The practice of magic includes special words, actions, and objects. Most magic involves a person
called a magician, who claims to have supernatural powers.
     Magic words. To work most magic, the magician sings or speaks special words in a certain order.
These words are called incantations or spells. Some spells form prayers to demons(魔鬼), spirits, or
other supernatural forces. Many societies believe the magic will not work unless the magician recites
the spells perfectly. Other magic words have no meaning, though they supposedly possess power when
spoken by a magician.
     Magic actions accompany the words spoken in performing much magic. Many of these movements
act out the desired effect of the magic. For example, a magician trying to make rain fall may sprinkle(洒)
water on the ground. The magician's combined words and actions form a ceremony.
     Magic objects include certain plants, stones, and other things with supposed supernatural powers.
Any such object may be called a fetish(物神). But this term often refers to an object-for example, a
carving or a dried snake-honored by a tribe for its magic powers. Many tribes believe fetishes have
magic power because spirits live in these objects.
     Many people carry magic objects called amulets(护身符)to protect themselves from harm. Many
amulets are stones or rings engraved(雕刻) with magic symbols.
     The magician. In some societies, nearly everyone knows how to work some magic. In other societies,
only experts practice magic. Magicians may be called medicine men, medicine women, shamans,
sorcerers, or witch doctors. In many societies, magicians must inherit their powers. In others, any person
may become a magician by studying the magical arts.
     Many societies believe magicians must observe certain rules and taboos (forbidden actions) for their
spells to work. For example, they may be required not to eat various foods or to avoid sexual activity for
a certain period before the ceremony.

1. What do magic words mean to people in some society?
A. They have the power to kill devils.
B. They have power if magician recites the right spells.
C. They have no effect at all.
D. They can be used whenever they want.

2. People believe magic actions will have an effect if they are accompanied by________.
A. the spells
B. magic objects
C. stones or rings engraved with magic symbols
D. medicine

3. Why do many people believe in a fetish?
A.Because it is often a ring which is worth a lot of money.
B. Because it is carved with magic symbols.
C. Because people think spirits live in it.
D. Because it can help them with many things.

4. According to the passage what kind of person can become a magician?
A. Only those studying the magical arts.
B. Only those inheriting their powers.
C. Only men.
D. Almost all the people in some societies.

5. What's the best title of the passage?
A. How Magic Works
B. The Power of Magic
C. How to Practice Magic
D. The Choice of Magicians

     Japanese high school students either walk or ride bicycles if the distance is not too great. In other
cases, students must take public buses and trains. After junior high school, students attend schools
based on their high school entrance examination scores. So some students travel a great distance to
attend the school.
     ________
     The school day begins at 8:30. Then students assemble in their homeroom classes for the day's
studies. Each homeroom has an average of 40-45 students. Students stay in their homeroom classrooms
for most of the school day. Only for physical education, laboratory classes, or other subjects requiring
special facilities(设备) do students move to different parts of the school. Between classes and at
lunchtime, classrooms can be noisy, lively places. Some schools may have a cafeteria(自助餐厅), but
most do not. In most schools, students bring a box lunch from home, prepared by the mother in the early
morning hours.
     Japanese students spend 240 days a year at school, 60 days more than American students. Students
in high schools take three years' each of the following subjects mathematics, social studies, Japanese,
science, and English. Other subjects include physical education, music, art, and moral(道德的) studies.
All the students in one grade level study the same subjects. Given the number of required subjects,
electives(选修科目) are few.
     Afterschool Activities
      Club activities take place after school every day. Students can join only one club, and they rarely
change clubs from year to year, so the clubs are relatively stable. Clubs are made up of sports clubs
(baseball, soccer, judo, kendo, etc.) and culture clubs(English, broadcasting, science, etc.). New
students usually are encouraged to select a club shortly after the school year begins in April. Clubs
meet for two hours after school each day and many clubs continue to meet during school vacations.

