外研選修7課文原文

1、外研社選修7課文原文(每個模塊4篇)Module 1 BasketballMichael Jordan - Head and Shoulders Above the Rest!During the 1990s, Michael Jorda n was probablythebest-k nown athlete in the world. He was the top scorer in the NBA, and played for the Chicago Bulls from 1984 to 1993. He was n amed their most valued player five

2、 times.Wearing his famous number 23 shirt, Michael Jordan became the most successful basketball player in the history of the game.Jorda n was born in New York and grew up in NorthCarolina. He attended the University of North Carolina fora year before leaving to join the Chicago Bulls. He finishedhis

3、 first seas on (1984-1985) as oneof the top scorers inthe league, with an average of 28.2 points per game.In 1987, Jordan became only the second player to score more tha n 3,000 points in a seas on. He was the top scorer in the NBA forseve n con secutiveseas ons(1987-1993). During this time, the ave

4、rage number of points he scored was more tha n 30 points per game. Withhim, the Bulls won their first NBA championshipin 1991.During this successful period they won the title again in1992 and 1993. Jordan was also in the United States Olympic Basketball Team, known as“ the Dream Team ” ：which won th

5、e gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcel ona, Spain.Jorda n surprised every one whe n he retired before the 1993-1994 seaso n, but he rejoined the Chicago Bulls and won three more champi on ships with them from 1996 to 1998. he played again for the Washington Wizards before fin ally retiri ng fro

6、m sport in 2003 at the age of 40. Millions of fans admire his athletic ability, motivation and con fide nee.They have fan tastic stories to tell aboutMichael Jordan, such as the time when he rescued the Bulls from ending a game on a tie. He stepped to the line and made two free throws. Each time he

7、threw the ball straight through the basket - and each time he had his eyes closed.Off the basketball court, Michael Jordan opened his own steak restaura nt because he loves steak so much. He also found success as an actor in the film Space Jam alon gside the famous carto on character Bugs Bunny!Ther

8、e is only one word to describe the best player in the world - awesome!Wilt the Stilt - the Tower of Power!Michael Jorda n was the sec ond player to score more tha n 3,000 pointsin a seas on but the first was WiltChamberlain.Chamberlainwas born in Philadelphia on21st August 1936. He was one of the 11

9、 childre n, the only one who was very tall. His father William worked in a shipyard and his mother Olivia was a clea ner. As a child, Chamberla inhad various health problems. He hadpn eum onia and almost died whe n he was ten.Chamberlainis the only NBA player who averagedover 50 points per game for

10、an en tire seas on. At one point, Chamberla in was so much better tha n all the other players that they changed the rules of the game to try to stop him!The giant player joined the NBA ' s Philadelphia Warriors in the 1959-1960 seas on and was an immediate success. During 14 seasons with four di

11、fferent teams, Chamberlainwas named the most valued player in the league four times. On 2nd March 1962, he scored 100 points in a single game - no one has ever done that since! The final score was Warriors 169 New York Kni cks 147!He en ded his career after five amaz ing seas ons withthe Los An gele

12、s Lakers. By the time he retired, Wilt held many NBA records: he scored 50 or more points 118 times and 60 or more points 32 times.Was Wilt Chamberlain better than Michael Jordan?Who kno ws? But there is no doubt that he deserves thetitle “ outstanding player of his generation” .Is Yao Mi ng Too Nic

13、e to Be a Star?Jeff Van Gun dy, the head coach of the Houst on Rockets, has a dream. He wan ts Yao Mi ng to be like other players.Star players, says Gundy, are “ selfish ” and want the ballall the time. “ Let' s put it this way,” he said.“ When theyask for the ball, theydon ' t say please &#

14、39;!”Yao, however, is a selfless and kind person. He has been brought upand trained inthis way.Itisnotinhisnature to be “selfish ” and “rude ” .When he first arrived in the US, Yao was an instant hitamong basketball fans n ati on wide. They all loved this ki nd,gen tie but powerful gia nt. Van Gundy

