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 |
C
With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what a Texas A&M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr, Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2,000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“ The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available ( capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes, “ They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy ( having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the project at Texas A&M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
64. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to ______.
make efforts to clone the endangered pandas
save endangered animals from dying out
collect DNA of endangered animals to study
transfer the nuclear of name animal to another
According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of ______.
A. available panda eggs B. host animals
C. qualified researchers D. enough money
66. The best title for the passage may be ______.
A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning B. The First Cloned Panda in the World
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas D. China-- the Native Place of Pandas Forever
67. From the passage we know that ______.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit
C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century
B
Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona. Especially in summer, thousands of tourists go the seaside by passing through this street, making it a centre of shops and bazaars. Not only can you find tourists there, but also thieves, swindlers, cops--- among whom the living statue artists are the most special group. They were covered with greasepaint(化妆油) in different colors, wearing season-disproportional clothes, standing on a pedestal for several hours without making even a single move. Are they real or fake, the guests were wondering--- and then suddenly the statues came to life, just for a few seconds to shift positions. But the movement of the statues seemed like someone just had breathed life into them. They really do look like statues, and that’s how they got their names.
Usually there is a jar or a hat in front of them. They would change to another pose whenever some tourists put a coin in the hat. You may take photos after giving a Euro, or even less, but be careful not to touch the statues, unless you want yourself to be covered in paint. It’s a really special experience, don’t you think?
60. Why is Las Ramhlas the most famous street in Barcelona?
A. It is a place where people come for holiday.
B. It is in Barcelona that makes it famous.
C. Thousands of tourists go to the seaside by passing through this street.
D. It is a center of trade.
61. Why are those persons called living statues?
A. They were covered with greasepaint in different colors.
B. They were wearing season-disproportional clothes.
C. They are standing on a pedestal for several hours without making even a single move.
D. Their movement seemed like someone just had breathed life into them.
62. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. There are tourists, thieves, swindlers, cops and living statues in the famous street.
B. The persons who make living statues want to earn money by this way.
C. Taking photos with living statues is free.
D. People can touch living statues
63. Which kind of persons are most special in Las Ramhlas street?
A. Tourists B. Thieves C. Guides D. Living statues
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下面短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A,B,C,D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
One day, when we had been riding in the burning sun for five hours, we came to a narrow, shaky bridge where a railways crossed a stagnant pond (发臭的池塘)。 For 30 feet there was nothing but the widely-spaced wooden sleepers(枕木)under ore wheels, and nothing to stop us from falling into the steaming bog (沼泽) below if we overbalanced. Right under the bridge lay the bridge and rode straight over, without even slowing down. I stopped.
“What’s up?” he shouted, from the other side.
“I’m not riding over that thing. If I fall, I’ll be there with that cow!”
“There’s nothing to it. I just did it, didn’t I?”
“You’re stronger and taller. My feet can’t touch the ground. You do it for me!”
Mat said strength didn’t come into it and rode off, leaving me staring down into the sickly brown soup. He would be waiting for me around the next corner, but I knew he would give me at least an hour before coming to help. The sun burned my face; sweat ran off my forehead into my eyes and stuck my shirt to my body; mosquitoes flew into my mouth when I breathed. To stand still in this place was to kill myself; anyway, to sit around waiting for Mat to help was more than my feminist (女权主义) pride could take. I rode back along the track a few hundred yards to get a good run-up, and over I went. Mat was right. All the obstacles were in my mind.
The author stopped near the bridge because ______.
She was tired and wanted to have a rest
She found a dead cow under the bridge
She was afraid of falling off the bridge
She didn’t know how to cross the bridge
Why did Mat refuse to help the author?
A. He wanted to finish the journey as soon as possible
B. He felt she should overcome her fear by herself
C. He didn’t believe she was really afraid
D. He knew she was too proud to accept his help
What does the underlined part “sickly brown soup” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. The body of a dead cow B. The mud on the wheals
C. The dirty water in the pond D. The author’s food for the journey
59. According to the last paragraph, the author seems to believe that ______.
A. nothing is difficult to the man who will try
B. a friend in need is a friend indeed
C. you can’t make something out of nothing
D. well begun is half done
D
More and more teenage addicts in Korea are refusing to leave their bedrooms and some young adults are playing fantasy games online until they literally drop dead. "He didn't adapt very easily into high school," said Chu Dong-jiu, whose son, Jae--yun, 17, cruises football websites 12 to 14 hours a day. "That was why he dropped out. Now he spends all the time he is not eating on the computer. He hasn't been out of the house for eight months."
