Can a star basketball player also be a star hip-hop singer? If you ask Shaquille O'Neal and some of his
NBA fellows, they'll say "Sure".
         In the NBA, hip-hop music is as common as the jump shot. Hip-hop is similar (相似的) to rap (說唱)
music and is especially popular with young African Americans. This music is played before basketball games
or during halftime. Many of the players, like Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers, write rap rhymes
when they travel on airplanes from one city to another. 
         The NBA has a closer connection to hip-hop than any other sports league. This is partly because of the
large number of African-American players, but also because the basketball league just loves hip-hop. Every
February, the NBA invites popular rap singers to perform (表演) at its All-Star weekend.
         When they play basketball, some of the younger stars even try to look like hip-hop singers. Like rap
stars, they don't smile in photographs and videos. They try to trouble the players on the other team by looking
tough(兇). "Hip-hop is just part of many players'culture (文化) ," says Kerry Kittles, a player on the New
Jersey Neis
team. "All of us grew up listening to rap and playing basketball, and the rappers grew up doing the same thing.
A lot of players want to be rappers, and a lot of rappers would like to be players."
         Master P. is a famous rap star who wants to be a basketball player. The Charlotte Homets and the
Toronto Raptors have invited him to their training camps. They enjoy listening to his music, but many people
think that he is not good enough at basketball to be on an NBA team.
         Shaquille O'Neal, whose nickname is Shaq, is the greatest example of an NBA player who became a
rapper. He has made four successful rap albums. One of his rap songs, "It Was All a Dream," tells how he
felt when he became successful.

1. Why don't some younger players try to smile or look friendly in photos?

A. They try to trouble the players on the other team.
B. They try to look like hip-hop singers.
C. They try to be successful in their playing.
D. They try to pretend (假裝) to be famous.

2. The song "It Was All a Dream" expresses ___________.

3. The best title of the text is "___________".

A. The NBA All-Star Weekend in America
B. A Successful Player ——O'Neal
C. Basketball Stars Become Hip-Hop Singers
D. Popular Music and Sports in U. S

4. What do you know about the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors?

A. They are famous basketball players.
B. They are famous basketball teams.
C. They are well-known hip-hop singers.
D. They are two training places

        About 1,000 students and teachers from six universities (大學(xué)) across Beijing have been given the
chance to see the world famous New York Philharmonic perform (演出) on its first visit to the city in
156 years.
        In early June, students from Beijing University, China Institute (學(xué)院) of Music and other four
universities were invited by Citibank (花旗銀行) to take part in an educational test to win tickets-given
by the US banking company - to see one of the world's oldest and greatest orchestras (管弦樂隊(duì)).
       The first 1,000 students who had correct answers to the five test questions won an entrance ticket
to the Beijing performance.
       "Citibank has a strong heritage (傳統(tǒng)) in the educational course," said William, the bank's Beijing
manager. "We have made these tickets able to be used as part of our support (支持) of the New York
Philharmonic's tour to Beijing, so that students may have the chance to experience the music of this most
important and successful orchestra." The New York Philharmonic is going to give two performances in
Beijing on June 23 at the 21st Century Theatre and on June 24 at the Great Hall of the People.
Questions:
1. Is New York philharmonic well-known on the earth? 
    ______________________________________.
2. For the first 1,000 students who passed the test, what could they get?
    ______________________________________. 
3. How can the students pass the test?
    ______________________________________.
4. How many performances will New York Philharmonic give in Beijing?
    ______________________________________.
5. How long has New York Philharmonic been founded?
    ______________________________________.

         Body language makes up 50% of a conversation, whether we mean it to or not. Since people don't always
say what they mean at work, Robert Phipps, a UK body language expert, tells you how to understand it.
         If someone has the same idea as yours, they'll often have the same posture (姿勢) as yours. But if a
person's body and feet are turned away from you even though they're looking at you, it means they'd rather be
moving the way their feet are pointing.
         Most people cross their arms if they have different ideas. So even if someone says they agree with you,
if they then cross their arms they really don't. So try to find out what's the matter with them or draw them out
by handing them something to look at or asking them to do something, such as writing something down.
         If you're training someone, it's useful to know how their mind works. If a person's eyes move up and to
the left while you're talking to them, they think of information actively, if the eyes only move left they think of
sounds, but eyes moving to the right and down shows they learn through their feelings.
        When people are lying, they don't often use their hands naturally but make a lot of hand-to-face gesture
(手勢). Hands or fingers covering the mouth means what they are saying is not true.
         Tilting (傾斜) the head to the side shows and interest in what's being said. When people drop their heads,
they are showing they don't agree with you. Using a hand to support (支撐) your head means you're feeling
tired.

1. It's important to study body language because _________.

A. not everything can be talked about to others
B. not everyone can speak the same language
C. sometimes people aren't going to talk with each other
D. sometimes what we say is different from what we mean

2. Someone's body turning away means _________.

3. What shall we watch if we want to read somebody else's mind?

A. His eyes.
B. His head.
C. His hands.
D. His feet.

4. What will you do if you find the other drops his head while listening to you?

A. Begin talking about something else.
B. Try to find out what his real idea is.
C. Ask him to read something instead.
D. Let him have a rest for a while.

        Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration (靈感), the Five Friendlies
(福娃)will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship,
peace and blessings (祝福)from China to children all over the world.
        The Five Friendlies come from four of China's most popular animals: the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan
Antelope (藏羚羊), the Swallow and one from the Olympic Flame (火炬).
        Each of the Friendlies has a name in the traditional way of expressing love for children in China. Beibei is
the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the
Swallow.
        When you put their names together: "Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni", they say "Welcome to Beijing", offering a
warm invitation of the Five Friendlies as young children for the Olympic Games.
        The Five Friendlies also stand for the scenery, the dreams and the aspirations (熱情)of people from every
part of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature: the sea, the forest,
the fire, the earth and the sky. What's more, the deep traditional Chinese folk art can be found in all the Five
Friendlies.
        At the heart of their task and through all of their work, the Five Friendlies will try to unite the world in
peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit. In order to help Beijing spread (傳播) its theme of 2008 "One
World, One Dream" to every continent, the Five Friendlies show the deep feeling of the Chinese people to reach
out to the world in friendship through the Games. And the Five Friendlies invite every man, woman and child all
over the world to take part in the great celebration of human union in Beijing, China in 2008.

1. How many Friendlies are from Chinese most popular animals?

A. Two.
B. Three.
C. Four.
D. Five.

A. One World, One Dream.
B. The scenery, the dreams and the aspirations.
C. The friendship, peace and blessings.
D. Welcome to Beijing.

3. Which of the following is NOT related to the Official Mascots?

A. Helping Beijing to get the chance to hold the 2008 Olympic Games.
B. The Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow and the Olympic Flame.
C. A warm invitation for the 2008 Olympic Games.
D. The scenery, the dreams and the aspirations of people from every part of China.

       Started in 1636, Harvard University (哈佛大學(xué)) is the oldest of all the colleges and universities in
the United States. Yale Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.
       In the early years, these schools were nearly the same. Only young men went to college. All the
students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin and Greek. Little was known about
science. And few people know that one kind of school could teach everything that was known about
the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers.
       In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later,
lawyers could study in Harvard's law school. In 1825, besides（除……之外）Latin and Greek, Harvard
began to teach modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began to teach American history.
      As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students
were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them. 
      Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are made up of
smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There's so much to learn that one kind of school
can't offer all.
1. Is Harvard the oldest university in the US?
    ______________________________________________________
2. Who went to college in the early years?
    ______________________________________________________
3. How many languages did Harvard teach in 1825?
    ______________________________________________________
4. Why did Harvard and other colleges begin to teach many new subjects?
    ______________________________________________________
5. Why are most of colleges and universities made up of smaller schools today?
    ______________________________________________________

         For years, children in the industrial areas of Europe and America seldom left their smoky cities to see the
beauties of the countryside. This was not because the woods and fields were always far away, but because they
were too far away from the city to permit people to make a day trip between morning and nightfall.
        In 1907, a young German schoolmaster had an idea which changed this state of affairs. He decided to turn
his little schoolhouse into a dormitory for the summer holidays. Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and
cooking equipment along could stay there for a very small quantity of money. The idea was a success. A few
years later, the schoolhouse was much too small to hold the many young people who wanted to stay there. As
a result, a dormitory was set up in an old castle nearby. This was the first Young Hostel.
         Today, young students and workers of every country can meet in the hostels and get to know each other.
When young people arrive at a hostel, they have only to show their card of membership in a hostel organization
in their own country. This card will permit them to use the facilities of hostels all over the world for a very low
price.
         Often, at the evening meal, a group of boys and girls from various parts of the country or the world will
happen to meet at the same hostel. They may put their food together and prepare a dinner with many kinds of
dishes. Sometimes a program will be organized after the meal, with dances, songs, or short talks followed by a
question period. One can learn a lot of things about other places, just by meeting people who come from those
places. For this reason, a few weeks spent"hostelling"can just be as useful a part of one's education as classes
in school.

A. arrive early enough to book a room
B. are free to use equipment in the hostels
C. have a card of membership from all over the world
D. have a card of membership in the hostels of their country

2. From the passage we may see that hostels are important mainly because they ________.

A. do not cost very much in their travel
B. are nice places to spend the night
C. get people from different places to meet each other
D. offer good service and put their food together

3. The best title for the passage may be ____________.

A. Youth Organization
B. Education Out of School
C. International Travel
D. Summer Holidays

        Even a child knows that nodding the head means "yes". But some people will probably be puzzled when the
y first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian
does not like what he said, but on the contrary, he is expressing agreement. 
        The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn't mean "No",
but "Yes". If a person doesn't know this, it might cause misunderstanding (誤解).
        At one time a foreigner in India told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver
shook his head. The foreigner said his request again and again and the driver still shook his head. At last, the
foreigner shouted angrily, "Drive me to my office at once!" The driver said in a low voice, "Yes, sir," smiling
and shaking his head again at the same time.

1. In general, nodding the head means______ and shaking the head means _______.

A. "Yes"… "No"
B. "No"… "Yes"
C. "Yes"… "Yes"

2. According to the habit of India, if someone agree with you, he will _________.

3. Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him to drive to him to his office? Because  
    _________.

A. the Indian driver had something important to do
B. the foreigner agreed to give him only a little money
C. in India shaking the head means agreement

4. The foreigner became angry because __________.

A. the Indian driver didn't want to send him to his office
B. he misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India
C. the Indian driver asked him for a lot of money

5. The phrase "on the contrary" means ________.

A. 正相反
B. 總之
C. 與之相同