NBA giant Yao Ming was named as a "model worker" in his native China, an annual award given ahead of the May Day festivities.

Yao's nomination( 提名)as a "model and advanced worker" was approved by the State Council, China's cabinet, an official at Shanghai worker's union told Xinhua state news agency.

The official ceremony to reveal this year's 2,900 model workers is expected to take place at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Saturday. It was the first time that a multi-millionaire professional athlete like Yao has been given the award that has usually been reserved for selfless workers who devote themselves to their work and Marxist principles.

His nomination has caused some controversy in China where annual disposable income of urban residents is just 8,500 yuan (US$1,025), while annual per capita cash income of rural citizens is only 2,622 yuan."I take it as one more honor and encouragement from the society," Zhang Chi, Yao's agent, quoted the Houston Rocket center as saying."I used to think that model worker was a title for those ordinary laborers working hard ... but now, apart from them, special 'migrant workers' like me can also be awarded."

Yao, a seven-foot-six inch (2.26 meter) three-time NBA All Star, is in his third year with the Houston Rockets and is averaging over 18 points and eight rebounds a game. Besides an annual basketball salary of some US$4.5 million, Yao also makes several times that a year in commercial endorsements. According to Forbes 2004 richest Chinese entertainment list, Yao made some US$14.5 million in 2003.

"The reason why we nominated Yao is that he shows the modern image of the Chinese while being patriotic in international sports arena," the Shanghai work union official told Xinhua.

1.     HOUSTON Rockets’ NBA star Yao Ming ____

A. was approved by the State Council

B. was given ahead of the May Day festivities.

C. is a multi-millionaire professional athlete

D. was nominated by the State Council

2. The word “controversy ” of the forth paragraph means ____.

A. argue about                  B.   deny the truth

C. public argument or discussion    D.  both A and B

3.     According to the passage , we know that Yao Ming got ____ .

A. a basketball salary of some US$4.5 million half a year in America

B. a basketball salary of some US$4.5 million every year in the HOUSTON Rockets

C. some US$14.5 million in China

D. US$1,025 every month in China

4. The best title of this passage is _____.

A.   Millionaire Yao Ming Named Model Worker

B.    HOUSTON Rockets’ NBA Star Yao Ming

C.   A "Model and Advanced Worker

D.   NBA All Star — Yao Ming

答案及解析：1.C根据第一、二 自然段可以推断出来A 、B和D不符合原文事实而根据第三自然段及下文可以推断出来C符合原文事实，multi-millionaire指“数百万的（尤指金钱方面）”  。 2. C  controversy  在这里是名词“争论、辩论”，而不是动词，所以排除A和B及D 。3.B 根据倒数第 二 自然段中“Besides an annual basketball salary of some US$4.5 million ” 可知。4. A 通读全文可知 ，短文主要是围绕“百万富翁NBA巨星姚明被命名为劳模”而展开。