Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world.

But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series?

JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children. 

The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places. Anything could happen there. Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction. 

The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories. At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives. 

Much of the appeal also comes from the characters. In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts. Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background. And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard. We see him as both Hero and Victim. He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.

This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans. People are fond of Harry Potter series. With books like these, it’s hard not to be.

1.Harry Potter series become popular partly because ____________.

A. they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past

B. they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation

C. they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories

D. they set an example of hero for us to follow

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?

A. The supporting characters are not necessary in the story.

B. Readers care only about Harry but not those supporting characters.

C. Even the supporting characters are attractive in the story.

D. Those supporting characters only appear all of a sudden.

3.The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain ____________.

A. prejudice and love               B. good and evil

C. death and sacrifice              D. safety and peace

4.People care for Harry Potter because ____________.

A. they think of classic literature when reading the story

B. they find different experiences from theirs on Harry

C. they share the experiences with Harry

D. they like JK Rowling’s description very much

 

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Why did I come today? I wondered. My feet ached almost as much as my head. My Christmas    36   contained several people that claimed they needed nothing but I knew their feelings would be hurt  37 I bought them something, so gift buying was   38  but fun.

Hurriedly, I finished shopping and   39  the long checkout lines. In front of me were a boy of about five and a younger girl. She carried a beautiful pair of    40  slippers. When we finally   41   the checkout register, the girl   42  placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a    43  .

“That will be $ 6.09,” the cashier said. The boy    44  his pockets. He finally came up with $ 3.12. “I guess we will have to put them back,” he bravely said. “We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow.” With that statement, a soft  45  broke from the little girl. “But    46   would have loved these shoes,” she cried.

 “Well, we’ll go home and work some more. Don’t cry. We’ll surely   47  ,” he said. Quickly I handed $ 3.00 to the cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And,   48   , it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice   49    said, “Thank you, lady.” “What did you  50  when you said Jesus would like the shoes?” I asked. The boy answered, “Our mommy is sick and going to   51  . Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus.” The girl spoke, “My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won’t mommy be 52   walking on those streets in these shoes?”

My eyes  53  as I looked into her tear-stained face. “Yes,” I answered, “I am  54   she will.” Silently I thanked God for using these children to   55  me of the true spirit of giving I once was familiar with.

 

1.A. plan                              B. list                                    C. goods                              D. purchases

2.A. unless                          B. because                         C. if                                      D. since

3.A. something                  B. nothing                           C. anything                         D. everything

4.A. waited                         B. joined                              C. attended                        D. gathered

5.A. cotton                          B. leather                            C. gold                                  D. silver

6.A. approached                B. got                                   C. checked                          D. found

7.A. immediately     B. hesitantly                      C. shyly                                D. carefully

8.A. gift                                B. treasure                         C. life                                    D. prize

9.A. opened                        B. touched                          C. reached                          D. searched

10.A. tear                      B. sob                                   C. smile                                D. sigh

11.A. mommy                    B. daddy                              C. we                                    D. Jesus

12.A. leave                          B. come                              C. return                              D. arrive

13.A. above all                   B. at last                              C. at least                            D. after all

14.A. gratefully                  B. sweetly                           C. gracefully                       D. kindly

15.A. request                     B. expect                             C. mean                              D. attempt

16.A. hospital                     B. tomb                                C. heaven                            D. sky

17.A. equal                B. comfortable                   C. convenient                     D. beautiful

18.A. pained              B. wetted                            C. shut                                 D. froze

19.A. sure                           B. afraid                               C. glad                                  D. confident

20.A. inform                       B. warn                                C. cure                                 D. remind

 

Vending machines （投币式自动售货机） are found in 16% of U．S．elementary schools, 52% of middle schools and 88% of high schools．About 22% of students in grades 1 through 12 buy food in vending machines each day—and those purchases added an average of 253 calories to their diets, according to a new study in the September issue of the Journal of School Health．

Just to be clear, those were not 253 calories' worth of tofu, yogurt or carrot．The most popular vending machine items included soft drinks, candy, chips, crackers, cookies, cakes and ice cream．On the plus side （好的方面）, kids also bought low-fat milk, fruit juice and even fruit, the study found．

But the eventual effect on kids' diets was not good．Those who bought from vending machines ate an average of 156 grams of sugar per day, compared with 146 grams for those who abstained （节制）．They also consumed less fiber, iron and vitamin B．

One silver lining: Vending machine customers ate 4% less sodium （钠） than other students--an average of 3,287 milligrams per day compared with 3,436 mg for those who didn't buy from vending machines．That's probably because the extra snacks made kids too full to eat as much at mealtimes, when dishes are especially Salty．In any event, kids should eat no more than 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium each day, according to the Mayo Clinic．Even for adults, the government recommends a daily limit of 2,300 mg．

