1 . Along with soccer, basketball is a global sport. As you read this. young people somewhere in the world are happily passing, dribbling(运球) and shooting. It’s enormous fun and a joyful way to spend time with others.
Basketball is a game for everyone. Unlike golf or tennis. it doesn't require great wealth or a lot of space to play. After all, not many people have a golf course-sized backyard. and tennis equipment is expensive. Basketball, by contrast, just needs a wall with a hoop and a ball.
So after its invention by Canadian-American physical educator James Naismith in 1891, the sport took off within US citizens, who quickly became attracted to the game because it suited their circumstances. Today, 127 years later, basketball remains one of the most popular sports in the US, and the National Basketball Association (NBA)has an increasing appeal for fans around the world.
The success of basketball as global phenomenon is undoubtedly related to the way African-Americans play the game.” The basketball court reflected some of the major cultural shifts in America, such as from forbidding African-Americans to play basketball to allowing them to play in the NBA, "the LIVESTRONG website noted.
From the 1950s onwards, segregation rules, which had prohibited African-Americans from playing basketball in NBA games, were no longer used in the US. In 1950, when Earl Lloyd started to play for the Washington Capitols, things began to change. Since then, most of the greats of the game have been African-Americans, like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
It's not difficult to see that there's a strong link between political liberation and basketball. Something of this is expressed in a quote from the US author John Edgar Wideman. He makes a connection between basketball and hope:" When it's' played the way it's supposed to be played. basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, raised above the floor, letting the oppressed(受压制的) people of this earth imagine themselves in their dreams.”
1. What advantage does basketball have over golf or tennis, according to the author?| A．It can be played everywhere. |
| B．It doesn't cost much. |
| C．It doesn't require too much skill. |
| D．It interests almost everyone. |
| A．The sport was created by a PE teacher. |
| B．The sport was not popular with people at first. |
| C．Its rules have been changed a lot to suit new circumstances. |
| D．The NBA. with a history of 127 Years. attracts people worldwide |
| A．explain the origin and rules of NBA games in the 1950s |
| B．prove the popularity of basketball among African-Americans |
| C．stress the success African-Americans in basketball |
| D．show how racial integration took place in basketball |
| A．Basketball is sometimes a useful tool for politicians. |
| B．American people usually have a basketball dream. |
| C．Basketball stands for the freedom and hopes of people. |
| D．Political oppression is a serious problem in the US. |
2 . It's the start of a new year, when your fitness goals are set and you engage in the challenge.
Set realistic goals! The process of building muscle is an absolutely slow one that requires strong will to gain. Consistently causing protein synthesis （合成）in specific muscle fibers will allow muscle to develop. However, all individuals are not equal in the process.
Stick to specific training for the goals you set to achieve.
Once a goal is reached, do not go back to what you did before. When people finish their transformation, the hormone profile is very weak to fat deposition （沉积）。Every training session should be a step toward a lasting transformation, with a diet improving the level of exercise.
| A．Don't try to achieve too much at once. |
| B．Why do so few people see their goals through? |
| C．Give yourself a realistic timeline when it comes to fat loss. |
| D．Keeping running slowly leads to very big changes over time. |
| E．Appreciate that you are taking time for your own development. |
| F．Place restrictions on your diet and follow good food eating patterns. |
| G．Also, it depends on how long you have been training to achieve muscle growth. |
3 . Basketball star Lebron James made ＄33 million last year. And that probably doesn’t surprise anyone. We’re used to watching professional athletes(运动员) make and spend millions of dollars.
But there was a time when professional athletes could barely buy a car. For most sports teams in 1950, there were main ways to make money. They sold tickets to games and popcorn in the stadium. For fans, it was a good deal(交易). You could see a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game for 60 cents. For players, the deal wasn’t so great. There wasn't much money to go around. So salaries(薪水) stayed low. In some professional sports, players couldn’t spend the off-season working out. They had to get second jobs so they could pay the rent.
In the 1960s, television changed everything. In 1950, only 1 in 10 American homes had TVs. By 1960, 9 in 10 homes had TVs. And people loved watching sports. At first, team owners were worried about TV. They thought fans wouldn't pay to come to the stadium anymore. But the TV networks paid millions of dollars for the right to show games. That’s when sports teams started to get rich. Finally, the teams shared their wealth with players. In 1974, several baseball teams wanted a player named Catfish Hunter, who chose to play for the New York Yankees. They paid him ＄1 million just for picking their team. Since then, athletes have only gotten richer. In 2018, the highest-paid player in baseball will make ＄33 million. In basketball, the average salary is about ＄7 million a year.
Are sports stars worth the money? Many fans seem to think so. They will pay crazy prices to cheer for their favorite players.
1. What does the underlined word “barely” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．finally | B．hardly | C．usually | D．personally |
| A．It was unfair to players. | B．It was a bit expensive. |
| C．It was cheap at the price. | D．It was less attractive to them. |
| A．Sports became a big business. |
| B．People were more willing to play sports. |
| C．More and more fans came to the stadium. |
| D．Tickets to games became more expensive. |
| A．How sports stars become famous. |
| B．Why fans are crazy about sports star. |
| C．Why sports become more and more popular. |
| D．How professional athletes started getting rich. |