15、 wan ted to build his team around the talentedChinese player. To do this, hetold Yao to be more aggressive and, if necessary, to be rude to his teammates.“ He ' s a wonderful guy, he has every physical basketball skill and he puts the team first, ” Van Gundy said. “ But I want him to be a star,

16、no t just a great team player. He ' s got to think that he ' s the best player out there. That way, he can domin ate the game.”“ At first, I didn ' t really understand what the coach wan ted, ” Yao said. “ But now I do. In China, every one gave me the ball, I didn ' t have to ask! He

17、re, I have to be a little impolite ' ! I' m not quite used to it yet. If you give me a little time, I can get more used to it. I have to learn to be l little more selfish '. ”Dizzy Heights of School BasketballBasketball is one of the safest sports. Un like wrestl ing or box in g, it '

18、; s not usually dan gerous. One reason for this is that the players 'en ergy is partly directed upwards, at a90-degree an gle to the ground, and over the heads of the others. So there ' s less risk of a collision between two players.In other sports, such as baseball and American football, th

19、e player 'en ergy moves parallel to the groundand towards their opp onen ts, so they wear helmets which give adequate protecti on to their heads.But although basketball players wear socks and sneakers which are specially designed to absorb energy whe n they boundinto theair, they war no otherpro

20、tection, just a vest and shorts. If there is an abrupt cha nge of directi onin their en ergy, from vertical tohoriz on tal, such as whe n they accelerate across the court, bouncing the ball, there is a real dan ger of pers onal injury.For example, in the Kent State High School Basketball tour name n

21、t,Chan dler High was playi ng St Mary Cen traland at the in terval the score was 50-52. but St Mary had appo in teda capta in who was not a typical basketballplayer. Whereas every one else was tall and slim with short haircuts, Joe Johannsen was short and stout, with long hair and a large belly. But

22、 he was really fast, and whe n he obta ined con trol of the ball, he could make a circuit of the court and reach the oppos ingteam ' s boun dary with insec on ds.An yhow, twelve minu tes into the sec ond half, Frank Sackler, the Chan dler star player, made a con troversial pass over Joe ' s

23、head. Joe stepped aside and dipped his head down. Sackler bouncedoff him and committed afoul. The referee in terrupted the match ,and there was a suspe nsion of play. But Joe was un hurt, short the pen alty, and the score was 88-90. there were three minu tes to go.Joe immediately took possession of

24、the ball and ran, and suddenly 80 kilos hit the Chandler star, who howled loudly in pain and fell, with his nose bleeding and a cut on his left cheek. For a mome nt, he lay very still ,and the referee eve n checked his pulse, but soon con firmed he was OK. But whe n Sackler stood up he was dizzy, so

25、 they put a bandage round his head, a blanket round his shoulders, and called an ambulaneeto take him to thehospital. Joe was a con siderate guy, and apologized as Sackler left, sniffing and weeping, either in pain or in frustratio n.Chan dler scored with the pen alty, and their teamwork had won the

26、 match. But Frank Sackler still has the scar on his face as a souve nir of the tour name nt.How Did They Start?How did America n football start?Football - or soccer - started in England 800 years ago. The game was played with a round ball that players kicked but could not carry. There were two teams

27、, but there were ofte n a hun dred players on each team!However,in 1823, William Webb Ellis, a pupilatRugby School in England, picked up the ball during a soccer game and ran with it. Teachers at the school were shocked and angry but Webb Ellis ' s schoolmates enjoyed this new game, which they n

28、 amed after the school. Eve ntually, rugby was played with an oval ball that could be both carried and throw n.Rugby was exported to the Un ited States, cha nged a lot and became the sport that America ns now call football. During a game of America n football, the ball can be kicked, throw n or carr

29、ied.How did basketball start?Basketballwas inven tedin 1891 in a gymn asiuminSprin gfield,Massachusettsby DrJamesNaismith,aphysical educatio n teacher.Naismithwan tedto createagame thatwould provideexercise for anoisy class through the clod win ter mon ths. Naismith attached two baskets to two tall

