Playing basketball isn’t ladylike. That’s what Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster told her in 1961 when he was against the girls’ basketball program.
“We were very discouraged, ” said Chapman, a forward（前锋）for her high school team of Des Moines.
Nearly 50 years later, Chapman is back on the playground. She’s 62 and plays for “Hot Pink Grannies”, joining about 10 other women on a team whose uniforms are black trousers and hot pink socks. They play in the Iowa Granny Basketball League.
It’s one of dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 that have arisen across the country. For some, it’s a chance to exercise and meet people; for others, it’s a once – refused chance to make up.
“You see more and more elderly women’s teams taking part in state and national competitions,” said Michael Rogers, a professor in sports studies at Wichita State University. “In the future it will be something common to have leagues like this.”
Yearly surveys by the National Sporting Goods Association show the number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball at least 50 times a year has grown from 16,000 in 1995 to nearly 131,000 ten years later.
The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured but competitive when game time comes.
“I think I’m tough” says Colleen Pulliam, 69, showing off her strong arms at her challengers in a game against “Strutters”, known for their bright yellow socks.
Granny Basketball Leagues and similar groups spread quickly through much of the country, including California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
1.Which is right about Chapman?
A．She thinks playing basketball isn’t ladylike.
B．She is now 62 years old and feels discouraged.
C．She plays basketball again about 50 years later.
D．She is a forward in the Hot Pink Grannies.
2.The underlined sentence “it’s a once – refused chance to make up” in the fourth paragraph means .
A．it is chance to realize their old dream
B．it is chance to take part in sports
C．it is chance to earn a reputation
D．it is chance to compete for medals
3.Who is probably a player of “Hot Oink Grannies”?
A．Des Moines. B．Colleen Pulliam. C．Michael Rogers. D．Strutters.
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A．Some elderly women play basketball with the purpose of getting wealthy.
B．Granny Basketball Leagues have spread all over the USA.
C．The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured and less competitive.
D．The number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball has greatly increased.
5.From the passage we can infer .
A．in the 1960s, playing basketball wasn’t considered as a girls’ sport
B．the color of the socks is of great importance to granny players
C．more and more granny players are confident about getting higher scores
D．Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster has already changed his attitude
“I don’t speak English”-these are the first words I learned when I came to America. Soon I was able to pronounce the four words clearly, and said them whenever an American tried to talk to me. This answer was very effective（有效的）at ending our conversation and saving me from another uncomfortable situation, or I would have to communicate in a language that I was not familiar with.
Before coming to the States, I thought I knew English pretty well. But the truth is that the grammar and vocabulary-based English that is taught in schools overseas（海外的）is not the English people speak in America.
But fear not! Once you are in America, you can immediately begin to bridge the gap（弥补差距）between the learned English that you already know, and the spoken English that is all around you. To do this, first of all, it is important not to fear when you realize that you may not be as prepared for daily communication as you thought. For me, as soon as I stopped worrying about my accent and started speaking, I made rapid progress. Often the people didn’t notice my mistakes because they were so glad to finally be able to communicate with me.
Another good idea is to listen carefully and pay attention to the way in which ideas are expressed. For example, if you are working hard and you want to stop working and rest for a little while, you can either say “I would like to stop working and rest for a while” or “I want to take a quick break from work.” The first sentence, I quickly learned, sounds dry and too formal for any kind of communication, while the second is an idiom（成语）that is widely used in American English conversation.
Finally, use what you already know---the vocabulary, the grammar and the spelling. Try to use these into the spoken language for more impressive and accurate（精确）speaking results.
1.What’ s the main idea of this passage?
A．You’d better say “I don’t speak English” in the USA.
B．How you can improve your spoken English in the USA.
C．Idioms are widely used to express your ideas in the USA.
D．Listening is the best way to improve your spoken English in the USA.
2.At first the writer preferred to use the sentence “I don’t speak English” to .
A．admit he is a foreigner
B．save much time for himself
C．prevent himself from being laughed at
D．avoid getting upset in communicating with others
3.What’s the problem with the English taught outside the English-speaking countries?