Overall, vending machines in school appear to be a threat to children's health．The researchers calculated that all that snacking adds up to about14 extra pounds per child per school year．For some students this might be a serious contributor to weight issues．The study was based on data collected from 2,309 children nationwide for the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, which was

conducted by the U．S．Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service．

1.The students using vending machines take in less of all the following EXCEPT ．

A．sugar                B．fiber            C．vitamin          D．iron

2.The underlined words “One silver lining” mean “       ”．

A．a discouraging condition at present

B．a bright side of a difficult situation

C．an urgent warning from health experts

D．an increasing concern from the public

3.Why do kids buying food from vending machines take less salt probably?

A．They prefer less salty food．

B．They have formed healthy eating habits．

C．They eat less food at mealtimes．

D．They take less junk food as snacks．

4.What's the purpose of the text?

A．To teach children a balanced diet．

B．To introduce the finding of a new study．

C．To remind parents of children's health．

D．To tell the history of vending machines．

 

Gaudi Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag --- one that's built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌于) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.

    That's where the similarities end: this bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you take an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.

    Surely, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. Dupont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty (耐磨损的) cycle.

    As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $ 150, which is the price of an average leather purse.

Here's how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip onto your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go.

    Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring - and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years - making for a booming market for wearable computers that don't look like something out of science fiction.

1. According to the passage, the new wearable computers _______.

    A. require users to operate on the stomach

    B. pick up the signals through wires and chips

    C. are being applied in some different areas now

D. are smarter but more expensive than the old ones

2.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A. The new wearable computers have become fashionable.

B. People would like to learn more about the new computers.

C. New wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.

D. The idea of the purse-like computers comes from science fiction.

3.The purpose of the passage is to ________

A. introduce a new kind of computer            

B. explain the functions of computers

    C. compare different types of computers        

D. show how high technology affects our life

 

I truly feel that my mother led me here, to Morzaine, and to my future as a happy wife and business woman. When Mum   21  in October 2007,I was a cook. In December that year, while I was working for a wedding, a pearl necklace Mum had left me      22      .I was distraught（忧心如焚的）. Some days later, I was     23      that a guy who was working with us that day. “could probably have made a fortune     24    the necklace he found.”  25     .he returned it. Hearing how I’d     26    Mum for six months before her death, he said, “Christmas is going to be  27  —why not go out to the Alps for a couple of weeks?”

I come to Morzaine ,a small ,friendly village in the Alps and___28_ fell in love with it .What was __29__to be a stopgap (权宜之计) trip turned into a new life .I kept travelling between London and here and felt _30__than I had in months .In December 2008 , I was __31_as a hotel manager and moved here full time .

A month later, I met Paul, who was traveling here. We fell in love. In the beginning , I didn’t want to discuss___32__, because the sadness of losing Mum__33__felt great. Paul understood that and never___34__me but, by summer, we got married. A year later, we used his saving, and the money from the sale of Mom’s house, to build our own ___35__.

We want to give our guests a ___36__ feel, so each room is themed(以……为题) around memories from our lives. There are also styles to remind me of Mom ---- a tiny chair which ___37___ be in her bedroom is set in one room.

We are having a wonderful life Mum ___38___ naturally part of it, _39___ there’s no way we would be here if it wasn’t for the __40__ she gave me. I know she’s here in spirit, keeping an eye on us .

1.

A.died             B. came            C. returned          D. visited  

2.

A. burned          B. disappeared       C . broke            D. dropped   

3.

A.shown           B. comforted        C. persuaded         D. told    

4.

A. hiding           B. stealing          C. selling            D. wearing 

5.

A.Luckily         B. Naturally        C. Surely             D. Hopefully  

6.

A.nursed         B. cured           C. missed             D. guarded  

7.

A.long           B. hard           C. merry            D. free      

8.

A. suddenly      B. finally          C. nearly           D. immediately  

9.

A.said           B. proved         C. supposed         D. judged      

10.

A.smarter        B. higher          C. firmer            D. lighter     

11.

A.honored      B. hired          C. regarded          D .trained     

12.

A. travel        B. business         C. children          D. marriage   

13.

A.recently       B. once           C. still             D. first        

14.

A.left           B. pushed         C. surprised         D. interrupted   

15.

A.hotel          B. restaurant      C. home              D. shop     

16.

A.homely         B. lively        C. motherly          D. friendly    

17.

A.ought to       B. used to        C. might             D. could      

18.

A. takes         B. keeps         C. looks             D. feels      

19.

A. unless         B. while         C. because           D. though    

20.

A. money         B. chair        C. house             D. necklace