After ruling the tennis world for almost five years, Roger Federer is adjusting to life at NO．2．But, like any king whose throne（王冠） has been taken away, the Swiss star is already planning secretly his return to power, beginning at this week’s US Open．

The problem is, many experts think he will never do it．They blame everything from age and tough competition to his racket（球拍） and psychology．

For years Federer, 27, had enjoyed the view from the top．Competitors saw him as undefeated, and for the most part he was．However, before the 2008 season began, Federer had an illness that stole his strength and clearly affected his play on the court．Ever since, he has struggled to return to form, winning just two of his last 14 tournaments．

“Twenty-seven is an age when your body starts talking back to you．” tennis great John McEnroe told the New York Times．

Pancho Sefura, another tennis great, noted that Federer is also facing a maturing crop of young talents． “There are too many great players now,” he said, naming Britain’s Andy Murray, 21, and Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis, 20．

US magazine Sports Illustrated tennis columnist Jon Wertheim suggested that part of Federer’s problem could be his insistence on using a small racket．He says that the smaller head demands ball control．But we see time and again that racket makers try to get players to use a certain stick — one they would like to market to consumers and it has a negative effect the professional game．

Sports psychologist Jim Loehr told the Times that Federer is probably feeling “a sense of doubt” after being considered as undefeated for so long． If Federer is to recover his state of being undefeated, Loehr said he must overcome his doubt． “Federer doesn’t need fame and money．But he has to get better． He has to go to a whole new level．That’s the only way he stays in the game,” he said．

As for beginning his first Grand Slam（大满贯） in ages as the NO．2 seed, Federer said it might be for the best． “Five years almost, I was expected to win every tournament I entered,” he said, “so maybe Rafael Nadal now feels what I had to feel for a very long time．It will be interesting to see how he handles it．”

1．What does the underlined sentence “your body starts talking back to you” in Para．4 mean?

A．Your body often argues with you．

B．You can do whatever you want．

C．Your strength is beginning to decline（衰退）．

D．You are more easily to have quite terrible diseases．

2．From the passage, we know the main reason why Federer’s throne was taken away is that _____．

A．he is becoming older and older．

B．he insisted on using a small racket．

C．he is facing a maturing crop of young talents．

D．he had an illness that stole his strength．

3．What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Now it is Nadal who has replaced Federer as the No．1tennis player．

B．the racket makers aim at the players’ better performance in games．

C．It is impossible for Federer to return to power．

D．Federer has never won a Grand Slam before．

4．What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Nadal — The No．1 Tennis Player

B．Federer — Always Undefeated

C．State of Mind Plays a Important Role

D．Federer Hopes to Recover His Magic

“I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me.”
The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her.
The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines（藤蔓）as my mother said, “Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart.”
She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off.
She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give — nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes.
And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting（朽烂的）doorway into a room with a furnace（炉子）, table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew — the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly（结结巴巴地）asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, “Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died.”
My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage(传统).
I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok（锅）over the furnace. The meal was lavish（过分丰盛的）, prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me.
My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy.
【小题1】 The writer’s mother called him into her room to ___________________.

 “I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me.”

The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her.

The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines（藤蔓）as my mother said, “Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart.”

She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off.

She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give — nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes.

And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting（朽烂的）doorway into a room with a furnace（炉子）, table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew — the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly（结结巴巴地）asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, “Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died.”

My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage(传统).

I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok（锅）over the furnace. The meal was lavish（过分丰盛的）, prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me.

My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy.

1. The writer’s mother called him into her room to ___________________.

A．prepare him for the trip and warn him against possible problems

B．remind him of his origin

C．ask him to look for his great-grandmother

D．share with him the story of her childhood

2. The dragon is mentioned several times in the passage because __________________.

A．the vase with the dragon on it is very valuable and beautiful

B．it stands for the blood running in every Chinese

C．it is a sign of the writer’s devotion to his birthplace

D．the writer’s mother hoped the writer would be as strong as a dragon

3. How old was the writer’s mother when she was sent to America for her education.

A．13               B．16               C．19               D．20

4.Which of the following can be inferred from the text?

A．The writer’s grandfather was afraid of a war when sending his daughter to America.

B．The hope to see her son again kept the writer’s great-grandmother alive for this long.

C．It was within the writer’s expectation that he could be so close to his great-grandmother.

D．The writer’s great-grandmother was reunited with her son before she died.

5.Which is the best title for the text?

A．We Share the Same Heritage.

B．Love from My Great-grandmother.

C．A Story from My Mother.

D．An Unforgettable Training Trip.

