Starting from April, 2010, you won’t be hearing the word “NBA” on sports programs on CCTV. Instead, sport host will give the full Chinese name when they refer to the NBA – National Basketball Association. You also won’t hear any other English abbreviations (缩略词) on CCTV’s Chinese programs, such as GDP (gross domestic product), or WTO (World Trade Organization). You will hear their Chinese translations.

CCTV received a notice from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television telling it to avoid using English-language abbreviations in their reports to protect the “purity” of the Chinese language. A few other TV stations also received the notice.

Fu Zhenguo, an editor of People’s Daily, is one of the people who suggested the change. “Firstly, using English in a Chinese-speaking environment is against Chinese law,” he said. “Then, using English on Chinese TV programs is unfair to people who don’t understand English. What’s worse, it will have a bad language influence on kids and teenagers.”

A lot of netizens have criticized the move, saying that it will cause problems for them.

“I understand what CD, VCD and DVD mean when I hear them. But I won’t know what the TV programs are talking about if I hear those products’ full Chinese names,” a netizen wrote in a BBS post. Following the same post, another netizen wrote jokingly: “I’m not listening to my MP3 now. I’m listening to my Moving Picture Experts Group-1 Audio Layer 3 (动态影像专家压缩标准音频第三层面).”

1.What does the underlined word “purity” in the second paragraph mean?

A. 纯正                       B. 高贵                       C. 时髦                       D. 潮流

2.How many reasons did Fu Zhenguo list to show his support for the change?

A. 1                             B. 2                             C. 3                             D. 4

3.Some netizens went against the change because_______________.

A. the application of abbreviations will make Chinese popular.                              

B. the application of abbreviations will attract the youth.

C. the application of abbreviations will not simplify the understanding.                         

D. the application of abbreviations will not bring Chinese to an end.

4.What can be the full name of CCTV mentioned in the text?

A. Close Closet Top Video                                 B. China Central Television

C. China Common Time Voice                           D. Closed-Circuit Television

 

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

    When Michael 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^① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.

    The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.

    “Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy^② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of 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 October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.

“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout^③ 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 Argentine 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 the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 — and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic — number two overall in this year’s draft — are icons^④in-waiting. It is the ultimate^⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.

Notes:

roster  n. 花名册

strategy  n. 战略，策略

scout  vt. 寻找，觅得

icon  n. 偶像

ultimate  adj. 最后的，根本的

Choose the best answers according to the above:

According to the report,       ___.

A. Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA

B. the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great

C. Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA

D. European countries will host the 2004 NBA games

The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of       ___.

A. NBA intends to make China its “marketing center”

B. NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China

C. there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings

D. the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China

. What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?

A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.

B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.

C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.

D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball.

When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to        __.

A. farms in the States             B. native Americans 

C. the NBA training center         D. the USA

Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?

A. The Non-American Basketball Players    B. NBA Is Coming to China

C. The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA      D. NBA Is Making Big Progress

A long time ago, before there was any money (coins or paper money), people got the things that they needed by trading or exchanging. Salt was one of the first items used to exchange for other items. Later, some of the common things that were used for exchanging were tea leaves, shells, feathers, animal teeth, tobacco, and blankets. Around 3000 BC, barley, a type of grain, was used for exchanging.

The world’s first metal money was developed by the Sumerians who melted silver into small bars all weighing the same. This was around 1000 BC. About three hundred years later, people started using coins as official money.

Around 640 BC, people in the ancient kingdom of Lydia ( which was in Turkey) created special coins of exact with and purity (纯度). They were made of gold and silver and were stamped with a lion’s head.

Later, other empires such as Greece, Persia, and Rome adopted the concept of coins and started developing their own in many different shapes and different metals.

Around the year 1000, the Chinese started using paper money. The Chinese were the first to use paper money. The Europeans discovered this thanks to Marco Polo who went to China in 1295. the Chinese had different values for the paper notes which were made by the Chinese government.

Around 1661, Sweden became the first European country to make paper money. Until 1850, the Spanish dollar was the coin most widely used throughout the world.

What is the best title for this passage?

A.    The history of money

B.    How people traded in the past

C.    The invention of paper money

D.    The use of coins around the world

We learn that before coins and paper money were used, _____.

