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 centuriesold 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 United 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 passersby，policemen and farmers.
“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds，”Liu said.The story is about ________.
| A．Liu Qian's experiences of becoming a great magician |
| B．why people love magic |
| C．what magic tricks are |
| D．how fashionable magic is |
People love to watch magic because ________.
| A．they can't figure out the secret of magic |
| B．it makes them happy |
| C．they love watching magicians make something impossible happen |
| D．it is a centuriesold 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 young. |
| 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 |
Having a great collection of books at home doesn’t really mean that you are a person who has a passion for literature and reading. It can be a family inheritance（继承） or it can be just to impress people around you about the fact that you are a person of culture. On the other hand, there are many persons who cannot afford to buy books, because some of them are quite expensive, but they usually go to libraries and spend hours reading something that interests them a lot, or just borrow books to read at home.
From my point of view, literature is very important in our lives from several points of view. For example, reading is a means of gaining culture and enriching our knowledge in different areas of activities. It can help us have a great imagination and it makes things easier when it comes to making compositions on different themes. It gives you the possibility to speak about science, even if you don’t work in this field, or you can express your opinion about a political aspect, just because you have read something connected to that.
Secondly, literature offers us the possibility to enter the world of imagination, and to leave apart the real one for a couple of hours. We come to meet kings and queens many years ago, dream in the world of the rich or imagine how life will be in the future. Sometimes, we identify ourselves with the characters in the stories we read and they can give us some clues to solve our problems and how to react in certain circumstances.
To conclude, I would like to say that literature is the perfect means to enrich our culture, to express correctly and have a rich vocabulary, to be able to interfere（干涉） in conversations in different fields of interest and to really be considered an erudite person.The people who are fond of literature are those that _________.
| A．go to libraries on weekends |
| B．buy expensive books in the bookstore |
| C．keep many books in their studies |
| D．have much interest in reading |
We can learn from the third paragraph that _________.
| A．we can bring kings and queens back to life |
| B．what we read can be useful in our daily life |
| C．it is very good for us to stay alone for some hours |
| D．we can make friends with the people in the stories |
The underlined word “erudite” in the last paragraph probably means_________.
| A．hard-working | B．enthusiastic |
| C．learned | D．creative |
What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage？
| A．To advise readers to like reading. |
| B．To explain the true meaning of reading. |
| C．To tell readers how to read a book. |
| D．To tell readers who has the real passion for literature. |
A classical guitarist was excited to hear from New York City police that his valuable guitar had been found. It disappeared almost a year ago when he got out of a cab and forgot to take the guitar with him. Laurence Lennon, 44, said he was running late that day. He was talking to his manager on his cell phone when he dashed out of the taxi. He said that he gave the driver $ 60 and told him to keep the change. He walked through the front doors of the concert hall still talking on the phone to his manager.
Upon discovering his loss, Lennon used his cell phone to call the police. The policewoman asked him for the name of the cab company, the number of the cab, and the name of the driver. He said that she had to be kidding.
She told Lennon that he could file a missing items report at the police station or online. Lennon asked for the online address. She told him that finding the guitar might take a couple of years—finding guitars was not as important as finding murderers and marijuana smokers. Then she told him to have a nice day.
“This year has been depressing，” said Lennon. “I had to put off the recording of two new CDs. I've been using borrowed guitars. And I was losing hope of ever recovering my guitar.”
Lennon was reunited with his $ 100,000 musical instrument yesterday. The case and the guitar had been discovered in the corner of a coffee house only two blocks from where Lennon had lost it in the first place. Lennon had offered a $ 10,000 reward for its return. He said he would give the reward to the coffee house owner, who had informed the police.It can be inferred from this reading passage that________.
| A．Lennon couldn't give any useful information about the driver and his cab |
| B．Lennon gave the driver much more money than what was actually needed |
| C．Lennon was too busy talking to his friend to remember to pay the cab driver |
| D．Lennon used to work at the concert hall in New York City |
The policewoman told Lennon________.
| A．not to worry about the guitar |
| B．to have a nice day in New York City |
| C．to wait with patience |
| D．to find the cab driver and talk to him |
Which of the following is the most important according to the policewoman?
| A．Finding a lost guitar. | B．Finding the cab driver. |
| C．Enjoying one's own life | D．Finding murderers. |
The underlined word“depressing”can be best explained by“________”．
| A．making people unfortunate |
| B．making people feel sad |
| C．making people losing money |
| D．making people losing good luck |
The Horn of Plenty is one of the largest natural health food stores within the Greater Hamilton area. We are big supporters of buying locally and we are here to tell you why it is so important for your family, the community and the environment.
The concept of buying locally is simple: buy food produced, grown, or raised as close to your home as possible. Not only will your food be fresher and tastier, but you are helping protect the environment and are supporting businesses within your community and reducing pollution.
Better for the environment
Sustainability (持续性) and global warming are such hot topics at the moment, and many people want to do their bit to help support a healthier environment. Small action carried out by many people can make a big difference. Most materials in an average North American meal have traveled about 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate. To cut out a big part of this travel would greatly reduce not only pollution from transportation and refrigeration but also customers’ expenses as well.
