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 centuries-old 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 U

nited States, Japan, South Korea and the UK.

Witnessing something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’ s love for magic.

 “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 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.

What does the underlined word  “seasoned ” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. 季节性的        B. 刚出道的         C. 老练的         D. 职业的

The story is about_____.

A. how Liu Qian became China’ s hottest magician

B. why people love magic

C. what magic tricks are

D. how fashionable the magic is

People love to watch magic because_____.

A. they can’ t figure out the secret of magic

B. it arouses their curiosity

C. they love watching magicians make the impossible happen

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 became an amateur magician in his spare time.

D. He couldn’ t find an acceptable job after graduation

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer's office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.
　　He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity（不人道） of the bourgeoisie（布尔乔亚阶级）.
　　Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.
　　Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.
【小题1】Dickens only received a little formal education because______.

1.Tom was d ______ to learn that he had passed the important lest．

2.Whether we will go for an outing or not tomorrow d ______ on the weather．

3.Mike tried again and again and e _____ he made it．

4.Have you ever heard of the n ______ who wrote the great novel David Copperfield?

5.Because of the f______,roads and houses were washed away and people became homeless．

6.Anyone who has done something ______ （非法的） will be punished．

7.All the representatives ______ （交换） their opinions before the conclusion was reached．

8.It is reported that a lot of presidents will be present at the opening ______ （仪式）．

9.It is necessary to learn to ______ （预测） what the passage is all about．

10.Please lake good care of the ______ （设备） when you are doing experiments in the lab．

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer’s office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.

He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity（不人道） of the bourgeoisie（资产阶级）.

Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.

Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism（人文主义）. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.

61. Dickens only received a little formal education because______.

A. he wanted to teach himself

B. he wanted to work and made a lot of money

C. he was too poor to afford any more formal education

D. he wanted some working experiences to be a novelist

62. According to Dickens, the society at his time in England was________.

A. just     B. poor    C. comfortable        D. unsatisfying

63. Which of the following novel made Dickens the most popular writer at his time in England?

A. Oliver Twist             B. The Pickwick Papers 

C. A Tale of Two Cities       D. Great Expectations

64. According to the passage, which of the following about Dickens is true?

A. He didn’t go to school at all.

B. He only wrote about poor people and showed deep sympathy for them.

C. He began to write fictions when he was 21years old.

D. He found some effective ways to improve the living conditions of the poor.

65. It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A. Dickens had a miserable childhood

B. Dickens tried many different jobs before he became a professional writer

C. Dickens wrote many novels but only some of them are popular

D. Dickens criticized capitalist（资本主义的）society and helped to improve the living conditions of the poor

Part of the reason Charles Dickens loved his own novel, David Copperfield, was ________ it was rather closely modeled on his own life.