阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　In the past 10 years, America's National Basketball Association(NBA)has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players．

　　When Micheal 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 Stern happily embraces the trend．On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Euroe hosting NBA games by 2010．

　　The NBA is now planning to take China by sorm．

　　“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth, ” said Stern．The strategy in China is TV．“ We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satelite．” The success 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 Octber 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing market to compensate for tough times on home soil．

　　“It doesn't matter where the players come form, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout(寻找)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 Aregentine 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 Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming-No．1 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(根本的)revolution-the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

The Beatles’ music lives on

　　The news that albums by the pop and rock band The Beatles(披头士乐队)are soon to be re-released worldwide is sure to delight their fans．The teenagers, now adults, who listened to them back in the 1960s likely already own most of their albums．

　　The re-relese of The Beatles’ music catalogue(目录)is clearly aimed at today's teenagers who want to discover for themselves the pop band their parents adored．It's proof of the genius(天才)of the fantastic four's music that today's teenage generation want to listen to them．

　　A four-member band from Liverpool, England, that formed in 1960 and broke up in 1970, the Beatles were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed(称赞)bands in the history of popular music．The two most famous band members were Paul McCartney and John Lennon．

　　The band's innovative(创新的)music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today．When the US music magazine Rolling Stone made a list in 2004 of the 100 greatest artists of all time, it surprised no one that they gave The Beatles the top spot of number one．

　　So why nearly 40 years after the hand's split are they still so popular? Accoding to Barry Miles, Paul McCarthey's biographer(传记作者), the answer is that they were the first of their kind．“They were essentially(本质上地)the first rock band．The Beatles were the first of the British singer-songwriting bands and they just hapened to be the best．They were the first band to play in stadiums, to have their own products, they were ground-breaing in every way, ”he said．

　　They were also unbelievably talented, as Miles also pointed out, “ They had great performing and songwriting talent, not only John and Paul, but George wrote some fantastic songs and the likelihood of having three gifted songwriters in the same band is very remote．”

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Bloodsucking bed bugs(臭虫)have made a comeback in recent years．But as victims of affection have become increasingly desperate to rid their homes of the disturbing pests, many have only done themselves more harm．

　　Bed bugs do not transmit disease or cause illness-but the insecticides used to make them do．A total of 111 illnesses associated with bed bug-related insecticides were reported in seven states between 2003 and 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)said on Thursday．Most cases of poisoning were not severe, but the data included one death．

　　That case involved a 65-year-old woman in North Carolina who died in 2011．After she complained to her husband about bed bugs, the CDC report said, he sprayed the inside of their home, including the baseboard, walls, and the area around the bed, with the insecticide Ortho Home Defense Max．He then applied a different product, Ortho Lawn and Garden Insect Killer, to their bedding．Neither insecticide is registered for use against bed bugs, the CDC said．That day, the couple also emptied nine cans of Hot Shot Fogger in their home．Two days later, they reapplied the insecticides and released nine more cans of Hot Shot Bedbug and Insect Killer．The woman then applied the insecticide Hot Shot Bedbug and Insect Killer directly to her arms and chest, and wet her hair with it before covering her head with a plastic cap．

　　Two days later, her husband found her．She was taken to the hospital where she remained on a ventilator(呼吸器)for nine days until she died．The woman had had a history of health problems, including kidney(肾)failure, heart disease, high blood pressure and, and depression, the CDC report said．She had been taking at least 10 kinds of medicine at the time of her death．

　　Aside from the one reported death, most other cases of poisoning were mild．Commonly reported symptoms of exposure included headache and dizziness, breathing difficulties．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　When a first-time father saw his newborn son, he immediately noticed the baby's ears obviously standing out from his head．He expressed his concern to the nurse that some children might tease his child．A doctor examined the baby and reassured the new dad that his son was healthy-the ears presented only a minor problem with its appearance．

　　But the nervous father persisted．He wondered if the child might suffer psychological effects of ridicule, or if they should consider plastic surgery(整形手术)．The nurse assured him that it was really no problem, and he should just wait to see if the boy grows into his ears．

　　The father finally felt more optimistic about his child, but now he worried about his wife's reaction to those large ears．She had been delivered by operation, and had not yet seen the child．

　　“She doesn't take things as easily as I do, ” he said to the nurse．

　　By this time, the new mother was settled in the recovery room and ready to meet her new baby．The nurse went along with the dad to lend some support in case this inexperienced mother became upset about her baby's large ears．

