiry was basically the same and came from the secretary of a company for which I was doing some work.
The first one to ask was my student and in thinking about an answer I even explored in class the idea of optimism and pessimism, of people who feel the glass is always half full and those who think it is half empty. It was easy to show that different people react differently to the same situations and conditions but that didn’t bring me much closer to understanding why.
About two months later I was riding to the airport in a taxi with the company secretary who asked me the same question and it made me think. Why did both these ladies feel they needed help to become happy? Indeed, why did either of them think they were not happy? Why did they choose to ask this question of me? Why are some people generally happy while others are not?
Certainly if someone is healthy, it might be expected that they are happy, and this is probably true. However, some people have money and health but have a miserable disposition that makes it difficult for them to have friends and meaningful relationships. Similarly, one would expect those who have little to complain about their fate and many do, but others are able to enjoy what they have and enjoy life. It seems the difference must lie within the people. What we may be looking at is acceptance of a personal set of circ
umstances and the contentment which flows from that. It should not mean, however, that those people cannot wish for something better.
If the difference between people who are happy and those who are not lies within the people themselves, can happiness be learned? I think there are things we can do, such as dreaming of the future, which can give us the sort of positive outlook which will generally make us happy people. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A.The author was once asked how to be healthy and wealthy by two people. |
B.The author came to realize why people responded differently to happiness. |
C.Those who think the glass is always half empty are optimistic. |
D.Those who feel the glass is always half full are pessimistic. |
. The underlined word “disposition” in the fourth paragraph means .
A.character | B.habit | C.reputation | D.fate |
The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to .
A.the idea of pessimism | B.the attitude towards happiness |
C.the satisfaction within | D.the appearance of happiness |
. What will the author most probably talk about after the last paragraph?
A.Learning how to be happy. | B.Accepting the present situation. |
C.Developing meaningful relationships. | D.Going after the dream. |
This year Canada’s navy is one hundred years old. To mark the occasion, military ships from six different countries around the Pacific Ocean came to Canada for a four-day celebration. There were parades, parties and demonstrations of navy search and rescue aircraft and a show put on by the Snowbirds.
The Snowbirds, Canada’s aerobatic team, fly Tudor jet aircraft that are not particularly fast or particularly new but with amazing and sometimes hair-raising precision. They put a formation of nine aircraft into a space that would normally hold only one and they change the information in flight, roll it, loop it, break it and reform it in a dizzying ballet in the sky. The Snowbirds are one of the best aerobatic flying teams in the world and they are a readily recognized symbol of Canada just as the Great Wall is a recognized symbol of China. For a Canadian, watching the Snowbirds fly can bring tears. They make us very proud.
The Snowbirds have been flying since 1971. All of the pilots are serving members of the Canadian Air Force. They are all very young, all are highly-skilled and each is attached to the Snowbirds for two or three years. Each winter they practice in the cold, clear skies and each summer they put on more than fifty air-shows across the country and sometimes abroad. What they do is highly specialized. They often fly less than two meters from each other at speeds of about seven hundred and fifty kilometers an hour.
Flying is, by its nature, inherently risky and what the Snowbirds do increases that risk. While the pilots are all highly trained professionals, eight Snowbird pilots have been killed over the years. I have been fortunate enough to watch the Snowbirds fly probably fifteen or twenty times and if I know they are going to be flying I will go to see them again and again. This is not because I want to see someone do something dangerous, it is because I want to see something done so well—it is almost unbelievably precise and beautiful. I want to watch nine aircraft in an incredibly tight formation, each one painted in the red and white of my country’s flag, soaring through the cloudless blue sky. I want to feel that pride and that tear just behind my eyelids that comes from watching something uniquely and wonderfully Canadian..
Which of the following is TRUE about the Snowbirds?
A.The aircraft they fly are particularly fast and new. |
B.They are the best aerobatic flying team in the world. |
C.They are regarded as a symbol of Canada. |
D.Every year they put on more than fifty air-shows across the country. |
.
. The underlined word “inherently” in the last paragraph refers to .
A.naturally | B.truly | C.entirely | D.nearly |
.
Why does the author like to watch the Snowbirds fly?
A.Because he w![]() |
B.Because the flying is unbelievably precise and beautiful. |
C.Because his country’s flag is painted on each one. |
D.Because watching them fly can make people cry. |
.
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A.Air-shows of the Snowbirds |
B.A Four-day Celebration of Canada |
C.The Training of Highly-skilled Pilots |
D.A National Symbol -- the Snowbirds |