30、poles at each end of the gymnasium and gave the players a soccer ball and told them to try to throw the ball in to the baskets. Naismith later wrote 13 rules which are the basis of modern basketball rules.How did baseball start?The exact orig in of baseball is unknown, but it is probably based on an

31、 old En glish game called roun ders .In the USA,XL.a vers ion of the game became popular in the early 19 cen tury and eve ntually, a man called Alexa nder Cartwright wrote the rules or baseball in 1845. Cartwright I called“ the father of baseball” because the moder n rules of thegame are very simila

32、r to his original rules.Module 2 Highlights of My Sen ior Y earHighlights of My Senior Y earI can hardly believe it, but my schoollife is almost over.Prom ni ght has come and gone, and I ' ve received my high school diploma at last. It ' s a good thing that the exams are finished.I feel too

33、excited to think clearly. It seemsstrange to think that in a few days ' time I ' ll be walkingout of the school gates forever. The first thing I' m goingto do is to take a long vacati on!Mean while, I find myself look ing back at my senior year, and thinking about all the won derful thin

34、gs that have happened. I ' ve decided to write them down so that one day, years from now, whe n I reread them ,the memories will come back.There ' s so much to remember. One of the best things about this year has bee n work ing as an arts editor for this newspaper. I ' ve so enjoyed it I

35、 love writing, and work ing on this paper is my first step towards beco ming a jour nalist, so this has bee n a real success for me.Something else I' ve greatly enjoyed is working as apeer mediator, some one who helps stude nts to settle problems that they have with other students. At the start

36、of the school year, we were given training in how to do this, and it ' s clear that this kind of work can really help people. I think I ' ll continue to work as a mediator when I go to college.During the Easter vacati on, I went on a short school skiing trip to the Rocky Mountains. I ' v

37、e been skiing quite a few times, but never with the school, and since two good friends came on the trip, we had great fun racing each other dow n the ski slopes. It ' s well-k nown that America ns are competitive, and I did enjoy it whenever I won our races!Other things I' m pleased about -

38、getting good grades on my final exams, and receiv ing the senior prize for En glish Literature. I was give n a car by my pare nts so I've been able to drive to school, which is brilliant. And of course, I' ll never forget being elected to the student council. I really enjoyed meeting the tea

39、chers and telling them how we, the stude nts, feel about thing, and what we think should happe n in the school!All these things have bee n won derful. But I have to say, the highlight of the year was the senior prom. For an American girl, it ' s so important that you have a good time at the prom

40、. Well, I did Da ni el, a boy in my En glish class, asked me to go to the prom with him, and I was so pleased - I' d been hoping he would ask me. I found a dress that suited me perfectly, and had my hair specially done on the day of the prom. It took two hours but it was worth it, as every one t

41、old me I looked very elega nt! A group of us ren ted a nice car to take us to the prom. Thefood was delicious and I ate so much that I had to stop dancing for a while! We shared a table with some good friends, and laughed and told jokes all evening. It' s a great pity that it ' s probably th

42、e last time this will happen.Daniel and I dan ced most of the dan ces together. Butthe big surprise of the evening was when I was elected prom queen! This was so unexpected, and I can' t tell youhow good this made me feel! After the prom, a group of us drove dow n to the coast, and sat on the be

43、ach in our long dresses and dinner jackets. I shall never forget watch ing the sun rise over the sea it was un forgettable!Afterwards, we went and had an eno rmous breakfast in a nearby hotel- it was a perfect ending to a perfect schoolyear.After-school ActivitiesIn America, the development of socia

44、l skills is considered as important as the development of intellectual skills. To help students develop these social skills, schools offers a large number of after-schoolactivities,in other words,activities that take place outside classroom less ons. Whe n decid ing which stude nts to accept,employe