　　The baby was in a receiving blanket with his head covered for the short trip through the cold air-conditioned corridor．The baby was placed in his mother's arms, who eased the blanket back so that she could look at her child for the first time．

　　She took one look at her baby's face and looked to her husband and gasped, “Oh, Honey! Look! He has your ears! ”

　　No problem with Mom．She married those ears．．．and she loves the man to whom they are attached．

　　The poet Kahlil Gibran said, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart．” It's hard to see the ears when you're looking into the light．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　After three years on horseback, Tim Cope has followed the route of Genghis Khan(成吉思汗)and other Asian nomads(游牧民族)who crossed into Europe over the centuries．

　　The 28-year-old Australian arrived in Hungary on Saturday, Sept．22, ending a 6200-mile travel through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Southern Russia and Ukraine．Surrounded by his traveling companions-his dog and three horses, Cope said, “I'm very happy to be here．Sometimes I didn't think I would ever arrive．”

　　Cope was inspired to make the horseback journey during a bicycle trip from Moscow to Beijing．Trying to push his bike through the sands of the Gobi Desert, Cope watched in frustration as nomad horsemen appeared out of nowhere and disappeared over the horizon．

　　That got him interested in nomad life and the journey by ancient Asian groups．He set off from Mongolia in 2004 for a trip he thought would take 18 months．It ended up taking three years, and in late 2006, he had to return to Australia for several months when his father died in a car crash．

　　Cope quickly learned to trust the wisdom of locals．“In Mongolia, the nomads always told me that wolves were the most dangerous things and I didn't believe them at first．” he said．Then one night he found himself surrounded by wolves．“When you hear that cry alone at night in the forest, it's one of the most frightening sounds you'll ever hear, ” Cope said．“After that I took their advice and threw firecrackers out my tent door every night to keep the wolves away．”

　　Cope says he probably spent about half of his nights in his tent and the rest in farm houses and huts of strangers along the way．“In Kazakhstan, they believe that if you invite a guest, luck will fly into your house．”

　　Cope wants to write a book and shoot a film about his voyage, and is already imagining future adventures in northwest China and the Middle East．

　　“It's my way of life．It was not just a trip, ” Cope said．“I'll be back in the saddle(马鞍) as soon as I can．”

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Whether we’re 2 years old or 62, our reasons for lying are mostly the same：to get out of trouble, for personal gain and to make ourselves look better in the eyes of others．But a growing body of research is raising questions about how a child's lie is different from an adult's lie, and how the way we deceive changes as we grow．

　　“Parents and teachers who catch their children lying should not be alarmed．Their children are not going to turn out to be abnormal liars, ” says Dr．Lee, a professor at the University of Toronto and director of the Institute of Child Study．He has spent the last 15 years studying how lying changes as kids get older, why some people lie more than others as well as which factors can reduce lying．The fact that children tell lies is a sign that they have reached a new developmental stage．Dr．Lee conducted a series of studies in which they bring children into a lab with hidden cameras．Children and young adults aged 2 to 17 are likely to lie while being told not to look at a toy, which is put behind the child's back．Whether or not the child takes a secret look is caught on tape．

　　For young kids, the desire to cheat is big and 90％ take a secret look in these experiments．When the test-giver returns to the room, the child is asked if he or she looked secretly．At age 2, about a quarter of children will lie and say they didn't．By 3, half of kids will lie, and by 4, that figure is 90％, studies show．

　　Researchers have found that it's kids with better understanding abilities who lie more．That's because to lie you also have to keep the truth in mind, which includes many brain processes, such as combining several sources of information and faking that information．The ability to lie-and lie successfully-is thought to be related to development of brain regions that allow so called “executive functioning”, or higher order thinking and reasoning abilities．Kids who perform better on tests that involve executive functioning also lie more．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　One thing that every dog needs to know how to do is sit．Teaching a dog to sit is probably the easiest trick in the book．Dogs learn to sit by praise．You must first introduce them to what sitting is．

　　Gently place your hand over the top part of their bottoms and gently push down．Once you have got them into the sitting position, say “sit”．Now, make sure that they have sat down and give them a treat for praise．Wait a while before doing it again because each time you do it, you will be rewarding them for it．

　　Using treats while training your dog to sit will help him or her learn a lot more easily．He or she might think, “Okay I get it, so when I sit, I get a treat! ” So in the beginning, give your dog a treat every time they sit．At first, when you are training your dog to sit, they will feel puzzled．This is very normal because sitting is new to them．Dogs favor routine(常规), and once sitting becomes a part of their daily routine, it will be something that they truly enjoy doing for their owners when asked．

