Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30.
“I will formally end my career,’’ said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.
“Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future,’’ Yao said. “I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture（断裂） in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening.’’
Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. “My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it,’’ Yao said.
He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people — his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O’Neal — “for making me a better player.’’
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别) conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but “I would be sorry if I wasn’t here.” “It’s a big moment,’’ Morey added. “Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA.’’
【小题1】Yao Ming has retired from basketball because of _____.

A．his age	B．his bad conducts on the court
C．his foot and leg injuries	D．his poor health

【小题2】Yao Ming was _____ before he decided to end his career as a basketball player.

A．peaceful

B．upset

C．confident

D．proud

【小题3】Yao Ming started his playing career in _____.

A．Shanghai

B．Houston

C．Beijing

D．New York

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following words can’t be used to describe
Yao Ming?

A．Talented.

B．Responsible.

C．Humorous.

D．Cautious.

【小题5】 What do you know about Daryl Morey?

A．Daryl Morey thinks highly of Yao Ming.

B．Daryl Morey was Yao Ming’s coach.

C．Daryl Morey is a basketball player in the Houston Rockets.

D．Daryl Morey is not satisfied with Yao Ming’s retirement from basketball.

There was once, in a little market-town not far from Upsala (瑞典一城市), a peasant who lived there with his family, digging the earth during the week and singing in the choir on Sundays. This peasant had a little daughter to whom he taught the musical alphabet before she knew how to read. Daae was a great musician, perhaps without knowing it. Not a violinist in Scandinavia played as he did. His reputation was widespread and he was always invited to set the couples dancing at weddings and other festivals. His wife died when Christine was entering upon her sixth year. Then the father, who cared only for his daughter and his music, sold his land and went to Upsala in search of fame and fortune. He found nothing but poverty.
He returned to the country, wandering from fair to fair, playing his Scandinavian music pieces, while his child, who never left his side, listened to him in delight or sang to his playing. One day, at Ljimby Fair, Professor Valerius heard them and took them to Gothenburg. He insisted that the father was the first violinist in the world and that the daughter had the making of a great artist. Her education and instruction were provided for. She made rapid progress and charmed everybody with her prettiness, her grace of manner and her real eagerness to please.
When Valerius and his wife went to settle in France, they took Daae and Christine with them. "Mamma" Valerius treated Christine as her daughter. As for Daae, he became ill with homesickness. He never went out of doors in Paris, but lived in a sort of dream which he kept up with his violin. For hours at a time, he remained locked up in his bedroom with his daughter, playing and singing, very, very softly.
Daae seemed not to recover his strength until the summer, when the whole family went to stay at Perros-Guirec, in a far-away corner of Brittany, where the sea was of the same color as in his own country. Often he would play his saddest tunes on the beach and pretend that the sea stopped its roaring to listen to them. And then he persuaded Mamma Valerius to allow him to leave for a while. At the time of the "pardons," the village festivals and dances, he went off with his violin, as in the old days, and was allowed to take his daughter with him for a week. They gave the smallest villages music to last them for a year and slept at night in a barn, refusing a bed at the inn, lying close together on the straw, as when they were so poor in Sweden. At the same time, they were very neatly dressed, refused the halfpence offered to them; and the people around could not understand the behaviour of this country violinist, who walked heavily on the roads with that pretty child who sang like an angel from Heaven. They followed them from village to village.
【小题1】 When he was in the countryside, Daae did NOT __________.

A．work on his land	B．sing in the choir on Sundays
C．make a fortune at weddings and festivals	D．teach his daughter how to sing

【小题2】The 3rd sentence “He insisted …” in the 2nd paragraph showed Professor Valerius’ ______.

A．hope for Daae and Christine	B．appreciation of Daae and Christine
C．sympathy for Daae and Christine	D．love for Daae and Christine

【小题3】 While Daae was in Paris, he never went out of doors because he was ________.

A．always sleepy	B．so homesick that he fell ill
C．too busy teaching his daughter	D．willing to be locked up with his daughter

【小题4】 What made people curious about the father and daughter was that _______.

A．the father made very good music

B．the daughter sang like an angel from Heaven

C．the father walked strangely with his daughter

D．they appeared to be badly off but refused money offered

Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30.

“I will formally end my career,’’ said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.

“Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future,’’ Yao said. “I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture（断裂） in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening.’’

Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. “My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it,’’ Yao said.

He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people — his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O’Neal — “for making me a better player.’’

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别) conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but “I would be sorry if I wasn’t here.” “It’s a big moment,’’ Morey added. “Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA.’’

1.Yao Ming has retired from basketball because of _____.

A．his age                               B．his bad conducts on the court

C．his foot and leg injuries                   D．his poor health

2.Yao Ming was _____ before he decided to end his career as a basketball player.

A．peaceful          B．upset             C．confident         D．proud

3.Yao Ming started his playing career in _____.

A．Shanghai          B．Houston           C．Beijing            D．New York

4.According to the passage, which of the following words can’t be used to describe

Yao Ming?

A．Talented.          B．Responsible.       C．Humorous.         D．Cautious.

5. What do you know about Daryl Morey?

A．Daryl Morey thinks highly of Yao Ming.

B．Daryl Morey was Yao Ming’s coach.

