Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell(魔法)over an audience of thousands on the CCTV Spring Festival Show. Die-hard fans are still trying to work out the secrets behind many of the tricks he performed.

But Liu, 32, when asked, laughed off the idea that there might be an “answer” to his magic. “The most fascinating things about magic is the puzzling process. People enjoy how magicians make the impossible come true,” said Liu.

Few people today believe in the possibility of real magic. They also often fail to consider magicians’ devotion to their art. It can take a magician years’ of practice to perfect a trick before he performs it on stage.

Part of Liu’s star appeal is his astonishing skill. However, when he began in the industry, he was embarrassingly clumsy. “I could practice thousands of times for one single act. It wasn’t much fun,” he said.

No magician’s supernatural powers on stage extend to their life off stage. Liu says his life was no easier or funnier because he was a magician.

He developed an interest in magic at a young age, but didn’t consider making a living out of it until he graduated from university. He had studied Japanese language and found himself unable to find a job. “My parents never considered being a magician as a proper job. To begin with, I had little confidence I would be doing this in the long term,” he said.

Yet Liu felt a powerful calling to become a magician. “For many people, magic somehow means a miracle, which is something we all secretly wish for no matter how hard-bitten or cynical (愤世嫉俗的)we become,” he said.

Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand (棒) and makes our dreams come true. But according to Liu, we all have the power to create magic in our lives. As Liu puts it: it’s not the magic that makes it work；it’s the way we work that makes it magic.

1. According to the passage, we can tell that ________.

A. being a famous magician, Liu Qian leads a comfortable life

B. it is a hard job for magicians to perform magic tricks well

C. Liu Qian’s parents supported his wish of earning a living by being a magician

D. Liu Qian showed great talents in performing magic tricks when he first took it up

2. As to whether there’s real magic, Liu Qian believes ________.

A. there is no real magic and what counts in our life is the way we work

B. if we secretly wish for something, magic will turn out to be a miracle

C. the puzzling process of performing magic tricks is the answer to magic

D. there exists a fairy godmother waving her magic wand to make our dreams come true

3. Which of the following sayings is similar to the underlined sentence in meaning?

A. All roads lead to Rome.                B. Easier said than done.

C. Actions speak louder than words.       D. Where there is a will, there is a way.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Magic in our lives                     B. The answer to magic

C. A popular magician from Taiwan         D. The way to become a successful magician

 

"Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?" How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the "one-eyed monster" into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilised pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, entertain our friends and be entertained by them, go outside for our amusements. We even used to read books and listen to music occasionally. Now all our free time is regulated by the "goggle box". We rush home for our meals to be in time for this or that programme. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do—anything, providing it doesn't interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the television. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The television is a universal thing that makes people calm. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn't matter what the children will watch—so long as they are quiet.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains. In quiet, natural surrounding, we quickly discover how little we miss the King television.

1..

. Through the passage, the writer aims to tell us ________.

A. how television is damaging our health  

B. how to keep away from watching television  

C. that television is doing harm to our life  

D. all of us find it difficult to live without television  

2..

 What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Second-hand experiences provided by television are harmful.  

B. We can enjoy our life without television.  

C. Television is a necessary way of communication.  

D. Television is becoming irreplaceable in our daily life.  

3..

. What's the main reason for parents to put the children before a television set?

A. To save more time for housework.  

B. To help them sleep earlier.  

C. To keep them quiet.  

D. To help them learn more knowledge from television.  

4..

 By saying "we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time," the writer means ________.

A. television occupies too much of our spare time  

B. it's easy for us to find some spare time to enjoy the television  

C. we have less spare time after we have television  

D. it's difficult to spend our spare time without a television  

 

Like most big projects, learning to manage your mother well is what you should do. Here are what I believe the best steps towards a better relationship with her. They are not necessarily surprising or revolutionary, but they have worked for many people. Try them.

Remember your mother’s age. As children, we often do not think of our mother as having an age. Even when we become conscious of her as an individual, age does not change our view; she is still our mother. Knowing our mother’s age, not just in numbers of years but in terms of her psychological and physical state, often helps us to understand her better.

Listen to your mother. I have found that sometimes the things my mother told me long ago are remarkably useful. If your mother knows that you respect her point of view, even if you do not share it, it will help her feel close to you.

Remember that your mother has a past. A key step in managing our relationship with our mother is to find out about her early life. Niclle’s mother suffered much during the Second War World War. “My parents are both Jewish-Turkish. They met in France and married young for love. They were in their twenties when war broke out and because they were Jews, they had to go into hiding. She does speak to me about the war, and I think it is important to know what she went through. It is a part of her life that must have affected her deeply. ” Sometimes, in learning about our mother’s past, we know that it can encourage us to think about her whole life.

Ask your mother about your childhood history. My grandparents died when I was young. If you are fortunate enough to have living family, think of your life as a jigsaw puzzle and ask as many questions as you can to put the picture together. Understanding your roots and your childhood can help you now more clearly who you are, as part of a family which you share with your mother.

