“Some day, there will be no Americans left in the NBA.” Said 12-year-old Xing Tao, who joined his school’s team two years ago, after watching Yao in a televised NBA game. “The players will all be Chinese, like Yao!”
To China Yao is a home-grown superstar who helped make the world’s first basketball league closer to Chinese players. To the NBA, the 2.23-metre centre offers an opening of a different sort into the world’s largest new market.
Yao’s NBA first appearance against the Indiana Pacers in October reached 287 million households in China. By contrast （对照）, there are only about 105 million households in the US. That game might have been a bit of a let down to Yao’s fans. He played just 11 of the 48 minutes, had two rebounds and got no points.
Compare that with his performance on December 19, and also against Indiana, Yao won 29 points and 10 rebounds. “This was one of the most exciting games I’ve had,” Yao said after Houston’s 95-83 victory.
“Yao Ming has brought the NBA closer to the Chinese,” said NBA spokeswoman Cheong Sau Ching, who is based in Hong Kong. “That makes the dream seem achievable for other people in China.”
The 22-year-old Yao is not the country’s first player in the NBA; Wang Zhizhi broke down that wall as a player with the Dallas Mavericks（小牛队）in April 2001. But Yao’s combination of modesty and his skills make him a favourite back home.
60．What’s the direct reason for Xing Tao to join the school’s basketball team?
A．He watched an NBA game
B．He liked basketball
C．He hoped to play for Houston Rockets
D．He had a dream that he would become a basketball star.
61．What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．Middle school students want to play basketball
B．Yao Ming makes NBA closer to China
C．There’ll be no Americans left in the NBA
D．There are many new stars from China in the NBA
62．What does “letdown” in paragraph six mean?
A．failure B．surprise C．disappointment D．sadness
63．Why does Yao Ming win more popularity than Wang Zhizhi at home?
A．He has performed excellently B．He is modest
C．His height D．A ＆ B
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
Thirty years ago I worked in a company. My job was to sell the cars. I was young and strong and I had been to most parts of the world and I spent one fifth of my time in the trains or planes. I liked such a life and sometimes I called myself “traveler”.
But one day I got into trouble. It was a cold morning. It blew heavily and the ground was covered with thick snow outside. I was still in bed though it was nine. I finished a long journey the day before and decided to have a good rest. Suddenly the telephone rang and my manager told me to fly to New York to take part in an important meeting. I had to get up and after a quick breakfast I hurried to the airport. The taxi went slowly and I missed the first flight. I had to take the next one. It meant I would wait for nearly five hours in the waiting-room. But five hours later a passenger said the information showed there was a bomb in our plane and the policemen were looking for it. And another five hours passed and most passengers lost their patience before we were allowed to get on the plane. At the entrance each passenger and their baggage had to be examined. A young man who seemed a soldier shouted at the policemen at the entrance, “If I had a gun in my baggage, I would shoot you two hours ago!”
56．The writer called himself “traveler” because he________
A．sold cars for his company B．often took trains and cars
C．traveled all over the world D．liked traveling in many places
57．He didn’t get up until the phone rang because he________
A．felt very cold outside B．wanted to have a rest that day
C．was going to have a meeting D．was waiting for the manager’s call
58．The taxi went slowly because________
A．there was much snow on the road
B．it was very cold that morning
C．the driver didn’t know he would fly to New York
D．the manager told him not to hurry
59．The young man became angry because he________.
A．wouldn’t be examined
B．had a gun in his baggage
C．waited for a long time at the airport
D．hated the policemen at the entrance
第二节：完型填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
The earliest men did not have much time for art; they faced many dangers, and hunting for food took 36 almost all their time . But after many thousands of years, 37 perhaps a million years or more, they became very good hunters, and 38 gave them a little free time which they could use for other things. A few of them began to paint on the walls of the caves 39 they lived. Many early artists painted animals 40 they were the most important things in their lives. Animals supplied 41 to keep them living, and skins to keep them 42 .
Like painters today, the 43 artists possibly painted for many 44 , Perhaps they wanted to give their cave a little brightness and color; perhaps they had a few special ideas which they could express most easily in a 45 and perhaps they 46 wanted to spend a little time in a pleasant way. Many of them 47 magic（巫术），and they often drew animals which they caught. They 48 that by drawing these things, they would make them really 49 .
In many parts of the world , people have 50 cave paintings. The earliest paintings 51 we know about are in Europe. Because of the 52 weather, the earliest men in Europe used the caves for 53 ; in many warmer parts of the world, this was not necessary. We know a lot about the 54 of the Eurpopean paintings, and we believe that the earliest 55 were painted about thirty thousand years ago.
36．A．away B．back C．out D．up
37．A．even B．though C．and D．or
38．A．which B．this C．what D．who
39．A．which B．that C．where D．when
40．A．although B．because C．if D．as if
41．A．air B．fur C．food D．water
42．A．comfortable B．warm C．beautiful D．healthy
43．A．super B．early C．clever D．talented
44．A．people B．places C．animals D．reasons
45．A．painting B．word C．smile D．wall
46．A．often B．quite C．just D．even
47．A．believed in B．took advantage of C．tried out D．begged for
48．A．knew B．hoped C．understood D．realized
49．A．disappear B．appear C．miss D．find
50．A．searched B．looked for C．discovered D．known
51．A．which B．that C．when D．as
52．A．sunny B．warm C．cool D．cold
53．A．home B．house C．shelter D．building
54．A．names B．dates C．places D．shows
55．A．that B．one C．it D．ones
—The village________we visited yesterday is very beautiful.
—Yes, it’s the place________I grew up.
|
A．where; where |
B．which; which |
C．which; where |
D．where; which |
The office is too small for ten teachers________
|
A．to work |
B．working in |
C．to work on |
D．to work in |
He had no choice but________till his mother came back.
|
A．waited |
B．waiting |
C．to wait |
D．wait |