A.    barley had always been used for exchanging

B.    only a few people knew how to trade with others

C.    salt was the most widely used item for exchanging

D.    many kinds of things were used for exchanging

According to the passage, when did people start using coins as official money?

A.    Around 1300 BC.      B. Around 1000 BC.

C.    Around 700 BC.        D. Around 640 BC.

The underlined word “adopted” in Paragraph 4 probably means “____”.

A.    replaced      B.    changed

C.    accepted      D.    invented

Which of the following countries first started to use paper money?

A. Spain     B. China      C. Sweden      D. Lydia

PART THREE: READING COMPREHENSION (30分)

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

A

The Wuhan to Guangzhou MU(动车组) Train route will start to operate on the 26th of this month. The train is the fastest in the world. All the construction and preparations for the route's operation are in the final stages. Our reporter Li Dong has the details.

In a trial operation, the speed of the MU Train reached 394 kilometers per hour, the highest in the world. Though the speed during normal operation may be at 350 kilometers per hour, but this newly built high speed railway may still reduce the travel time of Wuhan to Guangzhou from more than 10 to 3 hours.

The total length of Wuhan—Guangzhou high speed railway is more than 1068 kilometers. The railway connects Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong. The total investment is more than 116 billion yuan.

Protection facilities like bars and surveillance cameras are installed along the whole railway. Zhang Shuguang, director of transport bureau of the Ministry of Railway says the safety system of the train and the route is also state of the art.

"The break distance of the train is 5 kilometers. But the MU Train can respond to any emergency situations within 32 kilometers. It's very safe."

The shortened travel distance is good news for many people. However some passengers also hope the service can be upgraded.

"The dinning and entertainment service can be better. I hope I can watch TV on the train."

"The weariness during travel can be eased if I can use internet on the train. I can feel more comfortable."

Jing Libin is the MU Train driver of the Wuhan—Guangzhou high speed railway. As a MU Train engineer who witnessed China's high speed railway development. Jing Libin says: It's a way faster!

"The development of China's railway is so fast. In the beginning of the year, the speed is only 160 kilometers per hour. Soon, the speed reached 250 kilometers. And now, it's 350 kilometers! As a driver, I am very impressed."

China plans to increase the railway operation length from the current 80 thousand kilometers to 110 thousand kilometers, which includes 18 thousand kilometers of high speed passenger railways by 2012.

Within 3 years, China plans to build an "8 Hour, High Speed Transportation Circle", which means, passengers may reach nearly all the provincial capital cities in China in about 8 hours by high speed railway. With the development of the railway, China’s economy will also continue her highest development. In the near future, China will be really powerful in the world.

56. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Fastest Train in the World

C. High Speed Railway Construction

B. Trial Operation of the MU Train

D. Newly Typed Train in the World.

57. Surveillance cameras are used for________.

A. art   B. speed   C. safety    D. research

58. How much time would be needed from Wuhan to Guangzhou if the train travelled at its top speed?

A. a little more than three hours           C. more than four hours

B. less than three hours                  D. less than seven hours

59. What can we learn from the passage?

A. There will be no problems on the new train.

B. Passengers are completely satisfied with the new train.

C. Jing Libin is very proud of the development of China’s railway.

D. China has 110 thousand kilometers ofthe railway operation length now.

60. What can we infer according to the author?

A. Nobody expected China would have such a fast train.

B. China will build more high speed railways.

C. The service of the train is hard to be improved.

D. China’s economy would slow down if her transport couldn’t be improved.

 

In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decades has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.

Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decades. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil， which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.

Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emission (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate (加速) the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.

    The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.

1. The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that ______.

A. it makes the world warmer

B. it consumes natural resources

C. it brings severe damage to forests

D. it makes growth hard to continue

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A. China lacks wind and solar energy.

B. China is the leader of the low carbon market.

C. High speed trains are a low carbon development.

D. Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests.

3.To fully develop the low carbon markets, government can ______.

A. cut public expenses                       B. forbid carbon emission

C. develop public resources                   D. encourage energy conservation

4.We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to ______.

A. develop sustainable products

B. explore new natural resources

C. make full use of natural resources

D. deal with the major challenge

5.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To introduce a new business model.

B. To compare two business models.

C. To predict a change of the global market.

D. To advocate (提倡) sustainable development.