and look through the questions in Activity 1 first.

Step II Reading

Ask students to answer the questions in Activity 1 after they look through the text.

Suggested answers:

1. No, he isn't. On the contrary he thinks Yao Ming has great potential and will surely become a star if Yao is more aggressive.

2. No. Chinese players are more polite and kind. They are not as aggressive as US players.

3. Yes, he does. If he wants to be a star, he has to be more aggressive.

After dealing with the questions in Activity 1, ask students to read the following article. Show the following on the PowerPoint or print the following materials out as handouts.

T: OK. After learning about the coach's comments on Yao Ming, let's learn what the others said about him. Please try to find the difference between Yao Ming and other players.

Yao Ming Message Board

　　What Yao Ming is teaching us is a lesson that the NBA and all who watch it should learn. We live in the age where rookies with even the slightest amount of talent thump their chests and cry out loudly for attention and shoe deals. Sadly, the game of basketball has turned into a game with players who worked together as a team to a group of players lead by one man. They hawk their one-man show in order to promote themselves over their teams, but Yao Ming is changing all that. Yao hops off the bench during a time-out to hand his teammates towels to wipe the sweat out of their eyes. You will rarely see him celebrate some feat he has accomplished, but he will be the first one to high-five one of his teammates, or pat them on the back whether or not they make the shot.

Yao Ming, as opposed to the other rookies in his class, is decidedly a team player. He is an exciting player to watch, but he's also an ambassador to his country. He brings his customs of honor and unity to our shores, and I am thankful we have him.