2.26-meter-tall Yao Ming made his NBA debut (初次登台) on October 23, 2002 and got 6 points for the Houston Rockets in the game. The next day, he got 13 points in another game.

Most people think that Yao Ming is a born basketball player. But Yao said, "When you watch it on TV, it looks very easy. But when you are playing in the NBA, it is really not so easy." He said that joining the Houston Rockets was a new start and a new challenge. "I hope that through very hard work I can make everyone happy and help the Rockets win more games," he said.Yao Ming speaks some English. Both he and his teammates can understand each other. They don't think there is a language problem. While Yao Ming faces this new challenge, the people of Houston have shown great interest in him and they hope Yao Ming will bring new energy to the Rockets. The team has started having lessons to learn more about China, and many people who work for the Rockets have learned to speak some Chinese.

1.Yao Ming got 13 points on October _____, 2002.

A．22               B．23               C．24               D．26

2.Yao Ming said that _____.

A．playing in the NBA was difficult

B．it was hard to watch NBA games on TV

C．he was an NBA star

D．it was boring to play basketball

3.From the passage we can know that Yao Ming ________.

A．will work hard for his team

B．made the highest score in his first NBA game

C．can't understand his teammates

D．teaches the Rockets workers Chinese himself

4.The passage is probably ______.

A．an advertisement   B．a notice           C．a news report      D．an instruction

Pessimistic，anxious and depressed people may have a higher risk of dementia (痴呆)，US researchers reported on Thursday.

A study of a group of 3,500 people showed that those who scored high for pessimism on a standardized personality test had a 30 percent increased risk of developing dementia 30 to 40 years later.

Those scoring very high on both anxiety and pessimism scales had a 40 percent higher risk，the study showed.

“There appears to be a dose?response pattern.That is，the higher the scores，the higher the risk of dementia，”Dr Yonas Geda，a neuropsychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester，Minnesota who led the study，said in a statement.

Geda and his colleagues looked at the medical records of 3,500 men and women who lived near the clinic between 1962 and 1965.

They all took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory，a standard personality and life experience test，Geda’s team told a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Miami.

In 2004，the team interviewed the participants or family members.

Those who scored higher for anxiety and pessimism on the test were more likely，as a group，to have developed dementia by 2004，including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular (血管的) dementia.

This did not mean a person who is pessimistic could assume he or she has a higher risk of developing dementia.

“One has to be cautious in interpreting a study like this，”Geda said.

“One cannot make a leap from group level data to the individual.Certainly the last thing you want to do is to say，‘Well，I am a pessimist；thus，I am doomed to develop dementia 20 or 30 years later，’because this may end up becoming a self?fulfilling prophecy (预言)．”

And there is NOT any specific way to prevent dementia，although many studies have shown that a healthy diet，exercise，keeping active in other ways，doing puzzles and other activities lower the risk.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．It is impossible for people to avoid dementia.

B．People who always have negative feelings may have a higher risk of getting dementia.

C．If we have a healthy diet，we would have no chance of getting dementia.

D．A person who is pessimistic has a higher risk of developing dementia.

2.According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?

A．There are many ways to prevent dementia effectively.

B．A person who is pessimistic is sure to get dementia.

C．Those who lead a happy life will not get dementia when they are old.

D．Those who scored high for pessimism might have a higher risk of dementia.

3.Which of the following does NOT help reduce the risk of getting dementia according to the passage?

A．A healthy diet.? B．Proper exercises.

C．Doing puzzles.? D．Getting up early.

4.Which of the following words is not close to the meaning of the word “pessimistic”？

A．Cheerless.? B．Optimistic.

C．Unhappy.? D．Upset.

Researchers at San Diego Zoo have been studying what has been described as the “secret language” of elephants. They have been monitoring（监测） communications between animals that cannot be heard by human ears.

The elephant’s call will be familiar to most people, but the animals also give out growls (低吼). Their growls, however, are only partly audible (听得见的); two-thirds of the call is at frequencies that are too low to be picked up by our hearing. To learn more about the inaudible part of the growl, the team attached (附在……上面) a microphone sensitive to these low frequencies and a GPS tracking system to eight of the zoo’s female elephants. The researchers could then relate the noises the animals were making to what they were doing. Matt Anderson, who led the project, told BBC News, “We’re excited to learn how they interact and contact with one another.”

The team has already learned that pregnant females use this low frequency communication to announce to the rest of their long gestation (妊娠期) of over two years, in the last 12 days we see the low part of the growl, which we can’t hear. This we believe is to announce to the rest of the herd that the baby is upcoming,” said Dr Anderson.

The researchers believe that this also warns the elephants to look out for coming danger. “You may think that a baby calf of about 300 pounds would not be as open to predation (捕食) as other species,” he says. “But packs of hyenas (袋狼) are a big threat in the wild.”

Female elephants are only in season for around four days every four years and these calls can be heard by males more than two miles away.

1.Why some elephants’ call is called “secret language”?

A．Because it can’t be heard by human ears.

B．Because it can only be heard by female elephants.

