第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分） 阅读下列短文，从每题所给

问题：

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

After 10 seasons wearing the No．8 on his back，Kobe Bryant will become No．24 next season．The reason for the surprising decision by the Los Angeles Lakers super guard last week has become a hot topic for debate．

Bryant wore No．24 when he was in early high school，but he changed to No．33 in his senior year．He switched to No．8 when he was selected by the Lakers in 1996，and has not been changed since．

Bryant has refused to explain the decision until the end of the play-offs．So guessing Bryant’s motive has become a popular game among NBA fans and newspaper columnists．

There are all kinds of speculations（猜测）．Many say that Bryant wants to leave the past behind and have a fresh start．He has often been criticized for phying to benefit himself and not the team as a whole．Others say that he may be trying to compare himself to Michael Jordan．Jordan was famous for his No．23 jersey（运动衫）．Some，such as NBC Sport columnist Michael Ventre，argue that it is“all about money”．Bryant will make more money by selling new jerseys to his fans．

Some speculations are more about fun．For example，there is an opinion that Kobe is actually just a diehard fan of the popular TV drama“24”．

All this talk has turned the number change into a major issue．It seems that there is a lot of fuss over something that should be pretty simple．

Jersey numhers have their own special significance in American sports，especially basketball．

Players choose their number when they join a team and they usually stick with that number for the rest of their career．When a great player retires，his team will honor him by retiring his number．

To some extent，the jersey is the player，and the player is the jersey．Thus，when you see the famous No．23 for the Chicago Bulls，you immediately think about Michael Jordan．A No．32 Miami Heats jersey recalls the image of Shaquille O’Neal，and the Houston Rockets’No．11 belongs only to Yao Ming．

56．Which team has Bryant played for?

A．The Los Angeles Lakers．         B．The Houston Rockets．

C．The Chicago Bulls．               D．The Miami Heats．

57．Bryant has worn No 8________?

A．for two years and a half             B．for ten years

C．since he entered high school         D．since he left high school

58．Which of the following is NOT a speculation about Bryant’s motive to change his number?

A．He wants to leave his past behind and have a fresh start．

B．He wants to compare himself to Jordan．

C．He wants to earn more money．

D．He wants to show that he is a man of great importance．

59．What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．When a great player retires，his team will reward him with much money．

B．A lucky number will be passed on to a new player．

C．An outstanding player’s jersey number won’t be used after his retirement．

D．A great player often changes his jersey number in the same team