A．It is quite different from what the natives speak.
B．It is taught in boring and wrong grammar.
C．It has nothing to do with English.
D．It has too small a vocabulary.
4.When did the writer make rapid progress in spoken English?
A．As soon as he paid attention to the way Americans spoke.
B．The minute he found what has been learned useless.
C．The moment he got rid of the fear of speaking.
D．Immediately he arrived in the USA.
5.All the following are tips given buy the writer EXCEPT “ .”
A．speaking bravely B．listening carefully
C．using what you have learned D．making few mistakes
One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O.Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破坏) and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.
William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.
Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museumm has a special proof of Porter’s love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.
Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.
William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry.
Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.
1.O.Henry’s house in Austin has been well kept up till now so that ____.
A. Americans can explore their history
B more visitors will be attracted to Austin
C. visitors can learn about O.Henry’s life
D. it can show the way of life in the 1860s
2.What do we know about the piano in the house?
A. It was hated by Porter’s daughter.
B. It has a long history of about 150 years.
C. Porter’s wife gave music lessons on it.
D. Porter usually created music on it.
3.How does the museum prove (证明) Porter was fond of language?
A. With a dictionary he used.
B. With the records they keep.
C. Using the books they wrote.
D. Using the photograph they keep.
4.Why did Porter escape from Austin?
A. He didn’t want to lose his job.
B. He didn’t want to make trouble.
C. He meant to save his wife’s life.
D. He was charged with a crime.
5.From the last two paragraphs we know that _______.
A. Porter became famous suddenly
B. Porter spent his time in prison writing
C. Porter suffered a lot from his time in prison
D. life in prison provided what he could write for Porter
阅读下面短文，从短文后面各题所给的四个选项（A，B，C，D）中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My husband used to be a workaholic(工作狂)．Nothing seemed to be more ____ to him than his work，not even his family.
He usually ____at 6 o’clock，and our ____ and I were still asleep then，and then left ____ having breakfast. I asked him to have breakfast ____，but he said it’s a waste of ____.I didn’t know what kept him so____.He even couldn’t finish all his work in the office. He came back at ten at night. However，I never expected that he would give me a kiss.____he got home，he would start to____.The kids had already been in bed，of course.
“Mom，where is Dad？Why I ____ see him？”the kids often asked.
“Well，Dad has to work. He is busy，”I always____like this. As time went by，they didn’t ask where their dad was again. Perhaps they had____that they had a dad. However，the situation changed several months ago.
Jenny，our daughter，suddenly became____.I sent her to the hospital.The____told me that she was seriously ill and that she was calling____all the time. Tears burst into my eyes when I____that.I finally called my ____and told him about that. Half an hour later，he came to the hospital and held Jenny’s little hands.
He____another job two weeks later.
“I just wanted to make as much___as possible for you and our kids. But now，I just want to____as much time as possible with you and the kids，”he said and that’s what he is doing now.
1.A. possible B．interesting C．important D．relaxing
2.A. sat down B．got up C．stoop up D．came up
3.A. kids B．pets C．neighbors D．parents
4.A. on B．with C．without D．after
5.A. in the office B．on the way C．in school D．at home
6.A. money B．time C．energy D．food
7.A. tired B．busy C．fast D．excited
8.A .As soon as B．In the end C．Long before D．Long after
9.A. eat B．sleep C．work D．write
10.A. often B．never C．sometimes D．cheated
11.A. shouted B．asked C．replied D．cheated
12.A. thought B．forgotten C．ignored D．minded
13.A. fine B．worse C．ill D．angry
14.A. teacher B．boss C．officer D．doctor
15.A. mom B．sir C．dad D．madam
16.A. noticed B．realized C．heard D．felt
17.A. mother B．child C．brother D．husband
18.A. received B．lost C changed D．found
19.A. money B．happiness C．value D．laughter
20.A. spend B．make C．set D．steal
——Did you know any Chinese before you arrived in Beijing?
——Never ________it, actually.
A. had I learned B. have I learned C. I have learned D. I had learned
He was disappointed to find his suggestions ________.
A．been turned down B．turned down C．to be turned down D．to turn down
