【正文】 fuss over something that should be pretty simple. Jersey numbers have their own special significance in American sports, especially basketball. Players choose their number when they join a team and they usually stick with that number for the rest of their career. When a great player retires. His team will honor him by retiring his number. To some extent, the jersey is the player, and the player is the jersey. Thus, when you see the famous No 23 for the Chicago Bulls, you immediately think about Michael Jordan. A No 32 Miami Heats jersey recalls the image of Shaquille O‘Neal, and the Houston Rockets‘ No 11 belongs only to Yao Ming. Lots of stories are behind players‘ jersey number selections. Jordan said that he chose No 23 because it was roughly half of 45. Jordan‘s elder brother wore the No 45 in college, Yao Ming once revealed that the No 11 stands for two people in love— meaning him and his girlfriend Ye Li. 練習(xí) 1. Which team has Bryant played for? A) The Los Angeles Lakers. 新東方在線 [] 網(wǎng)絡(luò)課堂電子教材系列 職稱英語(yǔ)補(bǔ)充講義 11 B) The Houston Rockets. C) The Chicago Bulls. D) The Miami Heats. 2. How long has Bryant worn No 8? A) For two years and a half. B) For ten years. C) Since he entered high school. D) Since he left high school. 3. Which of the following is NOT a speculation（推測(cè)） about Bryant‘s motive to change his number? A) He wants to leave his past behind and have a fresh start. B) He wants to pare himself to Jordan. C) He wants to earn more money. D) He wants to show that he is a man of great importance. 4. Why did Jordan choose No 23? A) Because that number would make him famous. B) Because that number will make you miss him. C) Because that number was related to the number his brother once wore. D) Because that number was easy to remember. 5. What does the number Yao Ming chose stand for（代表） ? A) Two long legs. B) Two long arms. C) Two tall people in love. D) Two big countries. Passage 7 Heat and Health Extremely hot weather is mon in many parts of the world. Although hot weather just makes most people hot, it can cause medical problems—and death. Health experts say that since the year 1900, extremely hot weather has killed more people in the United States than any other natural event. One year—the unusually hot summer of 1980heat caused about 1,700 deaths in the United States. In 1995, more than 600 people died in a similar heat wave in one city—Chicago, Illinois. To measure extreme heat, government weather experts have developed the Mean Heat Index. It measures the average of how hot it felt all day on an extremely hot day. Experts say it is the total heat of a hot day or several hot days that can affect health. Several hot days considered a heat wave. Experts say heat waves often bee deadly when the nighttime temperature does not drop much from the highest daytime temperature. The most mon medical problem caused by hot weather is heat stress. Usually, it also is the 新東方在線 [] 網(wǎng)絡(luò)課堂電子教材系列 職稱英語(yǔ)補(bǔ)充講義 12 least severe. For most people, the only result of heat stress is muscle pain. The pain is a warning that the body is being too hot. Doctors say drinking water will help the pain disappear after the body again has the right amounts of water and salt. For some people, however, the result is much more serious. For example, doctors say some people face a greatly increased danger from heat stress. These people have a weak or damaged heart, high blood pressure, or other problems of the blood system. Severe heat can help cause a heart attack or stroke. Health experts say this is the most mon cause of death linked to hot weather. 練習(xí)： 1. More than 600 people died from heat in Chicago A) in 1900 B) in 1980 C) in 1700 D) in 1995 2. What can people learn from the Mean Heat Index? A) The average temperature of an extremely hot day. B) The highest temperature of an extremely hot day. C) The lowest temperature of an extremely hot day. D) The nighttime temperature of an extremely hot day. 3. A heat wave is a period of time during which A) the weather is much better than usual. B) the nights are much longer than usual. C) the weather is much hotter than usual. D) the days are much longer than usual. 4. Muscle pain in hot weather means that A) your body needs more exercise. B) your body needs more water. C) you should see a doctor at once. D) you should stop eating salt. 5. For people who are not in good health, heat can A) be deadly. B) help reduce their stress. C) cause minor problems only. D) make an existing medical problem better. Passage 8 Study Says Dogs Can Smell Cancer 新東方在線 [] 網(wǎng)絡(luò)課堂電子教材系列 職稱英語(yǔ)補(bǔ)充講義 13 Dogs are known for their sense of smell. They can find missing people and things like bombs and illegal drugs. Now a study suggests that the animal known as man‘s best friend can even find bladder cancer. Cancer cells are thought to produce chemicals with unusual odors. Researchers think dogs have the ability to smell these odors, even in very small amounts, in urine. The sense of smell in dogs is thousands of times better than in humans. The study follows reports of cases where, for example, a dog showed great interest in a growth on the leg of its owner. The mole was later found to be skin cancer. Carolyn Willis led a team of researchers at Amersham Hospital in England. They trained different kinds of dogs for the experiment. The study involved urine collected from bladder cancer patients, from people with other diseases and from healthy people. Each dog was tested eight times. In each test there were seven samples for the dogs to smell. The dog was supposed to signal the one from a bladder cancer patient by lying down next to it.