President Bush may talk about a plan to Mars, but Bruce Jones thinks there is still a healthy thirst for exploration into underwater worlds on our own planet. After growing up with a grandfather in the marine construction① business, Jones quickly got a feel for the water. He started diving at age 9 and, by the 1980s, began offering advice for those interested in the submarine② business. By 1993, he was running his own company, U.S. Submarines, which designs and builds submarines for others.

Jones has $40 million spent in building a hotel where the most expensive rooms will be 50 feet under the sea off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Unlike the Jules Undersea Lodge — the only undersea hotel now, just off the coast of Key Largo, Fla. — guests at the Poseidon won’t need to put on a wet suit to their rooms. They also won’t need to worry about changing pressure levels since the rooms will be kept at above-surface pressure. Instead, they can move easily to their $1,500-a-night underwater rooms by escalator③.

“I think there are a large number of people who would be interested,” said Jones, “including anyone who is looking for a different experience.”

Each room will feature strong walls that look out onto coral④ gardens. There will be controls in each room that guests can use to change the lighting of the underwater worlds outside their windows and to provide food to fish swimming just outside. It sounds exciting— but will it happen? It’s hard to say.

“By now I envisioned⑤ we’d have whole underwater cities,” Cooper said. “It’s about time some of these visions became reality.”

Notes:

① marine construction  海洋建筑

② submarine  adj. 海下的

③ escalator  n.  自動梯

④ coral  n.  珊瑚

⑤ envision  v.  展望

1. The first paragraph takes President Bush for example in order to ______.

  A. praise President Bush’s plan to Mars

B. humorously introduce the main subject to readers

  C. support President Bush’s plan to Mars

D. show Bruce Jones is against President Bush’s plan

2. According to the text, who had a great effect on Bruce Jones?

  A. His father.     B. His friends.       C. His grandfather      D. His grandmother

3. According to Bruce Jones’s undersea hotel, we know that ______.

  A. fish outside can be seen through the hotel’s walls

  B. the hotel has been built and came into use

  C. it will be easy to swim into the underwater rooms

  D. visitors will have to wear wet suits against water

4. According to Cooper’s words, his attitudes towards the underwater hotels are ______.

  A. disappointed       B. critical       C. objective      D. hopeful

In urban China，where English is almost the official second language，many Chinese people have learned to speak as professionally as native speakers. However they may have an accent and make a few minor grammatical mistakes.Years ago many people used a certain Chinese-English dictionary or a series of textbooks and accepted their teachings. Consequently，language learners developed a peculiar vocabulary. Some people call these word choices “Chinglish”. The words are not incorrect—native speakers still understand them—but they stand in the way of using standard English. Here are some common examples, both from written and spoken English:

Clever (adj.): Native speakers usually say “smart” instead. “Smart” is a broader and more common word. “Clever” suggests an ability to think your way out of a specific problem or take advantage of a specific situation. Being smart serves you for life.

Examination(n.): Use “exam”, the short form of it, or the more common word, “test”. (The verb for all three words is “take”.) Another word you may hear is “quiz”. It means a short and relatively unimportant test that the teacher often gives as a surprise.

Film: This is largely a technical word. The common term is “movie”. (Native speakers often say “short film for the movie”.)

House (n.): a stand-alone building with its own street entrance that is home to one family. A home in a building full of families is an “apartment” or a “flat”. When in doubt, just say “home”.

Puzzled (adj.): We use this word to describe mild reactions to difficult math problems, and not even very often for this purpose (we say “I’m stumped” or “I have no idea” instead). But when we’re addressing a life issue such as whether to pursue (從事) a graduate education or go straight to work, we say “confused”. This is a stronger word as well as a more common one.

49. The writer wrote this passage to______.

A. prove there are so many Chinese people learning English in a wrong way

B. teach us to choose correct and exact English words to express ourselves

C. tell people that if we want to speak English as well as native speakers we must memorize as many English words as possible

D. explain what Chinglish is

50. According to the passage, which of the following is more common?

A. Would you like to go to the film tonight?

B. He will take an examination next week.

C. Tom is cleverer than his brother.

D. He felt confused whether he would go abroad for further study.

51. This passage suggests that______.  

A. native speakers say “I’m puzzled with this math problem.” more often used than they say “I’m stumped with the math problem.”

