Chinese tennis player Li Na didn’t win the Australian Open Championship on Saturday, but she still made the history books.
Li, who lost to Kim Clijsters of Belgium in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-3), is the first player from China to make it to a Grand Slam final.
The boss defeated a bit of the feel-good story for China and for Li, who on Thursday defeated No. 1 player Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals in Melbourne. Li is ranked fifth.
In an interview Li said she was proud of her effort. “I think I play great tennis,” she said. “ I mean, she plays better than me. After the match, I make a joke: tennis should only play one set.”
Bai Yan, a member of China’s men’s national team member and Li Na’s friend, said the loss was disappointing, but still a bright starting point.
“To tell you the truth I feel a little bit down, all of us. But you know she is still the best, and she’s still our hero in everybody’s eyes,” said Bai. “This is just the start.”.
Win or lose, Li’s appearance in the Australian Open finals was seen as a major victory for tennis in China, where badminton and table tennis rules.
Fans across China gathered to watch the match. Li’s mother joined fans at a restaurant in her hometown of Wuhan. In Bejing, fans crowded together to watch China’s national tennis match.
“ Tennis is still relatively a new sport in China,” said Michael Chang, the Chinese-American who was the first Asian grand slam champion, in an interview with CNN. “ To be able to see Li Na have as much success as she has… this could be the start of something very special for tennis in China.”
“Li will definitely change the sport of tennis in China and that is a great thing,” Chang said.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Chinese tennis star Li Na’s tennis career.
B. A fierce tennis match at Australian Open.
C. Chinese tennis star made history at Australian Open.
D. Chinese tennis remained to be tested and challenged.
2. Which is true according to the passage?
A. Li Na’s failure let the Chinese down.
B. Li Na ranked fifth at Australian Open.
C. LI Na’s mother attended the match with her.
D. Li Na made a new starting point of China
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined words “tennis should only play one set” (Para 4)?
A. Li Na was not satisfied with the rule of tennis match.
B. Li Na was not satisfied with her own performance.
C. Li Na had a bad opinion of Clijsters.
D. Li Na took pride in her effort.
4.According to what Chang said in the last two paragraphs, we can imply that ________.
A. it’s normal that Li Na failed because tennis is a new sport in China
B. Li Na has the advantage to change tennis sport in China
C. China still falls behind other countries in tennis sport
D. Li Na has great difficulty in defeating others because of weak ability
“Dinning out” and “eating out” are phrases people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or pub（小酒馆）. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than it has ever been. In 2006, for the first time ever, British people spent more eating out than cooking for themselves and eating at home. It seems that many British people are becoming increasingly interested in how good their food tastes, and also how healthy it is.
However, eating out can also be expensive. As British people do not eat out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going on a first date and wanting to impress him/ her , or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant to eat, and people often also eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theater.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette(礼仪) surrounding food and eating. The knife and fork should be used in the correct way! It is also impolite to have your elbows(肘部) on the dinning table when you are eating.
Almost all British cities have a vast range of food as well as traditional British food, and all from the very cheap to the very expensive---French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Greek, Thai, Japan and many, many more. In fact, when asked which was their favorite food, more British people said an Indian curry(咖喱菜肴) than any other dish !
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “take-away”. This means that they order from a take-out restaurant by telephone, and then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many take-out restaurants also deliver it your house. While you can normally find a take-out restaurant for almost any food, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese and then all of you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat !
1.On which of the following occasions are British people likely to eat in a restaurant ?
A. After watching a play. B. Before watching a movie.
C. When they’re too tired to work. D. When they want to have natural food.
2.From the passage we can know that_______.
A. eating out is not expensive in Britain
B. eating at pubs doesn’t have so many rules in Britain
C. British people are not aware of nutrition while eating out
D. the British spent more eating at home more than eating out
3.We can learn from the last two paragraphs that________.
A. French dishes are very expensive
B. take-out restaurants only deliver pizza
C. British people are fond of foreign food
D. people can eat take-out food first and pay later
4.What is the passage mainly about ?