Keep a sense of humor about your mother. When we hear about someone else’s misfortunes with their mothers and are amused by them, our laughter is one of recognition. I have often listened to stories of difficult mothers and I have also listened to the following piece of advice they have found most helpful is: “Don’t have a sense of humor failure about your mother. ”

Remember that managing your mother is really about managing yourself. Taking any measure to managing our mother is the issue of how we manage ourselves. No matter how difficult we find her, it is important to remember that is not her behavior it self that is causing us discomfort, but the way we feel about her behavior. We should follow the way of her life. At the heart of managing your mother is being able to accept your flawed self. Only then are you able to accept your mother—-with all her failings.

The followings are the steps you can take to get on with your mother EXCEPT________.

A. Remember your mother’s age and past  

B. Share your roots and your childhood with your mother

C. Have a sense of humor failure about your mother

D. Managing your shortcoming while managing your mother

What does the underlined phrase “a jigsaw puzzle” mean?

A. 拼图玩具         B. 浏览迷宫        C. 填充字谜       D. 游戏人生

Which of the following is implied but not stated in the passage?

A. It will help you have a better relationship with your mother if you respect her opinion.

B. You should follow a most useful piece of advice——a sense of humor.

C. The key measure of managing our mother is how we manage ourselves.

D. It is unreasonable to expect our mother to change totally from the way she was brought up.

The main purpose of writing the text is ________.

A. to give information about how we think of your mother.

B. to improve the relationship with your mother.

C. to keep a sense of humor about your mother all day long.

D. to accept your mother—-with all her failings.

With healthy self-confidence you’ll take more chances and overcome obstacles faster. How do you boost your self-confidence? Here are some easy-to-try-out trips.

Speak well of yourself. We become what we think about most of the time. 1. If you continually tell yourself you “can’t do something”, you’re sure to create that reality for yourself, because that is how you see yourself. On the other hand, if you repeatedly say and think to yourself something like, “I am capable of creating a life I love”, soon you will begin creating a life you love.

Surround yourself with self-confident people and positive environments. It sounds a bit obvious, but if you have friends that lack confidence, you probably do too. If you’re surrounded by people who criticize others and speak poorly of themselves, get out! Remove yourself from their company.  2. Seek out friends who are confident and you’ll feel your confidence increasing.

 3. Don’t say you’re going to do something unless you really intend to do it. We’ve all met the “big talkers” – people who talk about their big plans but never do anything to make them happen. The “big talkers” lose face because no one believes they’ll do what they say they’re going to do.

Accept fear and obstacles as a natural part of life and growth. Don’t beat yourself up when you find yourself gripped(抓住) by fear and other emotions. 4.Be aware when these feelings are present but don’t let them stop you. Keep moving forward by telling yourself you’re much more than the obstacles you face and failures you experience.

 5. Once a month, take a few moments to write down all that you have done well. Acknowledge the work you do and your strengths on a regular basis. In doing so, you’ll begin seeing and appreciating all the good you do.

A．Start with small steps.

B．We become what we say about ourselves.

C．Negative environments are hard to escape.

D．Don’t judge yourself for having these feelings.

E. In fact, no company is better than bad company.

F. Take action on what you say you’re going to do.

G. Take time out to focus on all that you have done well.

 

Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know __36_  you think you are a  _37_  person or a coward(懦夫). But you will never really know the answer to this question __38__ you are tested in real life. Some people __39__ they are brave but when they come face to face with real __40_ , they act like cowards. Others think of themselves as cowards, but when they meet danger, they act like __41_.

Lenny had always thought of himself as a __42__ person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. __43__ , on January 15^th, 2002, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. He saw a woman in the __44__ water. Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very __45__ and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into Potomac, __46__ to the woman, and kept her head __47__ the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny, it was not __48__ .

When you are in a very __49__ situation and feel afraid, the body automatically（自动地）produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin(肾上激素). __50__ adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and stronger and are __51__ to fight or run away. However, when you are absolutely terrified, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this __52__  , the muscles become very hard and you find you __53__ move at all. You are paralyzed(使无能为力) with fear. This is __54__  when we are very frightened, we sometimes say we are ‘petrified’, this word comes from a Greek word ‘petros’, which means ‘stone’. We are __55__ frightened that we become stonelike.

1. A. how           B. neither      C. whether       D. either

2.A. brave          B. real     C. hard              D. certain

3.A. when           B. until        C. after             D. once

4. A. realize       B. find     C. think             D. agree

5.A. life           B. question C. mouse         D. danger

6. A. soldiers      B. mice     C. heroes(英雄)      D. cowards

7.A. useful     B. brave        C. nervous       D. terrible

8.A. So         B. Therefore   C. Then           D. Actually

9.A. fresh          B. poisonous    C. warm              D. ice-cold

10.A. nervous       B. calm     C. frightened        D. excited

11.A. went          B. helped       C. spoke         D. swam

12.A. in            B. under        C. above         D. from

13.A. an accident   B. a mistake    C. seventy-eight     D. seventy-nine

14.A. dangerous     B. comfortable  C. different         D. favorable

15.A. With          B. Without  C. For           D. Like

16. A. afraid           B. unable       C. ready             D. anxious

17.A. gets          B. disappears   C. happens       D. goes

18.A. needn’t       B. can’t    C. mustn’t       D. shouldn’t

19. A. where        B. how      C. because       D. why

20. A. really           B. very     C. such              D. so