Here’s an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician, Liu Qian, discovered it in front of an audience of million at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. Liu’s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable once again, and made him the hottest magician in China.
As a seasoned magician from Taiwan, Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows. Countries he has performed in include the United States, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
Witnessing(见证) something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’s love for magic.
Liu is known for his interaction with his audiences. He has a unique understanding of showmanship.
“It’s actually thinking rather than one’s performing skills that is more important to achieving a successful magic show. We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively, to make them appear more interesting,” Liu said.
Liu Qian’s success dated back to his childhood. Born in 1976 in Taiwan, he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old. At the age of 12, he won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest, which was judged by the great American magician, David Copperfield.
Yet, Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician. He studied Japanese Literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur magician in his spare time. However, his failure to find a proper job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.
To refine his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for passers-by, policemen and farmers.
“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said.
1.The story is about__________.
A．why people love magic
B．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician
C．how fashionable magic is
D．what magic tricks are
2.People love to watch magic because_______.
A．they love watching magicians make the impossible happen
B．it arouses their curiosity
C．they can’t figure out the secret of magic
D．it is a centuries-old art
3.Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?
A．He was interested in magic when he was little
B．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest.
C．He couldn’t find an acceptable job after graduation.
D．He became an amateur magician in his spare time.
4.What does the underline word “seasoned” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A．experienced B．freshman C．amateur(业余的) D．unskillful
5.Liu Qian improved his performing skills by _____.
A．learning from David Copperfield
B．learning magic in a university
C．performing in public on streets
D．joining in Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest
Bamboo is one of the nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.
Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables that hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.
In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills can help to make the poor thirsty fields to be watered.
1.How is bamboo like grass?
A．It is thin and easy to cut. B．It grows everywhere.
C．It grows quickly after it's cut short. D．It is short and green.
2.The sentence “while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across.” means “Some other bamboo plants may grow to be very _______.”
A．short B．strong C．thick D．tall
3.From the text we know ______.
A．most people call bamboo plant trees
B．a bamboo plant may grow 4.5 meters in three days
C．the bamboo plant changes its colors when it grows
D．a bridge held by bamboo cable was built thousands of years ago
4.Why did the engineers teach the poor farmers in Africa to make use of bamboo?
A．Because it is cheap. B．Because it is colorful.
C．Because it drills fast. D．Because it is used by Asians.
5.Which of the following is NOT true?
A．There are many different kinds of bamboo with different colors.
B．Cables made of bamboo can last for over a thousand years.
C．Bamboo can be used for buildings, bridges and watering projects.
D．Bamboo plants are able to grow well in any part of the world.
语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，共15分）
Little Robert tried to take a big bottle of milk out of the fridge. However, he __1.__ (lose) his grasp on the bottle and it fell, spilling (溢出) the milk all over the kitchen floor! Instead of scolding (责备) __2.__, his mother said, “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how you can effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let’s go out to the back yard and fill the bottle __3.__ water and see if you can discover a way to carry it __4.__ (safe).” This little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What __5.__ wonderful lesson! The little boy has now become a famous scientist and he remarked that it was at that moment __6.__he knew he didn't need to be afraid of __7.__ (make) mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something, __8.__ is what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn't work”, we usually learn something __9.__ (value) from it. Wouldn’t it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert’s mother responded __10.__ him?
Several years ago, while attending a communication course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list anything in our past that we felt 16 of, regretted, or incomplete about and read our lists aloud.
This seemed like a very 17 process, but there's always some brave soul in the crowd who will volunteer. The instructor then 18 that we find ways to 19 people, or take some action to right any wrongdoings. I was seriously wondering how this could ever 20 my communication.
Then the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story: “Making my 21 , I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town. There was a Sheriff none of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies(老兄) and I decided to play a 22 on him.”
“After drinking a few beers, we climbed the tall water tank in the middle of the town, and wrote on the tank in bright red paint: Sheriff Brown is a FOX. The next day, almost the whole town saw our glorious 23 . Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had us in his office. My friends told the truth but I lied. No one 24 found out.”
"Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown’s name 25 on my list. I didn't even know if he was still 26 . Last weekend, I dialed the information in my hometown and found there was a Roger Brown still listed. I tried his number. After a few 27 , I heard, “Hello?” I said, “Sheriff Brown?” Paused “Yes”. “Well, this is Jimmy Calkins.”
“And I want you to know that I did it.” Paused. “I knew it!” he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a 28 discussion. His closing words were: “Jimmy, I always felt bad for you because your buddies got it off their chest, but you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank you for calling me … for your sake.”
Jimmy inspired me to 29 all 101 items on my list within two years, and I always remember what I learned from the course: It's never too late to 30 the past wrongdoings.
1. A．ashamed B．afraid C．sure D．proud
2. A．private B．secret C．interesting D．funny
3. A．expected B．suggested C．ordered D．demanded
4. A．connect with B．depend on C．make an apology to D．get along with
5. A．improve B．continue C．realize D．keep
6. A．notes B．list C．plan D．stories
7. A．part B．game C．trick D．record
8. A．view B．sign C．attention D．remark
9. A．also B．even C．still D．ever
10. A．appears B．considers C．presents D．remembers
11. A．angry B．happy C．doubtful D．alive
12. A．words B．calls C．repeats D．rings
13. A．lively B．plain C．nervous D．cold
14. A．build up B．make up C．clear up D．give up
15. A．regret B．forgive C．right D．punish
Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your spare time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We’re a non-profit(赢利的)organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages．Anyone，from twelve-year-old children to people in their seventies can become a volunteer．
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of the children whose parents are working．Hospitals need volunteers to look after children whose parents are seeing a doctor．Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes．There is something for everyone.
“As a volunteer，I don’t want to get anything．Seeing the children’s happy faces，I’m happy，too” said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62．“I often played computer games in my spare time before．Now it is happy for me to help older people learn how to use computers．”said another volunteer at the age of 18．
If everyone helps out a bit，we’ll have a better world to live in．Interested? Call us l-800-555-5756 or visit our website：www．activol．com．
1.When do the volunteers help others?
A．In their spare time B．At weekends C．on weekdays D．In the evenings
2. can be a volunteer．
A．Children B．Old women C．Anyone aged12—70 D．Young people
3.Volunteers want to get when they help others．
A．money B．computers C．everything D．nothing
4.Carlos Domingo does volunteer work with .
A．animals B．children C．computers D．older people
Dear teachers, do you want to find pen pals for your students? Boys and girls, do you want to find your own e-pals (网友)? Here is some advice on how to make e-pals.
First, take a look at www.spoton.de community (社区). Click on international pen pal sites to find some of our favorite international e-pal and pen pal web sites. Do not forget: some e-pal services are not free and some are safer than others. Remember to read a web site safety warning before you join!
KidFu (www.kidfu.com) says it is the safest place online for kids to chat, play games and make friends. Get your parents to help you register (注册) and then you can write things about yourself or read what other kids have written. There are also chat monitors that make sure that the online chat rooms are safe and friendly. KidFu costs money, but the first month is free.
If you join Epals (www.epals.com), you can choose a pen pal among 65,000 kids from 191 countries. You can also find information about how teachers can get pen pals for their pupils.
Or if you want to start sending e-mails right now, go to Europa Pages (www.europapage.com/
penpal-form.html). Lots of young people have written their names, interests, home countries and their e-mail addresses. Just click on a name and start writing!
1.Who is the passage written for?
A．Teachers and parents. B．Parents and their children.
C．Teachers and children D．Workers and doctors.
2.If you want to choose a safe web site, you can click on .
A．www.kidfu.com B．www.spoto.de
C．www.epals.com D．www.europapage.com/penpal-form.htm!
3. What is the advantage of Europa Pages?
A．It is the safest.
B．It is free.
C．You can choose more pen pals from a great number of countries.
D．You can start sending e-mails at once.
4.What is a chat monitor mentioned in the 3rd paragraph?
A．It is a person controlling the chat.
B．It is a person sent by the police to keep order in the chat rooms.
C．It is a person in the web site to give safe online advice.
D．It is a kind of software (软件) to keep online chatting friendly and safe.
