Americans consider baseball as an American sport. They often refer to something being “as American as baseball and apple pie”. But is baseball really an American sport? And what are origins of baseball anyway?

The American game of baseball more than likely came from several European ball games. Russia had an early form of baseball and so did Germany and Romania. People in England played a game called “stool ball”. In this game, the pitcher(投手)tried to hit a stool(凳子)or chair with a ball and the batter(击球手)used a stick to keep the ball away. But American baseball was most likely based on another English game, which is called “rounders”. Players use a soft ball rater than a hard ball while playing rounders.

So when was the first real game of “baseball” played? It seems that it took place in the 1840s. The father of baseball was Alexander Cartwright, who organized a baseball club in New York. Cartwright developed 20 rules that distinguished baseball from previous ball games.

In 1858, the first organized baseball league—the National Association of Baseball players—was formed. This league began charging fans to watch the games. However, the players were all amateurs and did not get paid . In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings began to pay their players. Since they could hire the best players, Cincinnati won 57 games and lost none in their first season. As a result, other teams decided to hire players too. By 1871, the National Association was the first professional baseball league.

Today baseball is liked very much in America. Top professional baseball players earn millions of dollars each year. There are two professional leagues—the National League and the American League. The best teams from these two leagues compete for the baseball championship every year.

1.81.What do Americans think of baseball? (No more than 3 words)2’

2.82. Why was Alexander Cartwright called “the father of baseball ”?(No more than 16 words).3’

3.83. Where did the American baseball most probably come from?(No more than 5 words).2’

4.84.What does the passage mainly talk about?(No more than 5 words).3’

---What did he want to know, Anne?

---He asked ____________we could finish painting the room.

A. When was it          B. when it was that    C. It was when          D. It was when that  

　　Mothers and daughters go through so much—yet when was the last time a mother and daughter sat down to write a book together about it all? Perri Klass and her mother, Sheila Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped (重叠).

　　Perri notes with amazement how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have full-time careers; both have published books, articles, and stories; each has three children; they both love to read. They also love to travel—in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big differences in circumstance and basic nature.

　　A child of the Depression (大萧条), Sheila was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered education a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up privileged in the New Jersey suburbs of the 1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is unthinkable while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.

　　Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheila take turns exploring the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheila describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing research fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.

　　Looking deep into the lives they have lived separately and together, Perri and Sheila tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written account in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet (二重奏) that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will recognize.

　　55. Why does Perri think that her own life has mirrored her mother’s?

　　A. They both have gone through difficult times.

　　B. They have strong emotional ties with each other.

　　C. They have the same joys and pains, and love and bitterness.

　　D. They both have experiences as daughter, mother and writer.

　　56. The word “luxury” in Paragraph 3 means ______.

　　A. something rare but not pleasant

　　B. something that cannot be imagined

　　C. something expensive but not necessary

　　D. something that can only be enjoyed by boys

　　57. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

　　A. The content of the book.

　　B. The purpose of the book.

　　C. The influence of the book.

　　D. The writing style of the book.

　　58. How are women’s lives explored in this book?

　　A. In a musical form.

　　B. Through field research.

　　C. With unique writing skills.

　　D. From different points of view.