Perhaps there is no sport in the world more connected to sneakers than basketball. Many NBA players wear them to send important messages and showcase their personalities on court.
And now, thanks to a new policy, the NBA will strengthen its status as the most stylish sports league in the world. When the 2018-2019 NBA season kicked off in October, the NBA lifted its color restrictions on players’ sneakers. It is the first time in the league’s 72-year history that it has allowed shoes to be of any color a player likes, as long as no reflective (反光的) material is included.
In the past, the NBA required “uniformity (一致性) of uniform”, meaning each players’ shoes had to match those worn by the rest of the team. Their sneakers had to be at least 51 percent black or white, with an element of team color.
This landmark rule change is part of the NBA’s collective effort to support players “statements” on and off the court. “ More and more people realize that limitation of the color of players’ shoes actually constrains (限制) their personal expression and storytelling,” CNN News noted.
Sometimes a shoe was worn in a memorable game, or the design of a shoe has meaning for the player.
Before Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, nicknamed “the Black Mamba”, retired, it was said that he wore a new pair of sneakers to each game and stored his used sneakers.
Bryant brought the low-top style of sneaker with a Mamba print to the forefront in 2008 to symbolize the spirit of perseverance and bravery. In 2013, Bryant added nine red stitches (缝针) to the back of his shoe to represent the nine stitches from his Achilles tendon surgery. “It has become an attitude. That is my Mamba personality,” Bryant told Sports Illustrated magazine.
Kyrie Irving of the Boston, Celtics wears probably the most famous signature sneakers. Inspired by his mother, who died when he was four, he has a rose on one side of his shoe to represent her. All of his sneakers are also inscribed (刻) with the words, “JBY (Just Be You)”. “Just Be You is the motto I live by every single day, because I’m happy to be an individual. It’s a beautiful thing,” Irving told UK media site GiveMeSport.
There is no end to the stories about sneakers in basketball. It’s certain that they will remain a platform for players who want to use them to express their ideas and personalities.
1.According to the new policy, the NBA players ________.
A.may choose sneakers they like without restriction
B.should wear sneakers in their own team color
C.have to choose sneakers either in black or in white
D.have more freedom in choosing personal sneakers
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.Uniformity guarantees better results.
B.The new rule leads to controversy.
C.The NBA cares little about players’ statements.
D.Players’ personal expression also counts.
3.Which of the following is used to express family value?
A.A rose. B.JBY.
C.A Mamba print. D.Nine red stitches.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.The NBA lifts color restrictions.
B.Our shoes have stories.
C.Bryant has a unique dress style.
D.The NBA players are particular about the colors of their sneakers.
Places to avoid travelling
India
The main distinction in wealth and class may explain some of the risk of crimes in this country. But according to John Gobbels, vice president and chief operating officer for Medjet (an international emergency service), it’s medical safety that actually makes India so dangerous. He explains that the U. S. State Department gives the country Level 2 travel advisory status. (Level 1 means you should exercise normal precautions(预防措施);Level 4 is “ do not go ” .)
Hawaii
Considering this destination is a very hot spot for honeymooners, it might be surprising to see the Big Island of Hawaii as a dangerous place to visit. The eruption of a volcano has put Kilauea in a state of emergency, with poisonous gas, lava flows, and earthquakes all a risk. You’ll likely see special airline deals cancelled, so think twice before making this flight.
Acapulco
This beach resort town on Mexico’s Pacific coast isn’t exactly the white-sand party destination it once was. With a Level 4 travel advisory, Gobbels explains, it’s in the same category as places like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. It’s regarded as the murder capital of the country.
Cairo, Egypt
According to a recent report from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Cairo is considered the most insecure city for women in the world. Even though the political tensions are easing in this area, according to Gobbels, sexual violence and cultural expectations make it extremely problematic, for both locals and visitors.
1.According to John Gobbels, what should visitors pay special attention to in India?
A.Personal belongings. B.Travel insurance.
C.Cultural difference. D.Medical safety.
2.Which place mentioned above is especially dangerous for a woman tourist?
A.India. B.Cairo.
C.Acapulco. D.Hawaii.
3.What can be inferred from the text?
