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.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 |
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 |
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. |
What does the underline word “seasoned” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．experienced | B．freshman | C．amateur(业余的) | D．unskillful |
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 |
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Similarly, if we drink a little more water ever day, we may find that we need to go to the doctor a lot less often. A healthy diet is made up of water and a great many different kinds of foods. We know that healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and fish, are important as they provide us with energy and fibre, without giving us too much fat and sugar. But why is water important?
The human body needs water to survive. Water is important as it carries poisons and waste out of our bodies. However, doctors advise us to drink plenty of water, much more than the small amount we need to stay alive.
Some doctors believe that water is important for our health in all kinds of ways. They believe that a great many illnesses and health problems stars as a result of dehydration—a lack(缺少) of water in the body. Most people are dehydrated at least some of time, although they probably don’t know it. It is surprising to learn that if we feel thirsty, we are already in the first stages of dehydration. In fact, we are advised to drink water before we feel thirsty.
These doctors think that health problems such as headaches, high blood pressure and asthma could be helped if people drink more water. They also believe that drinking more water can help people who are overweight. Water contains no calories so it will not make us put on weight. If we drink water, we will probably drink less sugary soft drinks such as Coca-cola. Doctors also believe that drinking more water may stop people from overeating. They say that many people think that they are hungry when they are, in fact, thirsty. Doctors suggest, therefore, that we eat less food and drink more water.
There are still many health problems that cannot be solved by drinking water, so we should not stop going to seeing the doctor completely. However, if we make a decision to drink water every day, we may find that we need to go to the doctor a lot less often.We need _____for a healthy diet.
| A．fibre | B．food | C．water | D．Water and different foods |
From the text, we know water can carry_________.
| A．energy and fibre in our bodies | B．fruit, vegetables and fish in our bodies |
| C．sugar and fat out of our bodies | D．poisons and waste out of our bodies |
Lack of water caused people to put on weight too much because_______.
| A．they think they are hungry and eat too much |
| B．they think they are thirsty and eat less |
| C．water has no calories |
| D．it makes them hungry |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?
| A．Fruit provides us with energy and fibre. |
| B．Some healthy problems start because of a lack of water. |
| C．Drinking more water may stop people from overeating. |
| D．The amount of water a person should drink in a day. |
Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong
everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing。
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion（宗教）tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.
| A．strike them on the bottom | B．try to help them do the right thing |
| C．teach them what to do | D．take them to court |
Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?
| A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend him or her. |
| B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard. |
| C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything. |
| D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right. |
Which of the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?
| A．favorable (赞同的) | B．indifferent (不关心) |
| C．interested | D．unfavorable |
From this passage, we can conclude that ________.
| A．Good children always do the right thing. |
| B．Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children. |
| C．Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong. |
| D．Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked. |
We are going to see the ruins of Machu Picchu in the mountains of the Andes．Machu Picchu was forgotten for centuries but discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, a professor from Yale．It is said to be one of the most beautiful ancient sites in the world．
The Incas built the ancient civilization of Machu Picchu between the 12th century and the early 16th century．They spoke a language called Quechua but had no writing system at all．They kept records on various coloured strings with knots called quipu．
The Incas proved to be wonderful architects．They built most of their buildings with huge stones but without using any cement（粘结材料） to stick them together．However, the huge stones fit together so perfectly that you cannot force a sharp knife between two blocks．They also built bridges, tunnels through mountains and channels to bring water to their cities—just as the Romans did．The Incas turned the mountains into farmlands and planted corn and potatoes, and raised animals like llama and alpaca for food．
Now Machu Piccu has become a major tourist site in Peru, attracting people from all over the world．How long ago was Machu Picchu discovered?
| A．About 20 years ago | B．About 50 years ago． |
| C．About 70 years ago | D．About a century ago． |
With what did the Incas build their wonderful buildings?
| A．strings | B．stones | C．cements | D．trees |
The Incas built the following like the Romans except _______ according to the passage．
| A．roads | B．bridges | C．tunnels | D．channels |
What does the speaker probably do?
| A．A visitor． | B．A guide． | C．A teacher． | D．A scientist． |
For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree. It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are __________
| A．grown in France. | B．sold everywhere. |
| C．very big. | D．quite sweet. |
Cold winter weather is good for ___________
| A．the growth of apple trees. |
| B．producing large apples. |
| C．improving the taste of apples. |
| D．the increase of water in apples. |
China, France and the United States are considered to _______________
| A．be large producers of apples. |
| B．be large producers of applesauce. |
| C．have the longest history in apple production. |
| D．have the coldest winter among apple producing countries. |
The word yielded in the last sentence means _______________
| A．improved. | B．increased. | C．produced. | D．sold. |
Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.
The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.
As a result, the student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit (押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.
Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be granted a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.
"This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas," says Wang Lan, a consultant from Education International Cooperation Group (EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.
However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients (客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were tough. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.
A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.
"According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 yuan ($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 yuan. This is a relief for my parents," Li says.
She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.
"I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China," she says.
Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Language requirement for overseas students have been eased in Australia. |
| B．Australia is a most attractive place for students in China. |
| C．Australia widens window of opportunity for international students. |
| D．More students will work in Australia after their graduation. |
Which of the following is NOT the content of the new regulations?
| A．The student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified. |
| B．The deposit required to study in Australia has been reduced. |
| C．Language requirements for overseas students have been more difficult. |
| D．After graduation, some overseas students can get a working visa in Australia. |
After the new regulations are passed, _______ .
| A．more students will come to Australia to work |
| B．more Chinese students will choose to live in Australia. |
| C．the opportunities to work in Australia decrease for overseas students |
| D．more Chinese students will choose to further their education in Australia |
How much can Li's parents save according to the new regulations?
| A．550,000 yuan | B．140,000 yuan | C．410,000 yuan | D．86,850 yuan |
Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation?
| A．The working experience abroad will strengthen their competitiveness. |
| B．They can earn more money in Australia. |
| C．Their working experience can make them stay in Australia forever. |
| D．They have to do so according to the new regulations. |
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