C．Because people don’t know its meanings.

D．Because people haven’t studied it completely.

2.By using a sensitive microphone and a GPS tracking system, the researchers wanted to find out             .

A．where the elephants usually go

B．what the elephants’ growls really mean

C．how mother elephants raise baby calves

D．how elephants protect their babies.

3.A pregnant elephant uses inaudible growls to           .

A．show the location where she is staying

B．ask for help when she losses her way

C．scare away the enemy

D．let others know she will have a baby

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A．The elephants can speak like people.

B．The wild elephants’ ways to fight against enemies.

C．The “secret language” between elephants.

D．The special life of female elephants.

Tracy Caulkins is known as the first American to set an American record and win an American title in each of four swimming strokes（泳姿）: breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, freestyle.

Tracy Caulkins was born in Minnesota and lived in Iowa until she was six. She began swimming when she was eight, after the family had moved to Nashville, Tennessee. While unwilling at first to swim in cold water or get her face wet, she began to train in earnest (认真地) as her talent became clear. Though her father worked for the public schools, the family sent her to a private school when the public schools could not accommodate (适应) her training schedule.

At age 13, Tracy Caulkins took part in the trials(选拔赛) for the 1976 Olympics, but did not make the team. She continued to win national and international titles, and was disappointed in 1980 when the U.S. didn’t attend the Moscow Olympics. She continued to train and compete.

In 1981, Tracy Caulkins began college, graduating in 1985. In college, she continued competing and training, though she had slowed down from her peak (顶峰) years.

Caulkins trained especially hard for the 1984 Olympics, and not only made the team, but was captain of the swim team and at Los Angeles, won three gold medals and was named Sportswoman of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee. After that she retired from swimming, and was a commentator (解说员) for swimming events as well as taking advantage of her fame to do business.

Tracy Caulkins married Australian swimmer, Mark Stockwell, in 1991, their romance having begun at the 1984 Olympics when he jumped into a warm-up pool to introduce himself. They married in Nashville and moved to Australia, where they had three children. Caulkins continued to be professionally involved in sports.

1.Tracy Caulkins was sent to a private school because _____.

A．the schedule of the public school wasn’t suitable for her

B．her parents had to work in the school

C．her family had moved to Nashville, Tennessee

D．she showed strong interest in swimming

2.Which Olympic Games did Tracy Caulkins attend?

A．The 1976 Olympic Games.                 B．The 1980 Olympic Games.

C．The 1984 Olympic Games.                 D．The 1992 Olympic Games.

3.Give the correct order of the following events in Tracy Caulkins’ life.

a. She was named Sportswoman of the Year.

b. She became a commentator.

c. She got married.

d. She went to college.

e. She attended the Olympics.

A．d; e; a; b; c                            B．d; e; c; b; a

C．d; a; e; c; b                            D．d; e; a; c; b

4.When was Tracy Caulkins born?

A．In 1963           B．In 1953           C．In 1960           D．Not mentioned

Whether in the workplace or on the football field, effective teamwork can produce amazing results. However, working successfully as a team is not as easy as it may seem. Effective teamwork certainly does not just happen automatically; it takes a great deal of hard work and compromise. There are a number of factors that must be in place to make a good team.

Effective leadership is one of the most important components of good teamwork. The team’s leader should possess the skills to create and preserve a positive working environment and motivate and inspire the team members to take a positive approach to work and be highly committed. An effective team leader will promote a high level of spirit and make them feel supported and valued.

Communication is a vital factor of all interpersonal relationship and especially that of a team. Team members must be able to articulate their feelings, express plans and goals, share ideas and see each other’s opinions.

Conflicts will arise no matter how well a team functions together. The best way to deal with conflicts is to have some organized methods of handling conflicts. Team members should be able to voice their concerns without fear of offending others. Instead of avoiding conflict issues, a hands-on approach that settles them quickly is much better. It is often advised that the team leader sit with the conflicting parties and help work out their differences without taking sides and trying to remain objective if possible.

The team leader must set a good example to create good teamwork. In order to keep team members positive and committed and motivated, the team leader herself / himself needs to show these qualities. The team turns to the leader for support and guidance. So any negative words or behaviors on the leader’s part can be disastrous.+X+K]

Regardless of what type of work you are in, knowing how to effectively work on and with a team is going to be extremely important to your success and that of your team.

1.Effective leadership is important partly because _________.

A. it helps a leader to develop lots of skills

B. it makes a leader feel supported and valued

C. it creates a positive working environment   

D. it depends on interpersonal relationship of a team

2.The underlined word “articulate” probably means _________.

A. hide            B. feel            C. express            D. plan

3.When conflicts arise among team members, the team leader should ________.

A. worry about the team members          B. ignore the team members’ voices

C. try to avoid conflict issues                D. work out their differences

4.To become a good team leader, you have to __________.

A. be positive and committed                B. set up a good team

C. look for support from the team           D. avoid natural disasters

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Football And Teamwork                 B. What Makes Effective Teamwork

C. Handle Conflict In A Team              D. Communication And Teamwork