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.
Liu is known for his interaction(互动)with his audiences. He has a unique understanding of showmanship(演出技巧).
“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 |
From the story we know that______.
| A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions |
| B．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic show |
| C．Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fame |
| D．Liu Qian does street show to make money |
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1. All the following are the advantages of a Routemaster EXCEPT _______.
A. being newly produced B. a fully trained driver
C. a PA system D. carrying up to 70 guests
2.If you are having a birthday party with 71 guests , what kind of vehicle will you hire?
A. A Routermaster B. A Double Decker bus
C. A Single Decker bus D. A horse-tram
3. We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. London United Busways has a history of more than 200 years
B. London United Busways provides matches and concerts in Twickenham Stadium and Wembley Stadium throughout the year
C. all the passengers on the Private Hire vehicle’s should be seated
D. the buses can only be hired through the Internet。
A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It is remarkable first for what it contains: the range of news from local crime to international politics, from sport to business to fashion to science, and the range of comment and special features(特定 )as well, from editorial page to feature articles and interviews to criticism of books, art, theatre and music. A newspaper is even more remarkable for the way one reads it: never completely, never straight through, but always by jumping from here to there in and out glancing at one piece reading another article all the way through , reading just a few paragraphs of the next.A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers, but far more than any one reader is interested in. What brings this variety together in one place is its topicality(时事性 ) , its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it mean also that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than transient (短暂的 ) value. For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper: what each person does is to put together out of the pages of that day’s paper, his own selection and sequence, his own newspaper . For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently, which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time, demands skill and self-awareness as you modify and apply the techniques of reading.
1. A modern newspaper is remarkable for all the following except its______.
A. wide coverage B. uniform style
C. speed in reporting news D. popularity
2.According to the passage the reason why no two people really read the “same” newspaper is that _______.
A. people scan for the news they are interested in
B. different people prefer different newspapers
C. people are rarely interested in the same kind of news
D. people have different views about what a good newspaper is
3. It can be concluded from the passage that newspaper readers ______.
A. apply reading techniques skillfully
B. jump from one newspaper to another
C. appreciate the variety of a newspaper
D. usually read a newspaper selectively
4.A good newspaper offers “ a variety” to readers because____.
A. it tries to serve different readers
B. it has to cover things that happen in a certain locality
C. reader are difficult to please
D. readers like to read different newspapers
5. The best title for this passage would be _____.
A. The Importance of Newspaper Topicality
B. The Characteristics of a Good newspaper
C. The Variety of a Good Newspaper
D. Some Suggestions on How to Read a Newspaper
Since its invention 100 years ago, plastic , the superstar of the technological age, has become ugly and ungreen . But that’s about to change. An exhibition at London’s Science Museum this week could put it back on the cutting edge of science.
Have you ever hesitated in donating blood? The invention of “plastic blood” might make you feel better.
British scientists are working on the artificial blood as a replacement for real blood in emergency situations. It is made of plastic molecules(分子 ) and can join oxygen and transport it around the body. As a red, honey-like glue , plastic blood can be carried around conveniently . You just add water to make as much blood as you need.
The cells of our body are strict about what molecules the let in and out . For example , if we inject protein or DNA directly into the body, our immune ( 免疫 ) SYSTEM WILL DESTROY IT BEFORE IT REACHES THE CELLS.
To get around this , a British scientist has created drug-carrying plastic balls that fool the body into thinking they are natural. Once inside the cell, their contents are spread out through a small controlled explosion.
Skin transplants are widely done these days. But removing a piece of skin from, say , the bottom to plant it on the face can hurt and be troublesome.
The British company, Celltran, is working on plastic skin. Using plastic, they plan to take a small piece of the patient’s skin and grow it into an extra lay of skin on top of the plastic. a
The plastic feels similar to skin, so skin cells like to grow on it. The plastic then gradually disappears, without any reaction or infection .
