The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the major professional basketball league in the world, with teams from the United States and Canada. With the addition of the Toronto Raptors and the ancouver Grizzlies prior to the 1995～ 1996 season, the NBA expanded to 29 teams competing in two conferences, the Eastern and Western, in four separate divisions. Each team conducts a training camp in October to determine its 12- player roster. Training camp allows each team to evaluate players, especially rookies (first-year players), to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses, and to prepare players for the upcoming season through a series of on-court drills and practice of offensive and defensive strategy. After a series of exhibition games, the NBA begins its 82-game regular season in the first week of November.
In the second week of February, the NBA interrupts its season to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star game, featuring the game's best players as selected by the general balloting of fans throughout the United States and Canada. After the NBA season concludes in the third week in April, a total of 16 teams qualify for the playoffs(常规赛季后的夺标决赛)(8 teams from each conference).
Every June the league conducts its amateur draft, in which each team obtains the rights to the professional services of the best collegiate and international players. Any player who has graduated from high school and is at least 17 years old qualifies for the NBA draft if that player renounces intercollegiate eligibility. To determine the draft order the NBA uses a draft lottery, introduced in 1985. Those teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs the previous season are eligible for the lottery. The lottery determines the first three teams to select in the draft. The remaining teams draft according to their win-loss record of the previous season, so that teams with poorer records draft higher than those with better records. The NBA draft consists of only two rounds, with a total of 58 players chosen. Those players not selected in the draft can be invited to try out for a team and are sometimes signed to playing contracts.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the passage above.
1.According to the first paragraph,there are 29 teams in the NBA competing is divisions in two conferences?
A. eight B.six C.four D.two
2.The games before the NBA's 82-game regular season are_____.
A.exhibition games B.irregular games
C.intercollegiate games D.the annual NBA All-Star game
3.When does the NBA begin to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star game?
A.The third week in April B.After a series of exhibition games
C.The second week of February D.The first week of November
4.The word "renounce" in the third paragraph most probably means_____.
A.give up B.pause C.go down the drain D.make a name for oneself
5.Which of the following teams draft according to the their win-loss record of the previous season?
A.The top three in the previous season.
B.All the teams except the first three determined by the lottery.
C.The teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs the previous season.
D.The teams from Canada and other countries.
文章精要
说明文。作者在这篇文章中主要介绍了美国国家篮球协会(NBA)的组成、比赛程序和各队的选秀程序。
斟词酌句
1.ballot v. (使)投票表决
n.投票表决(或选举);选票;投票总数
*The club members held a secret ballot to choose the chairperson. 俱乐部成员用无记名投票选举负责人。
2.draft vt. 征召……入队，征募;起草，草拟
n. 征兵，服役;草稿，草案，草图;汇票;通风，气流
*I’ve made a first draft of my speech for Friday. 我打好了星期五讲演的初稿。
3.renounce vt. 声明放弃，抛弃;宣布中止
*He renounced his claim to the property. 他宣布正式放弃财产所有权。
4.lottery n. 抽彩给奖法;碰运气的事，难于算计的事
*The state uses a lottery to assign spaces in the campground. 政府用抓阄的办法来指明集中营的地点。
5.eligible adj. 有条件被选中的，有恰当资格的;(尤指婚姻等)合适的，合意的
*I know an eligible young lady who would be an excellent cooperator for you.
eligibility n. 资格，合格，适任
试题精析
1.选A。本题为主要细节正误题。从第一段“the NBA expanded to 29 teams competing in two conferences, the Eastern and Western, in four separate divisions”可以推断，分两个区，每区四个组，一共八个组。
2.选A。本题为主要细节正误题。从第一段“After a series of exhibition games, the NBA begins its 82-game regular season in the first week of November”可知A选项为正确答案。
3.选C。本题为主要斜街正误题。根据第二段第一句“In the second week of February, the NBA interrupts its season to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star game”可知C选项正确。
4.选A。本题为词义推断题。“give up”的意思为“放弃，遗弃”;pause的意思为中止，暂停;go down the drain的意思为“越来越糟”;make a name for oneself的意思为出名，成名。由上下文可知，renounce应是宣布放弃的意思。
5.选B。本题为主要细节正误题。最后一段说“The lottery determines the first three teams to select in the draft. The remaining teams draft according to their win-loss record of the previous season”，其中，“剩余的球队”指的就是“由抽签决定的先选秀的三个球队以外的所有球队”。
全文翻译
国家篮球协会(NBA)是世界上主要的职业篮球联盟，由美国和加拿大的球队组成。由于在1995～1996年赛季之前多伦多猛龙队和温哥华灰熊队的加入，NBA扩大到29支球队，比赛分东、西两个区各4个组举行。每支球队在10月份举办一个训练营以确定它的12名运动员名单。训练营允许每队评估运动员，特别是新手(第一年参赛运动员);评价球队的优缺点;并通过一系列的场上训练以及攻防策略的实践，使运动员为即将到来的赛季作好准备。在一系列的表演赛之后，NBA于11月的第一周开始它82场比赛的常规赛季。
在2月的第2周，NBA中断赛季比赛，以便举行每年一度的NBA全明星比赛。该比赛的特点在于参赛运动员皆是由整个美国和加拿大球迷投票选出的最佳运动员。NBA常规赛季于4月的第3周结束。之后共有16支球队(每区各选出8支球队)有资格参加决赛。
每年6月联盟进行其业余选秀。每支球队有权吸收大学和国际上最好的运动员为专业运动员。任何高中毕业年满17周岁的选手如果宣布放弃校际比赛资格即可参加NBA选秀。NBA采用1985年引入的抽签形式决定其选秀顺序。上个赛季未进入决赛的那些球队首先抽签选秀。由抽签决定哪3支球队首先选秀。其他球队按照前一赛季的比赛成绩决定先后，这样成绩较差的球队比成绩较好的球队先进行选秀。NBA选秀只有两轮，共有58名运动员供选。没有入选的选手可以接受邀请到某一球队试训，有时会与球队签约参赛。
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