1. Most Japanese high school students often have their lunch________.
A. in restaurants  
B. in school cafeterias
C. at home    
D. in homeroom classrooms

2. Students in the USA go to school________days a year.
A. 180  
B. 200  
C. 240  
D. 300

3. The underlined word "rarely" in the fourth paragraph means "________".
A. always 
B. never  
C. seldom  
D. often

4. From the passage we know that________.
A. there are less than 40 students in each class in Japanese high schools
B. students must stay in homeroom classrooms for physical education
C. there are few subjects for students to choose except the required ones
D. there will not be any club activities during school vacations

5. The best subtitle for the second and third paragraphs may be "________".
A. At school  
B. In class
C. Subjects  
D. Homerooms

     Even plants can run a fever, especially when they're under attack by insects or disease. But unlike
human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3,000 feet away-straight up. A decade ago,
adopting the infrared(红外线)scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites,
physicist Stephen  Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which
ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide(杀虫剂)spraying rather than
rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don't have pest problems.
     Even better, Paley's Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they
became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3,000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured
the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a colourcoded map showing where plants
were running "fevers". Farmers could then spotspray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they
otherwise would.
      The bad news is that Paley's company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted
the new technology and longterm backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about
pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation.
Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. "This technique can be used on 75 percent of
agricultural land in the United States, " says George Oerther of Texas A & M. Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade.   But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.

1. Plants will send out an increased amount of heat when they are________.
A. facing an infrared scanner
B. sprayed with pesticides
C. in poor physical condition
D. exposed to excessive sun rays

2. In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to________.
A. estimate the damage to the crops
B. draw a colourcoded map
C. measure the size of the affected area
D. locate the problem area

3. Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by________.
A. resorting to spotspraying
B. transforming poisoned rain
C. consulting infrared scanning experts
D. detecting crop problems at an early stage

4. The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties-________.
A. its high cost
B. the lack of official support
C. the lack of financial support
D. its failure to help increase production

     Nuclearpowered aircraft carriers are considered one of the most important marine weapons in the
20th century. So far, only two countries in the world, the USA and France, have ever produced them.
But these fearful fighting machines are about to enter Asia.
    The US Navy said last month that one of its nine nuclearpowered aircraft carriers will be sent to
Japan to replace the diesel(柴油)powered carrier Kitty Hawk in 2008. In an agreement on October
30, the two countries also planned to level up their military (军事的) cooperation and the USA called
for Japan to take a larger role in alliance military moves.
     It will be the first time that a nuclearpowered carrier is based in Japan. Bombed by US forces in
World War ? at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan is the only world country to have been attacked by a
nuclear weapon. Therefore, the citizens are highly sensitive to where nuclearpowered weapons are
based.
      "A radiation leak at Yokosuka would kill 100,000 people as far away as Tokyo, and could cause
billions of dollars in damage," said Masahiko Goto, leader of a protest group in Yokosuka. His group
has collected more than 300,000 signatures of people across Japan opposed to the nuclear carrier.
     The 44yearold Kitty Hawk, the US Navy's oldest active ship, has been based in Yokosuka since
1998. It had returned to the US to be decommissioned in 2008. The new carrier, yet to be unveiled,_
will travel faster, be capable of supporting longer operations and carry with it the Navy's most modern
technology.
     Experts pointed that this change is not only to strengthen the USJapan military alliance but also to
keep the military power of China and North Korea within limits. However, even Japanese experts don't
believe that the two countries are threats to the region.
     "There is no need for Japan to have a nuclear carrier as defense," said Tetsuo Maeda, an international
relations professor at Tokyo International University. He said that the change of ship indicates an
increased military capability in the region, much more than what is needed.

