AFTER about three months of rehab, Yao Ming has finally re-joined China's national basketball team. His return marks the beginning of the team's full-scale preparations for the coming Olympics. Gabe and his friend Liu are talking about the news.

Gabe: Hi Liu. What do you think of Yao's return?

Liu: Well, I've looked forward to it for months. And now I'm dying to see some real competition between our team and the American "Dream Team".

Gabe: I guess what you're eager to see is the face-off between Yao Ming and Kobe, right?

Liu: You've got me there. I want to see Yao swat the ball away when Kobe breaks into the lane.

Gabe: The Dream Team boasts superpowers like Kobe, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Do you know when our national team will decide on its final roster?

Liu: I'm not sure, but in order to perform well this summer, they need to find just the right balance of big men and sharp shooters.

Gabe: But anyway, we'll surely see Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian on the court. Yao's goal is to finish in the top eight. Do you think they'll reach it?

Liu: Well, I believe they have a shot as long as Yao's in good form.

rehab: 康复，rehabilitation的缩写。

be dying to: 十分渴望做某事，非正式的表达。如果直接接名词，则为be dying for sth (渴望某物)

After working on the project for six months, I'm dying for a vacation. (为了这个项目忙碌了六个月，我现在迫切需要休个假。)

face-off: 对峙，敌对。

He and the manager had a face-off, but nothing came of it. (他和经理对抗， 但是没什么结果。)

You've got me there: 被你看透了。这个句子也可以用于表示"你难倒我了，我被你搞败了"。

- Who's the present President of Iceland? (冰岛现任总统是谁？)

- You've got me there. I don't have a clue! (你难倒我了。我完全不知道！)

swat: 猛击，重拍。

break into the lane: 带球突入三秒区。lane在这里不是"小巷"的意思，而是篮球术语中的"foul lane" (三秒区)。

roster: 名单，花名册。

have a shot: 有一个机会。

He has a shot at winning the scholarship. (他有机会获得奖学金。)

be in good form: 状态很好。form在这里表示运动员的竞技状态。该短语的反义词是"be out of form" (状态不好)。