B. the word “home” is much often used than the word “house” in spoken and written English

C. the word “examination” is more common than its short form“exam”

D. we can say “do a quiz”

52. We can infer from the passage that______.  

A. native speakers can understand “Chinglish”

B. saying “take a test” is more common

C. to English learners, developing more English vocabulary doesn’t mean speaking good English

D. it’s easy to learn English words well

In urban China，where English is almost the official second language，many Chinese people have learned to speak as professionally as native speakers. However they may have an accent and make a few minor grammatical mistakes.Years ago many people used a certain Chinese-English dictionary or a series of textbooks and accepted their teachings. Consequently，language learners developed a peculiar vocabulary. Some people call these word choices “Chinglish”. The words are not incorrect—native speakers still understand them—but they stand in the way of using standard English. Here are some common examples, both from written and spoken English:
Clever (adj.): Native speakers usually say “smart” instead. “Smart” is a broader and more common word. “Clever” suggests an ability to think your way out of a specific problem or take advantage of a specific situation. Being smart serves you for life.
Examination(n.): Use “exam”, the short form of it, or the more common word, “test”. (The verb for all three words is “take”.) Another word you may hear is “quiz”. It means a short and relatively unimportant test that the teacher often gives as a surprise.
Film: This is largely a technical word. The common term is “movie”. (Native speakers often say “short film for the movie”.)
House (n.): a stand-alone building with its own street entrance that is home to one family. A home in a building full of families is an “apartment” or a “flat”. When in doubt, just say “home”.
Puzzled (adj.): We use this word to describe mild reactions to difficult math problems, and not even very often for this purpose (we say “I’m stumped” or “I have no idea” instead). But when we’re addressing a life issue such as whether to pursue (從事) a graduate education or go straight to work, we say “confused”. This is a stronger word as well as a more common one.
49. The writer wrote this passage to______.
A. prove there are so many Chinese people learning English in a wrong way
B. teach us to choose correct and exact English words to express ourselves
C. tell people that if we want to speak English as well as native speakers we must memorize as many English words as possible
D. explain what Chinglish is
50. According to the passage, which of the following is more common?
A. Would you like to go to the film tonight?
B. He will take an examination next week.
C. Tom is cleverer than his brother.
D. He felt confused whether he would go abroad for further study.
51. This passage suggests that______.  
A. native speakers say “I’m puzzled with this math problem.” more often used than they say “I’m stumped with the math problem.”
B. the word “home” is much often used than the word “house” in spoken and written English
C. the word “examination” is more common than its short form“exam”
D. we can say “do a quiz”
52. We can infer from the passage that______.  
A. native speakers can understand “Chinglish”
B. saying “take a test” is more common
C. to English learners, developing more English vocabulary doesn’t mean speaking good English
D. it’s easy to learn English words well

It’s no surprise why Kung Fu Hustle is the top-grossing^① homegrown movie in Hong Kong. Hustle’s approach to a simple good-against-evil plot is extremely cheerful.

Humor bordering on slapstick combined with exciting choreography^② by Yuen Wo Ping, who masterminded^③ the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix, make Kung Fu Hustle a lively, visual treat.

There is plenty of violence, but it’s largely cartoonish. Stephen Chow wrote, directed, produced and stars in this non-stop action movie, which is in Cantonese with English subtitles^④.

Chow plays Sing, an eager young man who longs to be a member of the powerful and cruel Axe Gang. When gang members appear on the scene, sometimes dancing with their frightening axes in hand, the sky breaks out with fireworks. The sets are shocking, with classic cars lining the neon-lighted streets and gambling casinos^⑤ serving as the backdrop to the underworld activities. All these give off the sensation of Old West shootouts.

One neighborhood is blessedly away from the disorder. Pig Sty Alley is so poverty-stricken it holds no interest for the Axe Gang. Then in wanders the unlucky Sing, who attempts to get money there. But folks are not what they seem: The town is full of kung fu masters.

Sing tries to single out someone he can fight, but it seems as if everyone, elderly and very young alike, has a body like Charles Atlas. During the time, Sing calls upon the Axe Gang, which faces off against the people of Pig Sty Alley, led by the town’ s landlords, the powerful lady in curlers and her husband. Fans of kung fu movies will have a rip-roaring time, but even moviegoers are sure to enjoy spirited action of Kung Fu Hustle.

Notes:

top-grossing  adj. 票房收入最高的

choreography  n. 舞蹈術(shù)

mastermind  vt. 策劃

subtitle  n. 說明對白的字幕

gambling casino  賭博場

Which of the following characters does the passage mainly describe?

      A. Stephen Chow     B. Yuen Wo Ping      C. Sing      D. Charles Atlas

Kung Fu Hustle becomes the top-grossing homegrown movie in Hong Kong because _______.

      A. it is full of humor and exciting action      B. it is full of cartoonish characters

      B. it is mainly made up of dance            D. it is a non-stop action movie

Which of the following about the Axe Gang is TRUE?

      A. The Axe Gang is popular with fans of kung fu movies.

      B. The Axe Gang is always easy do good things.

      C. The Axe Gang doesn’t know how to use guns.

      D. The Axe Gang often fights against its enemy using the axes.

In which part are you likely to find it if the passage appears in the web site?

      A. Entertainment.       B. Travel.        C. News.        D. Books.

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(zhàn)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