The Chinese giant was so dazzled by the lights of Las Vegas that he didn’t notice the furtive glances of the tourists gathering around him. Now he was gazing out over the gaudiest stretch of urban landscape in America. He marveled at the brightly illuminated replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Manhattan skyline, the dazzling fountains of Rome . A red-faced American tourist broke the reverie .“Hey, Yao Ming! ”the man shouted.“Yao Ming, you da man! ”It was the last thing the Chinese athlete wanted to hear. He gave a tight smile and then, as politely as he could, he recited one of the few English phrases he has committed to memory:“ I am not Yao Ming. ”
Maybe not. But Yi Jianlian had better get used to the lofty expectations. A lot of people on both sides of the Pacific are hoping that the talented 6 ft-11 ins teenager will be the next Yao Ming. Ever since Yao electrified the National Basketball Association last season as a rookie fresh out of Shanghai, a slew of agents, scouts1 and shoe-company reps have been looking for a Chinese player who can follow the large — and lucrative — footsteps of one of the league’s biggest draws. Yi wears size-18 shoes, just like Yao. But it is the glimmer of his vast potential — the explosive slam dunks, the boyish good looks, even the mystery surrounding his age — that has catapulted Yi beyond where Yao stood at this point in his career.
Aside from Yao, two other Chinese hoopsters2 already play in the NBA: Mengke Bateer, a muscle-bound 6 ft-11 ins reserve center3 with the Toronto Raptors, and Wang Zhizhi, a lithe, 7 ft-2ins sharpshooter with the Los Angeles Clippers. Another player, a rail-thin center named Xue Yuyang, 20, was chosen in the second round in June’s NBA draft, but Beijing — rankled by his decision to enter the draft without official permission — has refused to let him test his mettle in America. So instead NBA scouts and agents are focusing on the crop of younger players, ranging from Tang Zhengdong, 19, to prodigy Chen Jianghua, 14, a 6 ft-1in ball handler whose dunks look like something out of a Jet Li movie.
Nobody, though, seems a safer bet than Yi Jianlian. Yi was discovered in 1999 on a playground in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen. Barely out of grade school, he was already 6 ft-4 ins tall, a behemoth in a region known for its diminutive people. By the time he joined Guangdong’s professional Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA) team last year, he was an astonishing 6ft-11 ins — and he could leap and touch a spot more than 11 ft-6 ins off the ground. ( The basketball rim is 10 feet high. ) As Yi mastered new skills — the midrange jumper, the baby hook, the reverse slam — he attracted the attention of Adidas. Eager to loosen Nike’s hold on Chinese basketball, the shoe company flew Yi to New Jersey for its ABCD Camp in the summer of 2002 . He was the only Chinese player there. “ It was an eye-opening experience for him, ”says Guangdong junior coach Zhang Zhenming.“ He came back with a very clear vision of where he wanted to go: the NBA. ”
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CET4大学英语四级阅读练习题：
Ⅰ. True o r Fa lse :
1. Yao Ming is the only Chinese basketball player in NBA.
2. The biggest sponsor for Chinese Basketball is Adidas.
3. Eiffel Tower is located in USA.
4. Toronto Clippers is the name of a basketball team.
5. Jet Li is a famous American basketball player.
Ⅱ. Question :
Why did Adidas invite Yi Jianlian to ABCD Camp?
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参考答案
Ⅰ. 1. F 2. F 3 . F 4. F 5 . F
Ⅱ. Because it is eager to loosen Nike’s hold on Chinese basketball.
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CET4大学英语四级阅读参考译文：
谁是下一个姚明?
