ParishastheEiffelTower;NewYork-优题课

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 millions 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 young magician from Taiwan, Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows. Countries he has performed in include the U
nited States, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
Witnessing something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’ s love for magic.
“It’ s actually thinking rather than one’ s manipulation（操作）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 (业余的) 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.
What does the underlined word “seasoned ” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．季节性的

B．刚出道的

C．老练的

D．职业的

The story is about_____.

A．how Liu Qian became China’ s hottest magician

B．why people love magic

C．what magic tricks are

D．how fashionable the magic is

People love to watch magic because_____.

A．they can’ t figure out the secret of magic

B．it arouses their curiosity

C．they love watching magicians make the impossible happen

D．it is a centuries-old art

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 became an amateur magician in his spare time.

D．He couldn’ t find an acceptable job after graduation

In my profession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS．The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life．They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages． Let me tell you about Tyler．
Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected．From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive．When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest．This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back．Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream．At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing．

This dreaded（可怕的） disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler．He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV - infected mother．When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive, Tyler’s mom talked to him about death．She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven．
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, " I might die soon．I’m not scared．When I die, please dress me in red．Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too．I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me．"
his HIV - infected mother．When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive, Tyler’s mom talked to him about death．She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven．
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, " I might die soon．I’m not scared．When I die, please dress me in red．Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too．I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me．"
What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death?

A．pessimistic（悲观的）．

B．optimistic．

C．sorrowful．

D．fearful．

Tyler requested the writer to dress him in red when he died simply because___________．

A．red is a lucky color	B．red might help to cure him
C．his mom could spot him easily	D．he could find more mates by wearing red

Which of the following might serve as a possible title for this passage?

A．My unusual profession．	B．A caring mother．
C．Mother and son．	D．Dying in red．

The underlined word dynamo in the fourth paragraph here means_______．

A．a promising and helpful youth

B．an extremely energetic person

C．a rare and beautiful flower

D．a magic and understanding superstar

A dog sheltered a newborn baby abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field in rural Argentina until the boy was rescued, a doctor said on August 22 (Friday).
A resident of a rural area outside La Plata called police late Wednesday night to say that he had heard the baby crying in a field behind his house.
The man went outside and found the infant lying beside the dog and its six newborn puppies, Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires, told CNN.
The temperature was a chilly（寒冷的） 37 degrees, Salcedo said.
The dog had apparently carried the baby some 50 meters from where his mother had abandoned him to where the puppies were huddled, police said.
“She took it like a puppy and rescued it,” Salcedo said. “The doctors told us if she hadn’t done this, he would have died.”
“The dog is a hero to us.”
Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital in La Plata, told CNN that police showed up at the hospital at 11:30 pm Wednesday with the baby who doctors say was only a few hours old.
Though the infant had superficial scratches (抓痕) and bruises (伤痕) and was bleeding from his mouth, he was in good shape, Melia said.
The next morning, the child’s mother was driven by a neighbor to the hospital and told authorities the 8-pound, 13-ounce infant is hers, Melia said.
The teenager was immediately give psychological treatment and was hospitalized, he said. She has said little about the incident.
The child has been transferred to a children’s hospital in La Plata, 37 miles from Buenos Aires.
What does the underlined word “sheltered” in the first paragraph mean?

A．protected

B．fed

C．watched

D．gave

According to the passage , which statement is true?

A．It’s hard for the infant to recover soon.

B．The puppies were running here and there all the time

C．The temperature was very high at that time.

D．But for the mother do

g , the infant would have died.

How was the baby when he was found?

A．He was seriously ill.	B．He was dying.
C．He was in good shape.	D．He lost a lot of blood.

What’s the text mainly about?

A．A baby was rescued by a dog.

B．A baby was abandoned by its parents.

C．How an abandoned baby was saved by doctors.

D．Dogs are heroes to human beings.

London ［2009-4-01］—In the first meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama prior to the Group of 20 summit in London, the two leaders pledged

that both countries will be working together to help the world resist the financial crisis.

