53. What’s the direct reason for Xing Tao to join the school basketball team?

A. He watched an NBA game.　　　 B. He liked basketball.

C. He hoped to play for NBA.

D. He had a dream that he would become a basketball star.

52. What will happen to the bright stars at last according to the passage?

A. They will be remembered by millions of people.

B. They will be loved by people for ever.

C. They will be the most important people in history.

D. They will lose their brightness and be little known.

D

“Someday, there’ll be no Americans left in the NBA,” said 12-year-old Xing Tao, who joined his school team two weeks ago after watching Yao Ming 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-meter center 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 families in the US. That game might have been a bit of a letdown to Yao’s fans: He played just 11 of the 48 minutes, had two rebounds (抢篮板球) and got no points. Comparing that with his performance on December 19, also against Indiana, Yao won 29 points and 10 rebounds. “This is one of the most exciting games I’ve had,” Yao said after Houston’s 95-83 victory. The NBA has to be excited about his on-count success. In all his games, he’s averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds, quite good for a new star. “Yao Ming has brought the NBA closer to the Chinese,” said NBA spokeswoman Cheong Sau Ching, “That makes the dream seem practical for other people in China and proud to be Chinese.”

Yao is not the country’s first player in the NBA, but Yao’s combination of modesty and skills makes him a favorite back home.

51. What does “boxer” in the passage mean in Chinese?

A. 盒子　　　　　　　　 B. 装箱者　　　　 C. 拳击手　　　 　　　 D. 制作人

50. Michael Jackson is famous for　　　　　　 .

A. his songs　　　　 B. his film　　　　　　 C. his sports　　 D. his heavy weight

49. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A. Michael Jackson　　 B. Mohammed Ali　 C. pop music and boxing D. bright stars

44. The best title of the passage might be　　　　　　 .

A. Pablo Picasso: the great artist　　 B. The Boyhood of Pablo Picasso

C. Father of A Great Artist　　　　　 D. Father’s Influence (影响) on His Son

B

The Chinese invented paper in 105 A. D. They mixed the bark of a tree and rags (破布) with water, put a screen into the mixture, and lifted out a thin piece of wet paper. They dried the paper in the sun. 　　　 The Chinese kept their secret of how to make paper until a war with Muslims in the ninth century. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world. 　　　 The Mayan Indians in Central America and Pacific Islanders also discovered how to make paper, but their knowledge never spread to the rest of the world. 　　　 For centuries, all paper was made by hand. Rags were the main material. Then a French scientist discovered that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, in the eighteenth century，a Frenchman invented a machine to make paper from wood. 45. Who discovered how to make paper? A. The Chinese.　 B. The Pacific Islanders.　 C. The Mayan Indians.　　 D. All of the above. 46. When did the Chinese invent paper according to the passage? A. About 1 ,800 years ago.　　　　 B. About 1, 900 years ago. C. About 2, 000 years ago.　　　　　　　 D. About 2, 100 years ago. 47. How was papermaking introduced into the rest of the world from China? A. Through wars.　　　 B. Through the Muslims. C. Through the Mayan Indians.　　 D. Through the Pacific Islanders. 48. Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A. The Invention of Paper.　　　　　　 B. The History of Papermaking. C. Different Ways of Making Paper.　　 D. The Invention of a Papermaking Machine.

C

A star usually is someone who has become famous in sports, film, or pop music, someone like singer Michael Jackson. In the middle 1980s, Michael Jackson successfully made a famous record, which quickly became the most popular recording in the history of music. This made Michael Jackson a bright star.

One of the famous sports bright stars in the United States is Mohammed Ali. When he was a young man, he won a gold medal in the Olympic Games as a boxer. Then, he won first place in the world heavy weight boxing match. Before long, he was known as one of the greatest and most famous boxers in sports history. Everyone knows his name.

Like the stars in the sky, a bright star will lose his brightness as time passes. He is loved by millions of people today, but will be forgotten tomorrow.

43. Don Jose Ruiz and Pablo were a strange pair because 　　　　　　　　　.

A. they liked to wander about the town

B. they noticed everything that was going on around them

C. one was tall and thin, the other was small and strong

D. they looked so different from each other

42. Pablo’s father painted a lot because　　　　　 　.

A. he didn’t have enough money　　　　　　　　 B. he had plenty of time

C. he liked the pigeons, especially the dead ones　　 D. he looked after the museum

41. Picasso’s father loved him especially, because 　　　　　　　　.

A. he was the only boy in the family　　

B. he was going to be an important person to his family

C. he showed the gift of an artist in his early childhood

D. he looked like his mother