1. With such a formidable weapon to enter its country, Japanese citizens ________.
A. are aware of its benefits to the country
B. are anxious about its potential danger
C. are curious about the advanced technology
D. are against where the carrier will be based

2.The underlined word "unveiled" in the fifth paragraph probably means________.
A. perfected  
B. discussed about
C. produced  
D. brought to view

3. By his remark in the last paragraph, the professor means that________.
A. he is quite confident of their military defense
B. he is completely opposed to a new nuclear carrier
C. what is needed is far more than a nuclear carrier
D. it is unnecessary to guard against the two countries

1. According to the passage, melody roads use________to create different notes.

A. cars  
B. grooves
C. spaces between intervals  
D. bulldozers

2. We can learn from the passage that the highness of notes is depended on________.

A. how far the grooves are
B. how big the grooves are
C. the number of the grooves
D. the speed of the car

3. The underlined word "optimal" in the passage might mean________.

A. fastest  
B. possible
C. best  
D. suitable

4. In order to hear the music well, you have to________.

A. drive very fast
B. drive slowly
C. open the windows wide
D. keep the windows closed

5. What's the best title of the passage?

A. A New Type of Music
B. Melody Roads in Japan
C. A Musical Road Surface
D. A New Invention in Japan

     Recently some American scientists have given a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized
nations. They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than
10,000 years ago.   1  
     The scientists say that the human life has changed greatly. Our bodies have not been able to deal
with these changes in lifestyle and this had led to new kinds of sicknesses.    2   So they are called
"diseases of civilization". Many cancers and diseases of the blood system are examples of such
diseases.
     Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very
little alcohol or tobacco, probably none.   3  However, a change in food is one of the main differences
between life in ancient times and that of today.
     Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic ones.
They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They did not have milk or any other dairy products,
and they made very little use of grains.   4  We eat six times more salt than our ancestors. We eat
more sugar. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.
        5  But scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way the ancient
people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.
A. Stone Age people lived a simple life.
B. But today, we enjoy eating a lot of these.
C. In that case, they would live much healthier.
D. Ancient people also got lots of physical exercise.
E. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times.
F. People today probably don't want to live like our ancestors.
G. Modern people used to suffer from "diseases of civilization".

     New rules and behavior standards for middle school students came out in March. Middle school is going
to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won't only have high marks. They
will also be kids who don't dye (color) their hair, smoke or drink. The following are some of the new rules.
     Tell the truth. Have you ever copied someone else's work on an exam? Don't do it again! That's not
something an honest student should do. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room,
don't tell your parents you have done homework.
     Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-Loving Month in
China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate? You should join! That way, you can learn more about
animals and how to protect them. When more people work together, it makes more fun for everyone.
     Have you ever quarreled with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together
can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others not only yourself.
     Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll discover
Earth II someday. Don't look down on new ideas. Everyone's ideas are important. You should welcome them,
because new ideas make life better for everyone.
      Protect yourself. Has someone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you.
If you have to go home late, you should let your parents know.
    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But some things on the Internet
aren't for kids, so try to look at Web pages that are good for you. You can use the Web for fun or homework.
Can't you find any good Web sites for children? Here are some: http://kids.eastday.com;http://chinakids.com;
http://www.cycnet.com

1. The school new rules will help kids by telling them ______.

A. how they can study well
B. what they should do at school
C. what is right and what is wrong
D. how they can protect themselves

2. The main idea for the fourth paragraph is about _______.

A. making the team stronger
B. working together with others
C. being a good friend to others
D. getting on well with others