　　Young dogs are often the easiest to train to sit．Sitting is a simple and easy command that can be taught to any dog．Older dogs may learn a bit more slowly, but this is simply because they have got into much more of a routine．Do not think that your older dog cannot learn how to sit．It just takes time．

　　If you are having a seemingly difficult time teaching your dog to sit, you may need to go to your nearest library and rent a book on your particular dog family．Different dogs have different tempers(脾气)．What is normal of one dog may not be so true for others．There are many things that will decide whether your dog has an easy time learning how to sit, but most of it will be up to you．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　One of the most commonly-held beliefs about health and nutrition in the UK has been found to be not true, according to a new scientific study．For many years British people have had ‘five-a-day’－that is at least five items of fruit or vegetables every day in order to improve their health and make themselves stay away from illness, especially, cancer．The recommendation was first put forward in 1990 by the World Health Organization which said that the ‘five-a-day’ diet could prevent cancer and other diseases．Enjoy! But do not expect too much．

　　Since then many health campaigns have taken the advice．Then, a study of 500, 000 Europeans from 10 different countries showed that up to 50％ of cancers could be prevented by eating fruit and vegetables．

　　However, the new study, which is led by researchers from a famous New York medical school, says that only 2.5％ of cancers could be prevented by eating more fruit and vegetables．

　　It seems that the key to avoiding cancers is to have a balanced healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking or drinking a lot of wine, taking exercise and taking less fat．

　　But medical charities have spoken out to remind people that diet is important in staying healthy．Cancer Research UK said, “ It's still a good idea to eat your ‘five-a-day’ but remember that fruit and vegetables are pieces in a much larger lifestyle jigsaw(拼图)．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Want to travel to some wonderful places? Here are just a few recommendations to eco destinations：

　　Africa Madagascar

　　Home to a huge group of animals found nowhere else on the planet, Madagascar is a must-go destination for anyone impressed with, or even slightly interested in, the natural world．Some of the unique flora(植物群)and fauna(动物群)can be found on this wonderful island．

　　America St John(US Virgin Islands)

　　Though it's the smallest of the US Virgin Islands, St John has a surprisingly varied scenery．Virgin Islands National Park makes up two-thirds of its land, where visitors can hike in deep valleys, over mountains and across dry coastal areas．

　　Europe Iceland

　　As one might expect from a country whose name is “ice”, Iceland's scenery is rough．Take a hike past lava fields, glaciers and waterfalls and feel amazed at the wildlife and natural wonders．Visit between fall and spring to catch a sight of the Northern Lights．

　　Asia Laos

　　Visit Laos for a look at southeast Asia before the tourism industry exploded．Laos is slow paced so visitors can view the varieties of historic sights and explore the jungle and mountain scenery away from the madding crowds．Bird-watching is excellent here．

　　Oceania Australia

　　Visit here and you'll find the Great Barrier Reef, which is one of the seven wonders of the natural world．It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space．Discover more about Australia's greatest natural wonder．Here you can also see great coral．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Decorated eggs are a traditional part of the Easter season．In Mexico, cascarones are similar to the Easter eggs, which are popular in many countries．“Cascarone” simply means “eggshell” in Spanish．But in Mexico, cascarones are eggshells filled with confetti, that is, very small colored paper．

　　It is not known where exactly cascarones came from, but many people believed they were first brought from Asia to Italy by the explorer Marco Polo．These eggs were given as gifts and were often filled with perfumed powder．The custom traveled from Italy to Spain and was finally brought to Mexico in the mid-1800s by the wife of Emperor Maximilian．

　　To make a cascarone, ask an adult to use a knife to carefully make a small hole in the top of a fresh egg．Let the insides pour into a bowl．When the egg is empty, wash the shell carefully and let it dry．Keep the shells in a safe place until you are ready to decorate them．

　　Before your celebration, dye(染色)the shells and carefully decorate them with paint．When the design is dry, use a small spoon to fill the egg with small pieces of colored paper．Paper is then glued over the hole to keep the confetti inside．

　　Hide your cascarones outside the house on Easter Day．When a child finds a cascarone, he or she runs up to a friend or a family member and breaks it over his or her head．According to tradition, a confetti shower brings good luck to both the one who breaks the shell and the one above whose head it is broken．

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