A. Restaurant culture in Britain. B. Table manners.
C. Traditional British food. D. Eating and health.
Ok, I admit it: Emoticons(表情符号) are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.
Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast the use of emotions as “ infantile(幼稚的) just like the people who use them”. He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticons,” he argues.
In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all.,” he said. “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’s an emoticons gene.”
It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.
In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into（输入）something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people.
All of these arguments may be somehow valid（正确的）. Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.
Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this, I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature. It’s just a question of individuality.
1.According to the article, emoticons are popular because_________.
A. most of them look funny
B. they are easy for lazy people to use
C. they add feeling and character to a communication
D. a reader cannot understand a message without them
2. Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with ?
A. Instant Message chatters are childish.
B. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.
C. Men never use emoticons.
D. There is an emoticon gene in everybody.
3.From the text, we can conclude that the author________.
A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons
B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him
C. encourage his friends to use emoticons
D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone
4.What is the main point of the article ?
A. Advice on language used over the Internet.
B. The history of emoticons.
C. Arguments over the use of emoticons.
D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.
It was so cold that I couldn’t feel my legs. There was going to be a racing contest that night so I was 36 my horse, Skippy, up. I was simply running laps(跑道的圈) around the ring. The 37 cold air had been blowing past me, freezing my limbs, but every second I 38 it. You could hear the faint 39 of the people up at the clubhouse eating their dinner. My parents were also there, not knowing that my little sister had slowly wandered her way down to the ring. It was 40 because there was no moon or stars. Nobody else was in the ring at the time. I was really enjoying the 41 and I was able to 42 what Skippy was doing. As I took my last lap it 43 . Everything rapidly slowed down as I saw my little sister step 44 the ring. I saw true fear on her face because she knew she wouldn’t be 45 to move out of the way fast enough. She knew that she was going to get hit. She tried to 46 but nothing came out of her fear-dried throat. When my horse got to her, he was still in a full out run. 47 , miraculously(奇迹般地), he slid so hard on his back feet that he 48 . It really made the 49 seem absolutely unreal. I thought that maybe I was 50 . I had 51 in my mind that I wasn’t seeing what was happening. I knew I had hit my sister. There was no way I could have 52 her. My horse was rising straight up and while he was in the air I couldn’t breathe. It’s like I forgot 53 . As all of this happened I watched my sister’s face transform (变形) through many different 54 : terror, confusion, curiosity, and then a sort of relief. Then she was laughing.
As I held my sister into my arms, Skippy stood right behind me knowing that I actually owed him my life 55 he saved my sister’s.
1.A. picking B. warming C. catching D. setting
2.A. bitterly B. hardly C. gently D. perfectly
3.A. challenged B. witnessed C. enjoyed D. hated
4.A. ceremony B. tradition C. victory D. laughter
5.A. windy B. bright C. dark D. cloudy
6.A. quiet B. quality C. impression D. significance
7.A. rely on B. focus on C. insist on D. put on
8.A. let out B. held onC. participated in D. took place
9.A. close to B. out of C. into D. towards
10.A. able B. frightened C. content D. proud
11.A. evaluate B. worry C. scream D. escape
12.A. Accidentally B. NormallyC. Generally D. Somehow
13.A. sped up B. rose up C. broke down D. wore out
14.A. moment B. contest C. comment D. technique
15.A. advancing B. breathing C. concluding D. dreaming
16.A. that B. none C. neither D. it
17.A. hit B. recognized C. missed D. acknowledged
18.A. how B. what C. when D. why
19.A. actions B. emotions C. attitudes D. thoughts
20.A. if B. because C. as if D. so that
--- Did you go for the Shanghai Expo?
---- I _____ to, but I decided to stay with my sick mother at the last minute.
A. would intend B. have intended C. had intended D. intended
With so much noise of the traffic, I couldn’t ____ and do my research work.
A. put down B. settle down C. break down D. take down