Taste and nutritional content
Locally-grown fruits and vegetables are usually sold within 24 hours of being harvested. Because they are picked at the height of ripeness (成熟) and travel only a short distance to the market, their freshness, nutrition, and flavor are kept. Produce trucked in from far away may lose both taste and nutritional content.
Community and home values
When you buy direct from a farmer or buy locally-grown foods, you are engaged in a time-honored tradition between a grower and an eater. You also help keep dollars within your community.It can be inferred from the third paragraph that ___________.
| A．global warming is the most serious problem now |
| B．North American food is rich in various kinds of materials |
| C．the increased cost of transporting food is passed on to the customers |
| D．most people support buying locally |
Locally-grown fruits and vegetables taste good mostly because___________.
| A．they are picked when they are fully grown |
| B．they are not polluted by chemical fertilizer |
| C．they can be harvested at any time |
| D．they are sent to the market at a high speed |
According to the author, when you buy locally-grown foods ___________.
| A．you can see how fruits and vegetables grow |
| B．you will contribute to protecting the environment |
| C．you will become much healthier and prettier |
| D．you are making money from your community |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The way to keep your food tasty and healthy. |
| B．The popularity of the Horn of Plenty. |
| C．The importance of protecting the environment. |
| D．The benefits of buying locally. |
I was in a shopping mall recently, and I decided to go and get a cup of tea. As I was making my way to the coffee shop, I noticed an old gentleman rather poorly dressed sitting on a bench nearby. I knew from the first sight that he was in need of some kind of help. He had a little lunch in front of him and was wholeheartedly enjoying it.
There was a young man in front of me in the line also waiting to be served. The young man handed the servant a twenty-dollar bill and asked for an orange juice as well as a favor. The servant looked at the young man with a little surprise, not fully understanding him. The young man asked her to give the juice to the old gentleman eating his lunch outside on the bench. The young man also told her that he would be watching every second so that she would be completely safe at all times. Later, there was a wonderful exchange between the waitress and the old man. I only wished I had taken a photo of the smiles on both of their faces.
As I was thinking about this event later on, I wondered why the young man didn’t just perform this act of kindness himself. I thought he was hoping that this act of kindness might inspire others to do something for the old man as well. Thinking of the happy smiles on the old man’s face, I felt how worthwhile it is to help others.The underlined word “favor” in Para. 2 refers to________.
| A．passing the young man a cup of orange juice |
| B．buying lunch for the old man |
| C．exchanging meals with the old man |
| D．giving the juice to the old man |
Which of the following can be used to describe the young man?
| A．Kind and considerate | B．Generous and proud. |
| C．Rich and friendly. | D．Humorous and helpful. |
In the author’s opinion, the young man asked the servant to take the juice to the old man so that____________.
| A．the old man could probably accept it |
| B．he would become famous for his good deed |
| C．more people would be inspired to do good deeds |
| D．he would become a friend of the servant |
Lots of people like a good fright at Halloween(万圣节). Yet, the most frightening thing of all about the night is that twice as many children are killed while out and about on Halloween compared to any other day of the year, according to a study by Safe Kids Worldwide. It can also be a worrying time for others, especially elderly people living alone. But many people think it’s just harmless fun.
But is it harmless fun?
Police forces across Britain are giving warnings about Halloween night. They are asking all those wishing to celebrate Halloween this year to respect those who don’t want to join in.
Some forces, like West Mercia Police, have produced “Sorry, No Trick or Treat”posters which can be downloaded from their website, and put up in windows. They want people to send them to the old or anyone who may be frightened by ghosts(鬼) knocking on their doors.
A spokesman said: “Children should not call on houses where the posters are put up, neither should they call on strangers, as this can put young people at risk and also make some house owners anxious, especially those who are elderly or living alone.”
The police want all trick or treaters to remember that disturbing other people or throwing objects at their homes or cars are all criminal offences(刑事罪). “What may start off as a bit of fun could end up with someone getting a criminal record,” they warn. “Parents may want to consider having a Halloween party at home, instead.”
Kent Police are warning young people never to go into the home of someone they don’t know—and to remember not to frighten people.
Warwickshire Police are also warning that tricks may seem like harmless fun but can cause trouble to others. They say behaviour such as throwing eggs can quickly cross the line between being anti-social and causing criminal damage. This can result in fines of ￡2,500 for small offences.The study made by Safe kids Worldwide has found that _________.
| A．kids are afraid of Halloween |
| B．Halloween brings people no fun |
| C．kids are involved in criminal offences |
| D．Halloween night puts some kids at risk |
British police forces are making efforts to _________.
| A．put an end to trick or treat |
| B．control anti-social behaviours |
| C．punish those who frighten others |
| D．make Halloween safe trouble-free |
“Sorry, No Trick or Treat ” posters are designed to _________.
| A．ask people to respect the elderly. |
| B．make some people free from harm |
| C．warn little kids to behave themselves |
| D．express disagreement with Halloween |