拉 斯韦加斯的灯光如此眩目, 这位来自中国的巨人根本没有注意到周围的老外们悄悄打量他的目光。此时, 他正凝眸远眺美国城市的一片奢华景象。他惊讶于灯光通明的埃菲尔铁塔复制品, 高楼鳞次栉比的曼哈顿空中轮廓线, 以及令人眼花缭乱的罗马式喷泉。一个脸色红润的美国游客打断了他的遐思; 他大喊道:“ 嗨! 姚明! 你是姚明! ”这是他最讨厌听到的了。他微微一笑, 用他学到的简单英语尽量礼貌地回答:“ 不, 我不是姚明。”
不是姚明, 谁知道呢。易建联最好习惯别人对他寄予的厚望。从上海加盟作为火箭队新秀的姚明让全美职业篮球赛如此轰动之后, 大洋两岸的人就期盼着这个身高2 .11 米的天才少年将会成为第二个姚明。一大群经理人和球探还有运动鞋的品牌代表都把他看成是能够跟随姚明——— 这个联赛最受人注目人物——— 巨大而利润丰厚脚步的人。易建联现在 的鞋子的尺码和姚明的一样大。他表现出的巨大潜力——— 他的大力灌篮, 稚嫩的长相,还有他有些神秘的年龄, 都使得他比姚明站在这个起点时更具优势。
在全美职业篮球赛打球的中国人, 现在除了姚明之外还有两个, 一个是身高2 .11 米壮硕的巴特尔, 效力于多伦多猛龙队的后发中锋; 一个是2.16 米身手敏捷的神投手王治郅,效力于洛杉矶快船队。另外还有一个年方20 岁的身材消瘦的中锋薛玉洋。他在今年夏天第二轮选秀中被小牛队选中, 但是由于没有经过国家体育总局的同意就参加选秀赛, 他无法在这个赛季加盟全美职业篮球赛。全美职业篮球赛的球探们于是打起了那些更年轻的球员的主意, 比如19 岁的唐正东, 还有14 岁身高1 .86 米的篮球神童陈加华, 他扣篮的样子有点像中国的动作影星李连杰。
然而, 他们都无法与易建联相比, 这位新锐的天才被更多的行家看好。1999 年易建联在中国南方新兴城市深圳的学校操场被发现。他刚小学毕业时已经长到1.93 米, 而在中国, 南方人的身材通常都比较矮小, 因此就被身边的人称为巨人。他后来加盟中国篮球联合会的广东队, 当时的身高已经达到惊人的2 .11 米, 摸高达到3 .51 米, 而篮圈只有3.05 米高。当易建联掌握了新技术——— 中距离跳投、小勾手和转身扣篮后, 吸引了世界著名运动产品公司阿迪达斯的注意。为了同中国篮球的主要赞助商耐克公司展开竞争, 2002 年阿迪达斯公司邀请易建联前往新泽西参加在那里举行的ABCD 篮球训练营, 他也是训练营中唯一一名来自中国的球员。来自广东的青年教练张真明说:“ 这次经历使易建联大开眼界, 回来后易建联第一次明确了自己要到全美职业篮球赛打球的目标。”
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阅读导评
电视上有报道说, 姚明最头疼的事就是想知道有没有什么事干了能不那么出名。看来,古语“人怕出名猪怕壮”的确是亘古不变的真理。但是没有姚明, 注定会有其他人补缺: 巨大的市场需求就是巨大的利润。中国商务部一位官员称姚明可以为我国带来一个中型企业才能带来的稳定外汇收入。所以我们需要这样的人才, 并且要一个又一地出口到美国才能让中美之间的贸易问题不那么严肃( 因为姚明不存在任何形式的倾销) 。易建联很有希望。
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阅读讲解：
1. scout n. ① 守望员, 侦察员, 斥候。② 侦察舰, 侦察机, 搜索救援机。③ 童子军。④ ( 军事) 侦察, 守望, 观察。这个词的意思还真多。最常见的是“ 童子军”, 教小孩子纪律和野外生存的民间组织。这里是“ 星探”的意思。他们寻找适合打球的人然后推荐他们以此来谋生。
2. hoopster n. ( 美俚) 篮球运动员。这篇文章里有很多的俚语, 比如前一段的rep 就是representative的缩略。对于在正式出版物当中使用俚语的问题, 很多语言学家和语法学家都持批评和反对的态度, 但是现在美国很多的主流媒体, 包括《纽约时报》、有线新闻网等都大量使用俚语。对学生的建议是: 看懂即可, 请勿模仿。
3. center n. 中锋( 又称5 号位球员) 。其他位置有power forward ( 大前锋, 4 号位球员) ;small forward ( 小前锋, 3 号位球员) ; frontline ( 锋线, 包括大前锋、小前锋、中锋) ; point guard 或one-guard ( 控球后卫) ; shooting guard 或two-guard ( 得分后卫) ; backcourt ( 后卫组, 包括控球后卫及得分后卫) ; sixth man ( 第六人) 。
