Dear Basketball
From the moment
I started rolling my dad's tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Gamewinning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real：
I fell in love with you.
—Kobe Bryant (Dear Basketball)
The New Gorgeous Starting
Kobe Bryant has a real shot to add Oscarwinner to his extensive resume at 2018 Academy Awards with his short animated film Dear Basketball.
The retired Los Angeles Laker talked about the nomination and how his sixminute short film came together. He said that he loves “storytelling every bit as much as I love Basketball”．
But as Kobe Bryant has taken on a number of different projects after his retirement from basketball, he explained what being nominated for Hollywood's top honor feels like：
“I've always been told that as basketball players the expectation is that you play. This is all you know. This is all you do. Don't think about handling finances. Don't think about going into business. Don't think that you want to be a write—that's cute. I got that a lot. What do you want to do when you retire? ‘Well, I want to be a storyteller.’That's cute. This is...a form of validation for people to look and say. ‘OK, he really can do something other than dribble and shoot.’”
What he seems to be saying is that the feeling of winning an Oscar—something so unexpected for an NBA legend—is crazier than what he felt winning rings, something he spent years focusing on in a craft (职业) he'd been working hard at.
(An extract from Kobe Bryant: Great Man Shall Never Retire)
本文讲述的是美国职业篮球明星科比布莱恩特的Dear Basketball影片而获得了奥斯卡奖。他之所以对赢得了奥斯卡奖更疯狂，是因为他成功地挑战了人们的传统观念。
1．Where would you be most likely to find the text?
A．In a poster. B．In a newspaper.
C．On a notice board. D．In a finance report.
答案：B
解析：推理判断题。根据文章最后(An extract from Kobe Bryant: Great Man Shall Never Retire)可知这篇文章最有可能来自一份报纸。故选B。
2．The underlined part “The New Gorgeous Starting” refers to the fact that Kobe Bryant ________.
A．has said goodbye to his basketball
B．has won an Oscar for his Dear Basketball
C．won many champion rings as an NBA legend
D．has undertaken many projects after his retirement
答案：B
解析：词义猜测题。根据Kobe Bryant has a real shot to add Oscarwinner to his extensive resume at 2018 Academy Awards with his short animated film Dear Basketball.可知，画线部分的意思是科比布莱恩特因为他的Dear Basketball影片而获得了奥斯卡奖。故选B。
3．Why does Kobe Bryant seem to feel crazier winning an Oscar?
A．He has managed to challenge people's traditional beliefs.
B．He has spent many years fighting for the splendid award.
C．He loves making animated films more than he does basketball.
D．He has lived up to people's expectations of basketball players.
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段What he seems to be saying is that the feeling of winning an Oscar—something so unexpected for an NBA legend—is crazier than what he felt winning rings, something he spent years focusing on in a craft (职业) he'd been working hard at.可知，科比布莱恩特之所以对赢得了奥斯卡奖更疯狂，是因为他成功地挑战了人们的传统观念。故选A。
