14、

Yao-less Rockets Keep Rising

    Houston Agencies(March 9，2008)―Tracy McGrady had 41 points and nine assists(助攻)as the Houston Rockets won their 18th game continuously with a 106-96 win over New Orleans on Saturday．

    McGrady fell just six points short of his season high for points as the Rockets kept their winning record．

    The Rockets won their sixth in a row since Chinese All-Star Yao Ming went out for the season with his left foot hurt．Yao had an operation earlier in the week．

Joining Hands

    China Daily(March 10．2008)―To celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8，Avon Products，Inc，a leading global beauty company with almost $10 billion in yearly income and the United Nations Development Fund for Women(UNIFEM)have announced their partnership to ensure women’s rights and end violence against women．

    Avon has offered $1 million to the UNIFEM．The partnership will enlarge the work of the UN to improve women’s economic security(保障)and rights.

Oil prices fall below the $105 mark

    Bloomberg News(March 11, 2008)―Oil prices dropped below $105 yesterday after last week’s record highs and it reduced tension(紧张状态)between oil producers Venezuela and Colombia over the weekend．

    Cold weather in the United States and the continuing weakening of the US dollars were set as main factors supporting prices．

    The rush to a new record was driven by a US Labour Department report saying that employers cut 63，000 jobs in February―the biggest drop in five years．

 

49．How much did Avon Products，Inc. provide for UNIFEM?

   A．$105．    B．$10 billion．    C．$63.000．   D．$1 million

50．What day was it when oil prices fell below the $105 mark?

  A．Monday．    B．Tuesday．    C．Friday．  D．Saturday．

51．What was the main reason for Rockets continuous winning?

  A．McGrady’s falling six points short of his season high．

  B．Yao Ming’s going out for the season for an operation．

  C．Rockets has a better manager than all the other teams．

  D．It doesn’t seem to have been mentioned in the passage．

52．The above news items are most probably taken from        ．

  A．business weeklies      B．sports magazines

  C．daily newspapers       D．political newspapers