The two teams will be headed by Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo from the Chinese side and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner from the US side.
President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama made the announcement to the press before they went into the official meeting, their first, at Winfield House, residence of the US ambassador to the UK.
Although it is their first meeting, they have kept a close contact, which Obama said will “set the stage” for both countries “to tackle the challenges in the years to come. ”
Both presidents highlighted the importance of China-US relations, especially during the current economic crisis.
Hu said all the positive results the two countries have achieved have not come easily, adding that he hoped to develop good working relationship and personal friendship with Obama.
Sino-US relations are of fundamental interests not only to both countries, but to peace, stability and prosperity to Asia and the world.
What is the best title of this passage?

A．Hu, Obama set up new economic dialogue.

B．Sino-US relations will be improved.

C．China and the US are working together to resist ec

onomic crisis.

D．China and the US have achieved positive results.

How do China’ s and US’ s presidents think they should deal with their relations?

A．By trusting and helping each other.

B．By sharing their common interests.

C．By establishing the new strategic economic dialogue.

D．By establishing new economic policy.

What is Winfield House?

A．The US ambassador to the UK.

B．Residence of UK ambassador to the US.

C．The living place of US ambassador to the UK.

D．The residence of British Queen.

All of the following are mentioned EXCEPT____.

A．The two presidents agreed to work together to resist the financial crisis

B．The two presidents announced to the press before the official meeting

C．Both countries will make efforts to improve peace and security

D．Sino-US relations are of fundamental interests only to both countries

“A lot of learning comes through play,” says Mardy McGarry, 52, who has been a special education teacher for 28 years. But her students were too often left out. She had seen the wood chips and sand of traditional playgrounds stop wheelchairs dead in their tracks. When she wanted to build a playground for children with special needs，she knew it wouldn’t take long to develop interest in it around the small fishing village. But she never expected that 2,800 people — a third of the town—would all be willing to make a great effort to bring her vision to life.
McGarry started doing some research into play equipment and contacting design companies and she also found a piece of land available. When the city council(市议会) agreed to set aside an area for a playground, she also asked physical and professional therapists(治疗专家) for their investment. And she turned to her friend, Sue, for help. “Neither of us is good at maths, which is why $450,000 didn’t sound like a lot of money,” McGarry says of the initial estimate.
Her Kiwanis Club came through with $7,000，and that’s when the grassroots movement really got started. One woman gave $25,000 and had her company match it. Soon, smaller businesses were joining in. There was a silent effort to collect money. The local Pieper Family Foundation offered to donate half of the remaining $170,000. All McGarry needed was 500 volunteers to work six 12-hour days.
On September 16, 2008, the first day of construction, they came. Two women heard about the project on the way to work and took the day off to help. A couple in their 80s operated their tractors. Ten-year-olds cleared up the mess. “None of them was paid. It was truly an amazing week,” says McGarry. Only three building managers were paid. Volunteers with “building experience” became coordinators(协调人); those who could operate power tools formed a separate group. One team served meals donated from local restaurants and churches, and another organized activities for the children of volunteers.
Today, Possibility Playground is one of the most popular destinations in Ozaukee County. All children, including the ones with special needs, play shoulder to shoulder. “Some playgrounds have special equipment in a different section. Here, you see all the kids in the same playground, all having fun.”
It’s exactly what McGarry imagined. “People used to ask, ‘Why do you want to build a playground just for children with disabilities?” She says, “It’s only when you build a playground for children with disabilities that you build one for all children.”
It didn’t occur to Mardy McGarry that __________.

A．her plan would soon draw the interest of people in the small village

B．so many people would volunteer to help her realize her dream

C．she would meet with so many difficulties in raising funds

D．the playground would be the most popular destination in O

zaukee County

We can learn from the fourth paragraph that __________.

A．the playground was finished in September 2008

B．everything was well prepared, apart from the volunteers

C．everyone worked unpaid, except for three building managers

D．the playground is so popular that it is overcrowded all the time

It can be inferred from the text that __________.

A．Mardy McGarry is a famous architect in the small town

B．Sue was forced to join in the project because of her son

C．people always ignore the real needs of disabled children

D．Mardy McGarry’s vision has been successfully accomplished at last

What would be the best title for this text?

A．Mardy McGarry: A Woman with Great Determination.

B．Cooperation: The Greatest Power in Overcoming Any Difficulty.

C．Show Real Concern for Poor Disabled Children.

D．Make it Matter to Build a Playground for Disabled Children.