C．Daryl Morey is a basketball player in the Houston Rockets.

D．Daryl Morey is not satisfied with Yao Ming’s retirement from basketball.

 

There was once, in a little market-town not far from Upsala (瑞典一城市), a peasant who lived there with his family, digging the earth during the week and singing in the choir on Sundays. This peasant had a little daughter to whom he taught the musical alphabet before she knew how to read. Daae was a great musician, perhaps without knowing it. Not a violinist in Scandinavia played as he did. His reputation was widespread and he was always invited to set the couples dancing at weddings and other festivals. His wife died when Christine was entering upon her sixth year. Then the father, who cared only for his daughter and his music, sold his land and went to Upsala in search of fame and fortune. He found nothing but poverty.

He returned to the country, wandering from fair to fair, playing his Scandinavian music pieces, while his child, who never left his side, listened to him in delight or sang to his playing. One day, at Ljimby Fair, Professor Valerius heard them and took them to Gothenburg. He insisted that the father was the first violinist in the world and that the daughter had the making of a great artist. Her education and instruction were provided for. She made rapid progress and charmed everybody with her prettiness, her grace of manner and her real eagerness to please.

When Valerius and his wife went to settle in France, they took Daae and Christine with them. "Mamma" Valerius treated Christine as her daughter. As for Daae, he became ill with homesickness. He never went out of doors in Paris, but lived in a sort of dream which he kept up with his violin. For hours at a time, he remained locked up in his bedroom with his daughter, playing and singing, very, very softly.

Daae seemed not to recover his strength until the summer, when the whole family went to stay at Perros-Guirec, in a far-away corner of Brittany, where the sea was of the same color as in his own country. Often he would play his saddest tunes on the beach and pretend that the sea stopped its roaring to listen to them. And then he persuaded Mamma Valerius to allow him to leave for a while. At the time of the "pardons," the village festivals and dances, he went off with his violin, as in the old days, and was allowed to take his daughter with him for a week. They gave the smallest villages music to last them for a year and slept at night in a barn, refusing a bed at the inn, lying close together on the straw, as when they were so poor in Sweden. At the same time, they were very neatly dressed, refused the halfpence offered to them; and the people around could not understand the behaviour of this country violinist, who walked heavily on the roads with that pretty child who sang like an angel from Heaven. They followed them from village to village.

1. When he was in the countryside, Daae did NOT __________.

A．work on his land	B．sing in the choir on Sundays
C．make a fortune at weddings and festivals	D．teach his daughter how to sing

2.The 3rd sentence “He insisted …” in the 2nd paragraph showed Professor Valerius’ ______.

A．hope for Daae and Christine	B．appreciation of Daae and Christine
C．sympathy for Daae and Christine	D．love for Daae and Christine

3. While Daae was in Paris, he never went out of doors because he was ________.

A．always sleepy	B．so homesick that he fell ill
C．too busy teaching his daughter	D．willing to be locked up with his daughter

4. What made people curious about the father and daughter was that _______.

A．the father made very good music

B．the daughter sang like an angel from Heaven

C．the father walked strangely with his daughter

D．they appeared to be badly off but refused money offered

 

 

         How did a high school football coach build a championship dynasty by never playing to win? In Smith Center, Kansas, Roger Barta, 64, a longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School, wearing a red shirt, stood before his players．“…Guys．We don't talk about winning and losing．We talk about getting a little better every day, about being a team．” Over the next four months, his team went on to beat other teams, winning another perfect season．

         Barta grew up in Plainville, and when a back injury ended Barta's playing career, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a college student．One summer, he took a job in the Kansas oil fields．It took him a single rainy day of working in the field to realize that university was for him．“I almost froze to death,” he says．He looked around at his co-workers, who were aged beyond their years．"They were all missing fingers and teeth．I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life．"

         He returned to Fort Hays State to earn a mathematics degree and went on to get a master's in math education at the University of Georgia．Today, Barta spends as much time helping players figure out what they want to do with their lives as he does coaching．

         To most kids here, Barta is not just a winning coach but also a mentor（导师，顾问）．Barta insists that the members of his team be well-rounded．During last year's playoffs（附加赛）, for instance, Joe Osburn was struggling with Macbeth in English class．Barta told him that either he mastered Shakespeare or his season was finished．Barta got the captains involved, and they took turns quizzing Osburn on his lines of Shakespeare．He pulled his grades up and kept playing．

         “Roger likes everything about football,” says Barta's wife, Pam．“But what he loves most is watching the boys learn a little more．”

1．What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?

         A．How Barta built a championship dynasty?

         B．Barta’s career as a coach．

         C．How Barta taught his students football skills．

         D．Barta’s attitude towards winning and losing．

2．From the the passage we know Barta        ．

         A．hurt his back in an oil field

         B．didn’t want to be a college student

         C．wasn’t satisfied with being an oil worker

         D．began his playing career at high school

3．Which of the following statements about Barta is TRUE??

         A．He earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State．

         B．He helps his players deal with life．

         C．He likes Shakespeare very much．

         D．He loves football more than anything else．

4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

         A．How to Be a Good Football Coach

         B．A Brief Introduction to Roger Barta

         C．Coach and Math Teacher—Roger Barta

         D．Life Coach—Roger Barta