3. The passage tells us how to ______.

A. be top students
B. do more at school
C. care for others
D. use the Internet

     Camille Mahlknecht, 9, has some big fun planned for this weekend. She and other residents of
Agoura Hills, California, plan to pick up trash during their city's annual cleanup. At the same time,
Wissam Raed, 12, will be busy volunteering too. Thousands of miles away in Lebanon, Wissam plans
to put on a play at an orphanage and bring potted plants to elderly people at a senior citizen center.
     Some other children like Nathan White, 10, have personal reasons for volunteering. Nathan's
grandmother died of a heart attack. To help raise money for medical research, Nathan participated in
Jump Rope for Heart. He and five other boys took turns jumping rope for two and half hours and
collected more than US$1,200 in donations for the American Heart Association.
     Millions of children around the globe lend a hand to their communities every year. Schools and
parents also contribute to the rise in youth service. For example, many schools offer community service
activities for students to join. Teachers either combine volunteer work with classroom lessons or make
service work a requirement. Parents, on the other hand, encourage their kids to volunteer and do it with
them.
     Community service is particularly important in this depression time. As the need for monetary support
and other aid has increased, many charitable organizations have experienced a significant drop in
donations. Camille and other children who volunteer thousands of hours annually can fill in some of the
gaps.
     According to research, kids who start volunteering are twice as likely to continue doing good deeds
when they are adults. So, grab a paintbrush, a trash bag, or whatever you need to help your community.
You'll love how you feel after helping others. Even dirty work can be lots of fun, if it's for a good cause.

1.What's the writer's purpose of writing this passage?

A. To recommend youth service programs to schools.
B. To ask charity organizations to serve the community.
C. To urge children to take part in volunteering activities.
D. To propose alternatives for doing community services.

2.What is the main idea of the 3rd paragraph?

A. Community service is gaining popularity among children.
B. Families and schools help to make community service popular.
C. Children now depend more on their teachers than on their parents.
D. Nathan White had a special reason to raise money for medical research.

3.Why is community service important in a time of depression?

A. It raises money for school activities.
B. It teaches children to take care of the sick.
C. It gives charity organizations some needed help.
D. It encourages parents and teachers to work together.

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Community service can help prevent juvenile delinquency(青少年犯罪).
B. Children will probably leave school and work as volunteers.
C. Organizing sports events for the school is a kind of community service.
D. Children who do volunteer work are more likely to grow up to be caring adults

     The horsepower was first used two hundred years ago. James Watt had made the world's first widely
used steam engine. He had no way of telling people exactly how powerful it was, for at that time there were
no units for measuring power.
     Watt decided to find out how much work one strong horse could do in one minute. He called that init one
horsepower. With this unit he could measure the work his steam engine could do.
     He discovered that a horse could lift a 3,300-pound weight 10 feet into the air in one minute. His engine
could lift a 3,300 pound weight 100 feet in one minute.
     Because his engine did ten times as much work as the horse, Watt called it a ten-horsepower engine.

1. Watt made the world's first _____.

A. train
B. engine
C. steam engine
D. bus

2. Watt wanted to find a way _____.

A. to lift a 3,300-pound weight
B. to show how useful his steam engine was
C. to tell people exactly how powerful his steam engine was
D. to measure the weight of his steam engine

3. What does one horsepower mean? It means _____.

A. one horse's power
B. what one strong horse can do in one minute
C. what one horse can do in a day
D. what work one horse can do as much as possible

4. Which is not true? 

A. Watt decided to find out how much work one strong horse could do in one minute.
B. Watt decided to make the world's first widely used horse engine.
C. He wanted to find a way to tell people exactly how powerful his engine was.
D. He wanted to measure the work his engine could do.

5. The best headline for the article is _____.

A. Horsepower
B. Watt's steam engine
C. A ten-horsepower engine
D. The beginning of horsepower

     Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be good
for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .
     A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of
Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and
the pets . "On the pets' side , they are not left on their own and won't feel lonely and unhappy," she said .
A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27%
experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).
   Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . "My customers love
them. They are their favorites ," she said . "They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have
a sleep in the sun ."
   Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years "working" at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain
Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . "BJ often lies in the shop window and people
walking past tap on the glass ," he said .
   Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .

1. The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets  is ______

A. 73%    
B. 27%    
C. 25%    
D. 15%

2. We know from the text that "BJ"       

A. works in the Global Hair Salon    
B. often greets the passers-by 
C. likes to sleep in the sun          
D. is a two-year-old cat

3. The best title for this text would be  ____.

A. Pets Help Attract Customers      
B. Your Favorite Office Pets
C. Pets Join the Workforce         
D. Busy Life for Pets