A.Syria isn’t a risky destination where you’ll have a wonderful vacation.
B.The political unrest in Cairo is responsible for its insecurity at present.
C.A Level 3 travel advisory indicates you can go with normal precautions.
D.The flights to Hawaii may be changeable due to the eruption of the volcano.
阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
Excited screams of joy,the sounds of two happy little girls playing in the sand,rang across the beach. But I walked along,barely aware of it. I'd come to this remote beach on my sailboat,a place to escape. My wife and I had recently separated,our marriage in trouble. I worried about my two boys,just six and eight. It seemed like forever since I'd heard them laugh. But I didn't know what to do to make things better.
“Help!Help!”The girls shouted. I'd meant to tell them to stay away from the dangerous water. Now one of them was in the ocean,beyond the surf line. I could just hear her screams over the waves. Any second now she'd be swept away. I ran across the sand as fast as I could. The other girl was at the edge of the surf line,yelling.
“Wait!Stop!Don't go any farther!”I charged into the waves and was reaching for her when a wall of water dashed over us. For half a second I saw her disappear under another big wave. I'm a strong swimmer, but I could feel the wave pulling me hard. I swam to her and seized her, her little body shaking, trembling. But where is the other girl? I saw a waving arm. A head broke the surface, not far away. The arms of the girl I'd rescued were wrapped desperately around my neck. She was breathing with sobs. “Let go of my neck. I need you on my back. Hold my shoulders so I can swim to your friend. ”
She loosed her hands and I shifted her to my back. “She's my sister, Sarah, and I am Lillian,” she said. For a moment I thought of my boys. How much they loved each other. How much I loved them.
I looked across the water and saw a small head after a big wave. I quickened my swimming,fighting for each breath. Tiny arms pressed against my shoulder. I reached out and held the second little girl. She was in total tiredness,taking deep breaths,crying quietly.
注意:1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3.续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4.续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
I swam hard with the two girls and looked toward shore,but I couldn’t see anyone.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
“Mommy!” The loud cry wakened my consciousness,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I don't remember how many examinations I've taken since I began my schooling. 1.I dare say that,in fact,almost no student likes examinations.
We often hear people say “Examinations are teachers' magic weapon(武器)”,so most of us may think it is our teachers who give us students so many examinations. 2. Since almost all of them had once been students before they became teachers. As I mentioned just now,we don't like examinations,and neither do our teachers, which may be clear. What's more, the more examinations we take, the more time will be taken from our teachers and the more trouble our teachers have to take. 3.
4. I think it is the system in our country that gives us students so many examinations. If there were no entrance examinations. and all the students could go up to the higher grades without competition, there would not be so many examinations in primary and middle schools.
5. Only in this way can examinations be greatly reduced, and then all the students will be happier.
A. And I can't agree more.
B. Then what's the reason for the large number of examinations?
C. To tell the truth. I don't like examinations at all.
D. So it is important and necessary to reform the test system.
E. But I don't think so.
F. So we can easily get the conclusion(结论)that teachers are not the ones who are to blame(责备).
G. There are too many examinations which make us feel exhausted every day.
单词拼写
1.He stood as a _________(候选人)in the local elections.
2.The ________(航海)took them three days to America.
3.How many satellites have been put into ________(轨道)around the earth?
4.For products,_________(质量)is more important than quantity.
5.Doctors have high ________(地位)in most countries.
6.They play music to satisfy their inner ________(愿望).
7.There's no doubt that the new method is ________(更好的)to the old one in many aspects.
8.We should be ________(乐观的)about our future no matter what happens.
假设你是学生会主席李华,你校许多外国留学生想在业余时间学习汉语,因此学生会打算在周六下午五点组织汉语学习角(Chinese Comer)活动。现招收志愿者,请你写一则通知,内容包括:
1. 英语流利,了解中国传统文化;
2. 善于沟通,乐于助人;
3. 组织、协调能力强。
4. 有意向的同学可以拨打电话123456789或登录学生会网站www. studentunion.cn报名,报名截止日期为本周三下午两点。
要求:
1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
参考词汇:协调coordination
Notice
With more and more foreign students getting interested in learning Chinese in their spare time, ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Students’ Union