Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30.

“I will formally end my career,’’ said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.

“Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future,’’ Yao said. “I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture（断裂） in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening.’’

Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. “My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it,’’ Yao said.

He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people — his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O’Neal — “for making me a better player.’’

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别) conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but “I would be sorry if I wasn’t here.” “It’s a big moment,’’ Morey added. “Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA.’’

1.Yao Ming has retired from basketball because of _____.

A．his age                               B．his bad conducts on the court

C．his foot and leg injuries                   D．his poor health

2.Yao Ming was _____ before he decided to end his career as a basketball player.

A．peaceful          B．upset             C．confident         D．proud

3.Yao Ming started his playing career in _____.

A．Shanghai          B．Houston           C．Beijing            D．New York

4.According to the passage, which of the following words can’t be used to describe

Yao Ming?

A．Talented.          B．Responsible.       C．Humorous.         D．Cautious.

5. What do you know about Daryl Morey?

A．Daryl Morey thinks highly of Yao Ming.

B．Daryl Morey was Yao Ming’s coach.

C．Daryl Morey is a basketball player in the Houston Rockets.

D．Daryl Morey is not satisfied with Yao Ming’s retirement from basketball.

Funny English Errors and Insights

Laugh... And Learn!

Welcome to the website for Funny English Errors and Insights (2010), a new book of unconscious humour published by the National Library of Australia.

Funny English Errors and Insights will be launched at the National Library in Canberra on 29^th, October 2010.

In the meantime, explore this website for other collections of real-life English language mistakes, including funny answers to exam questions, media misprints, and silly signs.

See Funny English Errors: The B List for more than a hundred examples of funny English gaffes（失言）. For more funny English errors, read author Troy Simpson's blog. For still more examples,, join this website to download a free PDF version of English As She Is Taught, which lists our top 250 funny English language mistakes from that classic howlers book.

Join this website FREE, and you can also:

o   Enter member-only competitions

o   Contribute your comments

o   Download free e-Cards

o   Be the first to know about our much-anticipated book, Funny English Errors and Insights (2010) ...

Features

   Follows in the tradition of the runaway best-seller Howlers books of the 1920s and 1930s

o   Includes quotes(引文) that have never been published before in this way

o   Includes more than 30 carefully selected funny photos

o   Topics include English, science, history, geography, religion, mathematics, and more

o   A perfect gift for students, teachers, parents, grandparents, public speakers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, clergy and religious, and anyone with a sense of humour!

1.The word launched in the second paragraph is closest to the meaning:

A. sent up for the first time.                     B. written for the first time.  

C. for sale for the first time.              D. printed for the first time.

2.On the website ,you can do the following things except      .         

A. read some funny news

B. know something about this book previously

C. find a lot of examples about English errors

D. express your opinions freely

3.About this book, you know that       .

A. it only includes English, science, history

B. it is quite different from Howlers books

C. all the quotes in it are familiar with us

D. it is intended for people all walks of life

4. The text is aimed at introducing      .

A. a popular website   B. some selected funny photos

C. a new book        D. some funny English errors

Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30.
“I will formally end my career,’’ said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.
“Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future,’’ Yao said. “I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture（断裂） in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening.’’
Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. “My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it,’’ Yao said.
He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people — his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O’Neal — “for making me a better player.’’
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别) conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but “I would be sorry if I wasn’t here.” “It’s a big moment,’’ Morey added. “Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA.’’
【小题1】Yao Ming has retired from basketball because of _____.

Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions, manage their environment, and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson, a Year One student, “operates under the theory of what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.” Says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers（剑）.Later, I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”

“Examine the extended family, and you’ll probably find a bossy grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin in every generation. It’s an inheritable trait.” Says Russell Barkley, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance（支配地位）when they sense their parents are weak, hesitant, or in disagreement with each other.

Whether it’s inborn nature or developed character at work, too much control in the hands of the young isn’t healthy for children or the family. Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior, says family psychologist John Taylor. Children, he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation, “have secret feelings of weakness ” and “a desire to feel safe.” It’s the parents’ role to provide that protection.

When a “boss child” doesn’t learn limits at home, the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches, for example, or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.

“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley, who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don’t want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also fell less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids, in turn, feel more anxious.”

43．Bossy children like Stephen Jackson ______.

       A．make good decisions

       B．show self-centeredness

       C．lack care from others

       D．Have little sense o fear

44．The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means ______.

       A．inborn nature

       B．developed character

       C．accepted theory

       D．particular environment

45．The study on bossy behavior implies that parents ______.

       A．should give more power to their children

       B．should be strict with their children

       C．should not be so anxious about their children

       D．should not set limits for their children

46．Bossy children may probably become ______.

       A．relaxed

       B．skillful

       C．hesitant

       D．lonely

47．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．How bossy behavior can be controlled.

       B．How we can get along with bossy children.

       C．What leads to children’s bossy behavior.

       D．What effect bossy behavior brings about.