1. What would be the best title for the text?
A. The superstar of technological age
B. An exhibition at London’s Science Museum
C. No more “white pollution”
D. Plastic takes on a new life
2. Which of the following will be on display at the exhibition at London’s Science Museum?
A. Plastic cells B. Plastic skin
C. Plastic molecules D. Plastic transplants
3. The phrase “get around “ in Paragraph 5 means closest to ______.
A. overcome B. end C. ensure D. pass
4.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. Plastic blood will be injected into the body in drug-carrying plastic balls
B.The plastic skin will remain a part of the new skin
C. Plastic blood will take the place of real blood
D. Plastic blood contains a lot of water
第二部分阅读理解第一节（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A,B,C 和D 中，选出最佳答案。
In 1999, 11-year –old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother’s Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. The sun slanting across the field, the game unfolding in baseball time, Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate ,where another youngster was warming up. Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could collect, the boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin square in the chest. His heart stopped.
When Kevin fell to the ground , the mother of one the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn’t planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift at the hospital had been changed , and she was given the night off.
Penny bent over the unconscious boy , his face already starting to turn blue, and applied CPR, breathing into his mouth and doing chest compressions(按压)
And he came back.
It was a good thing, for a good kid. Kevin wasn’t just a volunteer for his brother’s baseball team he was a Boy Scout(童子军) , learning various useful skills. Kevin later became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant. He liked the people, but the work could be hard and pretty routine until the afternoon of January 27 2006.
Kevin was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming. He rushed into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue ,her hands at her throat. She was choking.
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Then using skills he’d learned in Scouts, he jerked inward and up ,once , twice, using the Heimlich maneuver. The food that was trapped in the woman’s throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
“ The food was stuck. I couldn’t breathe,” she said. She thought she was dying. “I was very frightened.”
Guess who the woman was? Penny Brown.
1. How was Kevin seriously injured in 1999?
A. His hear disease overtook him.
B. He fought with a boy doing baseball warming up.
C. A bat hit him unexpectedly in the chest.
D. He swung his bat too fiercely and hurt himself.
2. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 5 refer to ?
A. That Kevin was a bat boy. B. That Kevin got injured.
C. That Kevin was a Boy Scout.
D. That Kevin was successfully saved.
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
A. In Scouts children can learn many practical skills.
B. CPR can be used to treat one that has no heartbeat.
C. Kevin dreamed of becoming a firefighter in the future.
D. The Heimlich maneuver is an effective way to help those who choke.
Today about 70 countries use Daylight Saving Time(DST). Daylight Saving was first introduced during World War I in Australia. During the world wars, DST was used for the late summers beginning January 1917 and 1942, and the full summers beginning September 1942 and 1943.
In 1967, Tasmania experienced a drought. The State Government introduced one hour of daylight saving that summer as a way of saving power and water. Tasmanians liked the idea of daylight saving and the Tasmanian Government has declared daylight saving each summer since 1968. Persuaded by the Tasmanian Government, all states except two passed a law in 1971, for a test use of daylight saving. In 1972, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria joined Tasmania for regular daylight saving, but Queensland did not do so until 1989.
Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia have had irregular plans, often changing their dates due to politics or festivals. For example, in 1992, Tasmania extended daylight saving by an extra month while South Australia began extending daylight saving by two weeks for the Adelaide Festival. Special daylight saving plans were made during the sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The differences in daylight saving in Australia continue to cause serious problems in transport and many other social activities. It also reduces the number of hours in the working day that are common to all centers in the country. In particular, time differences along the east coast cause major difficulties, especially for the broadcasters of national radio and television.
1.Daylight Saving Time was introduced in Tasmania ________.
A. to save water and electricity B. to support government officials
C. to pass a special law in the state D. to stop the drought in 1967
2.According to the text, which state was the last to use DST?
A. Victoria. B. Queensland.
C. South Australia. D. New South Wales.
3.What can we learn about DST in some Australian states?
A. It lasts for two weeks. B. It is not used in festivals.
C. Its plan was changed in 2000. D. It doesn't have fixed dates.
4.What do we know about the use of DST from the last paragraph?
A. There exist some undesirable effects.
B. It helps little to save energy.
C. It brings about longer working days.
D. Radio and TV programs become different.