Do You Know When Basketball Was Invented?
Basketball is a much-loved and active sport that is enjoyed by many for fun and exercise. It is over 100 years old and is played by millions of people all over the world. It is believed that the first basketball game in history was played on December 21, 1891. Then in 1936 in Berlin, it became an event at the Olympics.
Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith, who was born in 1861. When he was a college teacher, he was asked to think of a game that could be played in the winter. Dr. Naismith created a game to be played inside on a hard floor. Dr. Naismith divided the men in his class into two teams and taught them to play his new game. Players on the same team must work together to get the ball in the other team’s basket.
At the same time, they need to stop the competing team from getting the ball into their own basket. Today, the popularity of basketball has risen around the world, with many young people dreaming of becoming famous players. In China, you can sometimes see people playing basketball in parks, schools and even factories. Basketball has not only become a popular sport to play, but it has also become a popular sport to watch. Although America’s NBA games are the most famous, the CBA games are becoming more popular in China. The number of foreign players, including Chinese players, in the NBA has increased. There are also more and more foreign players in the CBA. Many young people look up to these basketball heroes and want to become like them. These stars encourage young people to work hard to achieve their dreams.
参考译文
悲伤与唯美-待更新
昨晚，我的一个中国朋友带我去听了一场中国民乐音乐会。其中用二胡演奏的那首曲子，特别打动我。那音乐美得很特别，但在这份美感之下，我能感受到一种强烈的悲伤和痛苦。这首曲子有个简单的名字 ——《二泉映月》，可它却是我听过的最动人的音乐作品之一。二胡的声音听起来太悲伤了，我听着听着，差点就跟着哭了。后来我查了《二泉映月》的背景故事，才开始明白音乐里的那份悲伤从何而来。
这首曲子是民间音乐家阿炳创作的。阿炳 1893 年出生在无锡城。他很小的时候，母亲就去世了。阿炳的父亲教他演奏很多乐器，比如鼓、笛子和二胡。到 17 岁时，阿炳就因为他的音乐才能出了名。可是，父亲去世后，阿炳的生活变得越来越糟。他非常贫穷。不仅如此，他还得了一场重病，眼睛失明了。有好几年时间，他没有家。只能住在街上，靠演奏音乐挣钱糊口。就算后来阿炳结了婚，重新有了家，他还是继续在街上唱歌、演奏。他就这样在街上表演了很多年。
阿炳高超的音乐技艺，让他在生前就非常受欢迎。到他晚年时，已经能演奏 600 多首曲子了。其中很多都是他自己创作的。可惜的是，流传下来的、为后人记录下来的曲子，总共只有 6 首。但他的影响力一直延续到今天。现在，阿炳的《二泉映月》是所有顶尖二胡大师都会演奏并且称赞的曲子。它已经成了中国的国宝之一。这首曲子悲伤中带着美感，不仅描绘出了阿炳自己的人生，也能让人们想起自己经历过的悲伤或痛苦往事中，那些深埋心底的伤痛。
Key Words
millions of 意为“数百万的；大量的”，不与具体数词连用；
具体数词+million，用单数形式且后面不加of。
- Every year, millions of tourists visit the Great Wall.
- The charity has helped millions of children in poor areas.
- One million trees will be planted in the desert next year.
- Nearly five million books are kept in this library.
“divide…into…” 短语：表示 “把…… 分成……”，可用于主动或被动语态。
- Let’s divide ourselves into 4 groups.
- The cake was divided into four pieces, so each of the four children could have one.
“divide up” 短语：表示 “瓜分、分割、分配” 等。
- They divided up the money among themselves.
与 “separate” 的辨析：“divide” 通常指把一个整体划分成若干部分，而 “separate” 指把原来结合或混合在一起的人或物分隔开，常搭配 “from” 表示 “把…… 与…… 分开”。
- Divide the apple into two parts.
- Please separate the big apples from the small ones.
dream of/about doing sth. 梦想做某事
- Many children dream of becoming astronauts when they grow up.
- The students dream of passing the exam with good grades.
- He dreams about studying in a top university in the future.
encourage sb. to do sth. 鼓励某人做某事，“encourage” 后接 “sb.”，再用不定式 “to do sth.” 作宾补，即 “鼓励的对象 + 鼓励的具体行动”，不可省略 “to”。
- The teacher always encourages her students to ask questions in class.
- Dad encourages me to read more books to open my mind.
- They encouraged each other to keep running when they felt tired.
- The community encourages people to recycle waste to protect the environment.
同义替换：可与 “push sb. to do sth.”（口语化，语气稍强）或 “inspire sb. to do sth.”（更正式，强调 “启发”）换用。
- Her courage in facing difficulties inspired us to never give up.
Key Structures
Who引导的非限定性定语从句，用于对James Naismith进行补充说明，（顺便提一句，他生于1861年）发明了篮球。这里的从句是附加信息，即使删掉也不影响句子主体意义。
如果去掉逗号（变成限定性）会怎样？
Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith who was born in 1861.
这句话会让人理解为： “篮球是由一位名叫詹姆斯·奈史密斯的加拿大医生发明的，这个医生是出生于1861年的。”这会暗示可能有多个叫 James Naismith 的医生，而我们特指那个出生于1861年的。
“not only… but also…” 意为 “不仅…… 而且……”，主要用于连接两个并列的成分（单词、短语或句子），强调两者兼具。
连接并列主语：当连接两个主语时，谓语动词的单复数遵循 “就近原则”（与靠近谓语的主语保持一致）。
- Not only the students but also their teacher likes this book.
连接并列谓语：强调主语同时进行两个动作。
- He not only finished his homework but also helped his mom with housework.
连接并列宾语：强调宾语包含两个部分。
- My mom bought not only a dress but also a pair of shoes for me.
连接并列句子：当连接两个句子时，“not only” 引导的句子需部分倒装（将助动词 / 情态动词提到主语前），“but also” 引导的句子不倒装。
- Not only does she speak English, but also she can write stories in it.
中考写作应用：
This activity is meaning