Eighty percent of South Koreans have broadband internet, the highest rate in the world. In Britain the figure is less than a third. This is partly the result of its intense, science-based schooling. But according to Dr. Kim Hyun-soo, chairman of the Association of Internet Addiction Psychiatrists, an "education frenzy (狂怒)" has undermined children's self-confidence and forced them to seek escape elsewhere.
Children, many tutored beyond school, enjoy little free time outside home, driving them into the solitary solace(安慰) of the computer, he said. “What children do on the Internet reflects what they want in reality,” he said. “The dreams they pursue are the dreams they would pursue in ordinary life.”
The most common obsession(迷住,困扰) is with online games in which players become fantasy figures in landscapes pitted with foes and obstacles. One 28-year-old young man collapsed and died last year after playing a game non-stop for 50 hours in an Internet cafe. Doctors said he died from exhaustion and dehydration (脱水). Studies show five percent of "gamers” are seriously addicted, with a further 15 ~ 20 percent betraying signs of an unhealthy obsession. Gamers make up 90 percent of Dr. Kim's patients, often referred to him by mental hospitals to which parents had taken their children. The other l0 percent are guilty of freakish (异想天开的)and anti-social behaviour on websites. "These people are very frustrated inside and full of anger," he said.
The government has stepped in, banning children from Internet cafes after l0 p. m. , and sending teams of psychologists to visit them.
67. This passage mainly wants to tell us that________
A. Internet cafes seriously do great harm to children's life
B. lots of students in Korea escape into Internet fantasy
C. why more and more children in Korea like Internet cafes
D. the government should take immediate actions against Internet cafes
68. Why did Jae-yun drop out of the school?
A. Because his family was too poor. B. Because he wanted to find a job earlier.
C. Because he liked searching football websites greatly.
D. Because he liked playing all kinds of computer games, especial]y football games.
69. According to the passage, we can infer that________.
A. most of Dr. Kim's patients are game lovers
B. garners make up l0 percent of Dr. Kim's patients
C. the government in Korea hasn't taken any action to control Internet cafes so far
D. more and more teenage addicts in Korea are refusing to leave their bedrooms
70. From what Dr. Kim said, we can conclude that_______.
A. children who like surfing the Internet are poor at studying
B. the Internet can help children to realize their dreams
C. most children who often go to Internet cafes hate society
D. the violence at school has something to do with the reasons why teenagers addict to the Internet
C
If You Make a Mistake, Don’t Worry!
Yeah, you’ll want to forget about them, but mistakes can be useful. Making a mistake doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. In real life you have to grow and mature, and with that comes some growing pains.
You know you should have studied hard but you went out with some friends instead. You know you should have put the money into the bank for a rainy day instead of spending it on all kinds of things you didn’t need.
It’s the growing pains called mistakes that most people make when they are growing up. Face them. You are going to make them. Learn from them. All of the people you wish to copy, such as all the experts in your business field, have made mistakes. They’ll continue to make mistakes for all their successes.
One of the major differences between people like them and the vast majority(大多数)of others is that they don’t let their mistakes stop them. Instead, they use their mistakes as learning tools.
At the very least, when you make a mistake, you’ll know what not to do. And you can help others by warning them of the mistakes you’ve made. Don’t let mistakes stop you from doing anything. Learn from them, don’t hide in a closet. Facing up to your mistakes now and later will mature.
What mistakes are you making right now? Take a look at anything you might be doing wrong. Take a step back and evaluate your situation, then fix whatever needs to be corrected. Then move forward.
Always remember your mistakes to remind yourself of what not to do for the future.
63. Why does the writer say mistakes can be useful?
A. Because you can get some growing pains.
B. Because experts also make mistakes.
C. Because you can mature by facing and learning from mistakes.
D. Because next time you know that money shouldn’t be wasted.
64. Which statement is true according to the writer?
A. Before you make any mistake, you had better lock the closet in your room.
B. Keep your mistakes in mind in order not to make the same mistakes again in the future.
C. Don’t go out with some of your friends any more.
D. Forget your mistakes and move forward.
65. When we make any mistake next time, we should do the followings except _ __.
A. Think about the reason why we make the mistake.
B. Try to correct the mistake.
C. Tell others not to make the same mistake as you do.
D. Be careful not to do anything.
66. From the text, we can infer that __ ___.
A. facing mistakes, some people lose heart
B. mistakes can be useful
C. mistakes can be called growing pains
D. Put away money when it is rainy