On a recent day, “Linsanity” is popular all over the world. It’s the combination of “Lin” & “insanity”, referring to the person who made surprising success.
“Lin” refers to Jeremy Lin, an American professional basketball player, with the Chinese name Shu How Lin. He is the first American player with Chinese descent（血统）.
Jeremy Lin was born on August 23, 1988. At the age of 5, He started playing basketball at the kindergarten. He went to Harvard University after playing at Palo Alto High School in California. He graduated in 2010 and joined the Golden State Warriors, an NBA team in California. In late 2011, Lin moved to another team - the New York Knicks at the very end of the year. The Knicks added him to their starting lineup（阵容）that month. He began averaging more than 20 points a game and leading the team to a series of wins.
Here is his career statistics（统计表）.
NBA Regular Season Accurate as of February 20, 2012

In England, afternoon tea, taken between four and five, is the most informal(非正式的) meal of the day. If you are a friend of the family, you may drop in for tea without an invitation（邀请） or telling that you are coming. Very often it is not served at a table. The members of the family and visitors take tea in the sitting room. Each person has a cup and saucer(托盘)，a spoon and a small plate for bread-and-butter and cake. By the way, do not help yourself to cake first; bread-and-butter first, then cake if there is any. Another piece of advice: Do not put more than one piece of bread or cake on your plate at the same time.
6.Afternoon tea is usually taken with __________.
A. in the morning                  B. between four and five   
C. in the early afternoon              D. in the evening
7.If you want to have afternoon tea in a friend’s home, ___________.
A. it is necessary for you to send a message
B. you should wait for his invitation
C. it is impolite for you to go there without taking anything with you
D. it is not necessary for you to call him or send a message.
8.In the passage, “drop in” means “_________”。
A. pay an informal visit       B. fall down   
C. drink at a friend’s home       D. break
9.It’s impolite for you to _________.
A. help yourself to cake first      
B. share a cup with your friend
C. put more than one piece of bread or cake on your plate once
D. all of the above
10.Which of the following is not true?
A. Afternoon tea is often taken in the sitting room.
B. The members of the family often share a cup and saucer, a spoon, etc.
C. Afternoon tea is usually taken between lunch and supper.
D. Help yourself to bread-and-butter before cake if there is any.

On a recent day, “Linsanity” is popular all over the world. It’s the combination of “Lin” & “insanity”, referring to the person who made surprising success.

“Lin” refers to Jeremy Lin, an American professional basketball player, with the Chinese name Shu How Lin. He is the first American player with Chinese descent（血统）.

Jeremy Lin was born on August 23, 1988. At the age of 5, He started playing basketball at the kindergarten. He went to Harvard University after playing at Palo Alto High School in California. He graduated in 2010 and joined the Golden State Warriors, an NBA team in California. In late 2011, Lin moved to another team - the New York Knicks at the very end of the year. The Knicks added him to their starting lineup（阵容）that month. He began averaging more than 20 points a game and leading the team to a series of wins.

Here is his career statistics（统计表）.

NBA Regular Season Accurate as of February 20, 2012

GP: Games played        GS: Games started               MPG: Minutes per game

FG%: Field-goal         3P%: 3-point field-goal         FT%: Free-throw

RPG: Rebounds per game  APG: Assists per game           SPG: Steals per game

BPG: Blocks per game    PPG: Points per game

1.“Linsanity” is an expression referring to the person who ______.

    A. made surprising success

B. played basketball young

C. was very popular

2.Jeremy Lin is the first American player with _______ descent.

    A. French                       B. Chinese                  C. English

3.According to the passage, Jeremy Lin started playing basketball at ________.

    A. kindergarten             B. high school                  C. university

4.Jeremy Lin is playing for ________ team in NBA now.

    A. the Golden State Warriors

B. the Los Angeles Lakers

C. the New York Knicks

5.Jeremy Lin got 14.6 _________ in Regular Season 2011-2012.

    A. PPG                      B. SPG                      C. MPG

You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.

As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. Just read for pleasure to begin with, or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.

Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).

As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.

Choose the best answer（根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案)
Newcastle is beginning to draw tourists from all corners of Europe. It’s one of the fastest developing cities in the United Kingdom. It is said most visitors come here to see the famous soccer team play. The mood of the locals is often changed by the success or failures of the local team.
Newcastle’s most popular place is the Gate. It’s in the center of the city and has many attractions including bars, restaurants, sports bars, pubs and so on. During a home game it becomes a real home to happiness.
Culture and local history lovers can make their dreams come true by taking one of the local city tour buses. They come and leave every few minutes and stop at all the important historical sites in the city. Also the seats and the environment on the buses are comfortable. It’s the best way to see the city without tiring yourself out or getting cold. Places such as the Hancock Museum and Millennium Bridge are must-see attractions. But be careful if you’re short of time, Newcastle is a big place. So you should be prepared to kill a few hours on one of these buses.
If you want to watch the local team play soccer in the St. James Park, remember to book a ticket as early as possible. The locals are crazy soccer fans, and you’ll find it hard to get a ticket if you don’t wait in the queue early.                                                                                 
As you can see, Newcastle is a fantastic city with so much to be offered and so many things to see. You’re sure to have a wonderful time here!                                   
【小题1】From the passage we know Newcastle is most famous for its_______.