“I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me.”
The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her.
The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines（藤蔓）as my mother said, “Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart.”
She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off.
She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give — nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes.
And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting（朽烂的）doorway into a room with a furnace（炉子）, table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew — the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly（结结巴巴地）asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, “Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died.”
My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage(传统).
I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok（锅）over the furnace. The meal was lavish（过分丰盛的）, prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me.
My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy

1. 1.

   The writer’s mother called him into her room to ___________________

   1. A.
      prepare him for the trip and warn him against possible problems
   2. B.
      remind him of his origin
   3. C.
      ask him to look for his great-grandmother
   4. D.
      share with him the story of her childhood
2. 2.

   The dragon is mentioned several times in the passage because __________________

   1. A.
      the vase with the dragon on it is very valuable and beautiful
   2. B.
      it stands for the blood running in every Chinese
   3. C.
      it is a sign of the writer’s devotion to his birthplace
   4. D.
      the writer’s mother hoped the writer would be as strong as a dragon
3. 3.

   How old was the writer’s mother when she was sent to America for her education

   1. A.
      13
   2. B.
      16
   3. C.
      19
   4. D.
      20
4. 4.

   Which of the following can be inferred from the text?

   1. A.
      The writer’s grandfather was afraid of a war when sending his daughter to America
   2. B.
      The hope to see her son again kept the writer’s great-grandmother alive for this long
   3. C.
      It was within the writer’s expectation that he could be so close to his great-grandmother
   4. D.
      The writer’s great-grandmother was reunited with her son before she died
5. 5.

   Which is the best title for the text?

   1. A.
      We Share the Same Heritage
   2. B.
      Love from My Great-grandmother
   3. C.
      A Story from My Mother
   4. D.
      An Unforgettable Training Trip

Everyone knows what the NBA’s latest clipper（快马）Blake Griffin is capable of doing on the court, or at the hoop（篮筐）. After all, it’s not every day you see a basketball player jump over a car and score a slam dunk（大灌篮）. Griffin’s amazing performance won the 22-year-old the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest.

Griffin has been turning heads all season with his dunking ability. As a rookie（新秀）with the Los Angeles Clippers. Griffin is a hard worker and the team’s new hope.

There’s no doubt that Griffin is on his way to a rising NBA career. But where did it all begin?

Griffin’s has loved basketball ever since he was a kid. He grew up watching the NBA and practicing how to dunk, mastering this skill at just 13 years old.

Griffin’s passion for basketball runs in the family. His father was his coach in high school, and his older brother Taylor is also a professional player. Griffin says being a coach’s son helped him grow professionally.

“I always watched basketball with my dad and he taught me the right way to play. I kind of picked up the game through him,” he told NBA online.

Griffin started showing some serious basketball ability at his high school in Oklahoma, where he won state titles in each of his four years.  

It wasn’t long before many of Griffin’s peers were asking for his autograph. “A girl once came up to me with a rubber duck and was like, ‘Will you sign this?’ So I signed the top of it and gave it back to her,” Griffin told Sports Illustrated magazine.

After high school, Griffin went on to become a star basketball player at university. It was there that he earned the nickname “The Terminator（终结者）” for his fury（火爆）during games. Despite his fierce on-court personality, Griffin says he’s really just a normal, nice guy. “A lot of people are surprised at how laid-back（放松的）I am. I’m more soft-spoken（温和的）off the court. Out on the court, they see somebody who’s intense and all that. But I like to hang out to have fun and make jokes and laugh,” he told NBA online.

51.  From the first two paragraphs we can learn that_____.

A.       Blake Griffin has a superior ability to play basketball

B.       a basketball player jumps over a car and scores a slam dunk

C.       Blake Griffin has to work harder as a rookie

D.       it is easy for a basketball player to turn heads all season

52.  What should be the best title for the passage?

A.       Surprise of Clippers             B.      Hope of Clippers

C.       Laugh at Winners               D.     Cheers for Winners

53.  Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.       Griffin’s performance won the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest.

B.       Griffin is on his way to a rising NBA career as a veteran(老运动员，老兵).

C.       Griffin loved practicing his dunking at the age of 22.

D.       Griffin’s passion for basketball comes from his family.

54.  What does the underlined word “peers” in the eighth paragraph mean?

A.       Lovers who are in the same school.

B.       Kids who play with each other.

C.       Persons who are the same age.

D.       Friends who help each other.

55.  What’s the author’s attitude towards Blake Griffin?

A.       Positive.                      B. Negative.

C.       Pessimistic.                   D. Critical.