In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.

    When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters^① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.

    The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.

    “Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy^② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.

“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout^③ internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 — and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic — number two overall in this year’s draft — are icons^④in-waiting. It is the ultimate^⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.

Notes:

roster  n. 花名冊

strategy  n. 戰略，策略

scout  vt. 尋找，覓得

icon  n. 偶像

ultimate  adj. 最后的，根本的

Choose the best answers according to the above:

According to the report,       ___.

A. Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA

B. the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great

C. Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA

D. European countries will host the 2004 NBA games

The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of       ___.

A. NBA intends to make China its “marketing center”

B. NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China

C. there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings

D. the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China

. What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?

A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.

B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.

C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.

D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball.

When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to        __.

A. farms in the States             B. native Americans 

C. the NBA training center         D. the USA

Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?

A. The Non-American Basketball Players    B. NBA Is Coming to China

C. The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA      D. NBA Is Making Big Progress

閱讀理解

　　In many countries today, laws protect wildlife. In India, the need for such protection was realized centuries ago.

　　About 300 BC an Indian writer described forests that were somewhat like national parks today. The game of killing beasts was carefully supervised (vt. 監督; 管理; 負責). Some animals were fully protected. Within the forest. nobody was allowed to cut timber (wood for building), burn wood for charcoal (n. 炭, 木炭), or catch animals for their furs. Animals that became dangerous to human visitors were caught or killed outside the park so that other animals would not become uneasy.

　　The need for wildlife protection is greater now than ever before. About a thousand species of animals are in danger of extinction, and the rate at which they are being destroyed has increased. With mammals (n. 哺乳動物), for example, the rate of extinction was about one species every fifty years from AD 1 to 1800, but now it is about one species every year. Everywhere, men are trying to solve the problem of protecting wildlife caring for the rapid growth of the world’s population.

1．In forests of ancient India ________ .

[　　]

A．people were permitted to hunt for fun

B．only a few kinds of animals could be killed

C．the game of killing beasts was strictly limited

D．no killing of beasts was allowed

2．Dangerous animals were caught or killed outside the park so as to ________ .

[　　]

A．keep human visitors safe

B．free the rest of the animals from worry or fear

C．supply other animals with more food

D．control the number of wild animals

3．The underlined word“extinction”probably means ________ .

[　　]

4．The example of man's connection with wildlife protection can date back to ________ .

[　　]

A．the third century

B．more than 2000 year s ago

C．AD 1

D．over 300 years ago

In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.
When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters^① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.
The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.
“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy^② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout^③ internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 —and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic —number two overall in this year’s draft —are icons^④in-waiting. It is the ultimate^⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
Notes:
①    roster  n. 花名冊
②    strategy  n. 戰略，策略
③    scout  vt. 尋找，覓得
④    icon  n. 偶像
⑤    ultimate  adj. 最后的，根本的
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

   According to the report,       ___.

   1. A.
      Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA
   2. B.
      the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great
   3. C.
      Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA
   4. D.
      European countries will host the 2004 NBA games
2. 2.

   The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of       ___.

   1. A.
      NBA intends to make China its “marketing center”
   2. B.
      NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China
   3. C.
      there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings
   4. D.
      the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China
3. 3.

   . What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?

   1. A.
      NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.
   2. B.
      China’s rapid development in sports affects NB
4. 4.

   When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to        __.

   1. A.
      farms in the States
   2. B.
      native Americans
   3. C.
      the NBA training center
   4. D.
      the USA
5. 5.

   Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The Non-American Basketball Players
   2. B.
      NBA Is Coming to China
   3. C.
      The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA
   4. D.
      NBA Is Making Big Progress