45、rs andcolleges look for students who have skills in several areas.Exam gradesareveryimporta nt,but soaretheafter-school activities.By taking partintheseactivities,stude nts showtheirspecial talents,theirabilitytolead,and their ability to get on with others.Competitive sports, for example, baseball,

46、are probably the most popular of all the after-school activities.This is because, for many America n pare nts, it is importa nt that their childre n, particularly boys, lear n how to compete successfully. Young people are en couraged to take part in team sports such as football and basketball, since

47、 these games teach to have the “ winning spirit ” . For some stude ntsand their pare nts, high school sport iscon sidered more importa nt tha n academic achieveme nts.During the long summer holidays, it is a custom forAmericanchildren to spend several weeks at summercamps. There are thousandsof camp

48、s, and they can befound all over the coun try. What these camps offer is an opportunityto take part in many different kinds ofoutdooractivities, for example, horse riding and waterskii ng. Older tee nagers are more likely to get summer jobs or gocamping witha group of friends.Many go backpack ing in

49、 the mountains of the west.My SchooldaysThey say that schooldays are the happiest days of your life, but not for me! My father worked abroad, so I was sent to a board ingschoolwhe nI was seve n.Like mostschoolchildren, I had already been to nursery school. I could recite the alphabet, and read some

50、simple books, but this was my first experieneeof the institutionmyparents called“big school ' .In fact, the only preparationI had for this adve nture was watch ing as my mother sewed my n ame tag in to my shirts, trousers and woole n sweaters.I arrived with one suitcase, my only luggage for a te

51、rm. I was shown to the dormitory where I would sleep with five other innocent boys. The bedd ing was a pillow, a sheet and a thi n quilt. There were two worn armchairs, a few shabby cushions, an electric kettleto heat waterfortea, some posters for decorationbut no curtains.Thewashroom had a bas in a

52、nd a bathtub, but no heati ng. I'm ashamed to admit that I sobbed as I fell asleep that ni ght.I remember that my first less on was arithmetic. My first task was to multiply seven by three. No one explained why. It took me years to un dersta nd the greater mystery of algebra, geometry, and con c

53、epts such as cubic metres, acres and grams.We had a dynamic English teacher, a bachelor who had ple nty of time for us boys and in spired my life-l ong love of literature. There was also a teacher of botanical scie nee, who in troduced me to my passi on for flowers and plants. We spent hours studyin

54、g the structure of leaves un der the microscope.School regulations were strict. Being punctualforclasses was esse ntial, no one was allowed to be late. Sport was compulsory, and every week we had to go for a five-kilometre run, wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of shorts eve n on freez ing cold Nove

55、mber days. We all had to attendmorning assembly, every weekday, except forboys of other faiths, who were allowed to stay in their classrooms. I wan tedto become a Catholic simply so Icould stay with my books!But there were also so many silly rules to follow, which irritated or eve n upset me. For ex

56、ample, every onehad to polish their shoes every day, and no one was allowed trousers with zippers, only butt ons! On Sun days, it was compulsory to write home. Every day I would check my mailbox, looking forwardto my mummy ' s airmailletter. But my parents lived in Asia and to my great disappo i

57、n tme nt, I only got a reply once a fortni ght.I left eleven years later, with my schoolleavingcertificate, and a scholarship to study at Oxford University.Many people talk about their happ in ess at school, but forme, at eightee n, all I felt was a sense of liberatio n.The America n Art of Cheerlea

58、d ingWhat is a cheerleader?A cheerleader is a member of a team that dan ces and doesgymn astics before and duri ng competitive games such as baseball. They do this in order to encourage crowds to cheer their sports teams. The team is called cheerlead ing squad. Cheerleading only exists in America, a

59、nd today it is mostly girl that do it.What is the history of cheerlead ing?Cheerlead ing bega n in all men colleges in the late nin etee nth and early twen tieth cen turies. As time passed, more and more colleges started cheerlead ing, and more women started doing it than men. It was not until the 1920s that pompoms bega n to play an importa