It is not often realized that women held a high place in southern European societies in the 10 th and 11 th centuries. As wife, the woman was protected by the setting up of a dowry (嫁妆) or decimum. Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion (遗弃),but in reality its function in the social and family life of the time was much more important. The decimum was the wife’s right to receive a tenth of all her husband’s property. The wife had the right to withhold consent, in all transactions the husband would make, And more than just a right: the documents showed that she enjoyed a real power of decision, equal to that of her husband. In no case did the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife.

The wife shared in the management of her husband’s personal property, but the opposite was not always true. Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance(遗产,继承物)against husbands who tried to exceed their rights, and on occasion they showed a fine fighting spirit. A case in point is that of Maria, Vivas, a Catalan woman of Barcelona. Having agreed with her husband Miro to sell a field she had inherited, for the needs of the household, she insisted on compensation. None being offered, she succeeded in dragging her husband to the scribe to have a contract duly drawn up assigning her a piece of land from Miro’s personal inheritance. The unfortunate husband was obliged to agree, as the contract says, “for the sake of peace.” Either through the dowry or through being hot-tempered, the Catalan wife knew how to win herself, within the context of the family, a powerful economic position.

A decimum was      .

       A. the wife’s inheritance from her father    

       B. a gift of money to the new husband 

       C. a written contract            

       D. the wife’s right to receive one-tenth of her husband’s property

In the society described in the passage, the legal standing of the wife in marriage was      .

       A. higher than that of her husband       B. lower than that of her husband

       C. the same as that of her husband D. higher than that of a single woman

What compensation did Maria Vivas get for the field?

       A. Some of the land Miro had inherited.      B. A tenth of Miro’s land.

       C. Money for household expenses.       D. Money from Miro’s inheritance.

Which of the following is Not mentioned as an effect of the dowry system?

       A. The husband had to share the power of decision in marriage.

       B. The wife was protested from desertion.

       C. The wife gained a powerful economic position.

       D. The husband was given control over his wife’s property.

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花名册) 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战略,策略) 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寻找,觅得) 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偶像)in-waiting. It is the ultimate最后的,根本的) revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.

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

Barcelona December 22,2007.

Spain’s “El Gordo,” the word’s biggest lottery (彩票), gave out 2.2 billion euros (欧元) (1.6 billion pounds) in Christmas prizes on Saturday.

El Gordo, Spanish for "The Fat One", is designed so that as many people as possible across Spain get a festive windfall. The top prize this year was 3 million euros -- going to the series of tickets with the magic number 06381.

Because the tickets are sold in a series of 10, only those who paid 200 euros for the whole strip get the full prize.

The biggest share of winning tickets was bought by people in the town of Nava, in the north-western Asturias region.

The draw lasts three-and-a-half hours and is carried live on national television with children from the San Ildefonso school, a former orphanage in Madrid, in turn chanting the winning numbers and the amount won.

Lotteries have two centuries of history in Spain. The country spent 2.87 billion euros on the lottery -- 5.7 percent more than last year. Seventy percent is paid out in prizes. Most of the rest goes in costs. Eight out of ten Spaniards bought tickets for the lottery, spending on average 64 euros. Spaniards often choose lottery numbers matching significant dates although there was no particular favourite in 2007. In 2006, one of the most sought-after series was 22105, the date on which Fernando Alonso became Formula 1 world champion for the second year running.

1.The underlined word “windfall” in paragraph two probably means         .

       A.fat gift                                               B.unexpected fortune

       C.big feast                                             D.wind and snow

2.Who is likely to win the full prize in El Gordo?

       A.People who paid 200 euros for the wole group of series.

       B.People who bough tickets with the magic number 06381.

       C.People who lived in a town in the northwestern Asturias.

       D.People who chose lottery numbers matching Alonso’s date.

3.According to the text, children from the San Ildefonso School in Madrid will         .

       A.host the draw of lottery live on TV

       B.offer a show of three – and – a – half hours

       C.perform with the lottery draw as Christmas celebration

       D.help make some declarations for the draw as invited guests

4.What can we learn about the history of lotteries in Spain?

       A.Most of the money people spent on lotteries goes in the cost.

       B.The majority of Spaniards have the experience of buying lotteries.

       C.Lottery numbers matching significant dates help people win every year.

       D.As the biggest in the world, Spanish lotteries have a history of two centuries.

 

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