54．From the story we know that_______________．

A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions

B．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic show

C．Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fame

D．Liu Qian does street show to make money

答案　 51.A　 52.C　 53.D　 54.B

Passage 2

(安徽省马鞍山二中2009届高三第四次模拟考试E篇)

John Dalton was born in England in 1766，ten years before the U．S．Declaration of Independence was signed．His family lived in a small cottage．As a small child，John worked in the fields with his brother，and helped his father in a shop where they wove cloth. Most poor boys at that time received no education，but John was lucky to attend a nearby school In 1766，when only about one out of every 200 people could read．

　　 John was a good student and loved learning．His teachers encouraged him to study many things when he was twelve. He opened his first school in a nearby town，but there was little money．He had to close his schoo1．

　　 Three years later，he joined his older brother and a friend in running a school. John studied the weather and nature around him. He collected butterflies，snails and mites. He discovered he was colorblind and studied that,too．

　　 In 1793，John began to think about different elements and their composition. He had a theory that each element is made up of identical(完全相同的) atoms and that elements are different because each is made of different atoms．

　　 In 1808，Dalton published a book，which listed the atomic weights of many known elements．These formed the basis for the modern periodic table(元素周期表)．Not everyone accepted Dalton’ theory of atomic structure at the time．However，he had to defend it with more research．

　　 When John Dalton died in 1844，he was buried with honors in England．More 400,000 people viewed his body as it lay in state．As his final experiment，he asked that an autopsy(验尸)be performed to learn the cause of his color-blindness：This was done，and proved the color-blindness was caused not by a problem with his eyes，but with the way his brain worked．Even in death, he helped expand scientific knowledge．

　　 Today．scientists everywhere accept Dalton’s theory of atomic structure．A simple country boy showed the world a new way of thinking about the universe and how it is made．

53．Which of the following is the key reason why Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?

A．He was interested in magic when he was young.

B．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest．

C．He became all amateur magician in his spare time．

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

52．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

Passage 1

(湖北省宜昌市一中2009届高三5月仿真模拟考试A篇)

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 United States，Japan，South Korea and the UK．

Witnessing 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 (演出技巧) ．

“It’s actually thinking rather than one’s controlling 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．

51．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 magic is

67. What can we learn from Radcliffe's story?

　　 A. Practice makes perfect.　　　 　　 B. Well begun is half done.

　　 C. A friend in need is a fried indeed. D. Where there is a will there is a way.

答案　 63.D　 64.B　 65.C　 66.C　 67.D

66. According to the text, Redcliffc bas won ____ London marathon title(s).

　　　 A. four　　　　 B. three　　　　 C. two　　　　 D. one　　　　　 　

65. By saythg "I can't put a number on it," Radcliffe means she's not sure _____ .

　　 A. if she has the ability to set a new world record

　　 B. if she can win another race though she has won many tunes

　　 C. how many times a maradion runner can set the world record

　　 D. if she has the ability to produce four or five world-class times　　　　 　　

64. Which of the following is ture according to the passage?

　　 A. Radcliffe broke the world record in the New York City marathon.

　　 B. Radcliffe didn't fully recover before the New York City marathon.

　　 C. Radcliffe won her first narathon title in the New York City marathon.

　　 D. Radcliffe had a 3-month trainihg before the New York City marathon. 　　

63. Radcliffe's failure in Athens made her ________

　　 A. develop respect for Liz　　 B. love people around her more

　　 C. rest for five months　　　 D. face criticism calmly　　　　　　　 　　　

59．Choose the correct statements from the following according to the passage.

　　　 a.The Pigman and Me was one of the Best Books for teenagers.

　　　 b.Zindel was one of the earliest writers who wrote for adults only.

　　　 c.The Doom Stone and Rats are not popular with young adults.

　　　 d.Zindel was given four prizes for literature before he died.

　　　 e.At least eight of Zindel’s books were very popular in his times.

　　　 A．c, d, e　　　　　　　　 B．a, b, c　　　　　　　　 C．a, b, d　　　　　　　　 D．a, d, e

答案　 56.A　 57.C　 58.A　 59.D　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Passage 28　　　　　　　　

(05·湖南C篇)

Paula Radcliffe, chasing (角逐) a third London marathon title(冠军), says she has became a stronger person after her terrible experience at the 2004 Athens Gaines.

　 Radcliffe, who failed to complete the Olympic marathon and the 10,000m last August, said: "Athens made me a stronger person and it made me care less about criticism (批评)"

　 "In the past I wanted to please everyone, but now I ara fioinfi to listen even more to the people around me."

　 She didn't care about criticism made at the weekend by Liz McCulgan, who felt Radcliffe should have rested and let her body recover after her failure in Athens.

　 "Liz is someone I look up to but she hasn't spoken to me since last year and if she really eared for me, I'm sure she would have contacted (联系) me."

　 Instead Radcliffe won the New York City marathon just 11 weeks after Athens.

　 "In New York I wasn't in my best state but I did know I was good enough to win the　　　 Radcliffe insisted her only goal in Sunday's race would be winning a third title and not chasing world records.

　 However, RadcIiffe has not ruled out(排除) m the future chasing her "final" world record time and questioned sayings that marathon runners have the ability in their career to produce only four or five world-class times.

　 "I don't think that -- although I can't put a number on it," said. RadcLiffe. "That changes from person to person."

　 Radcliffe is sure she can better her winning London 2003 performance at some point in the future. Following a successful three-month training period in the United States, the 31-year-old will chase a third title on Sunday after her first victory in 2O02 and again 12 months later.

Radcliffe clocked a time of 2:18:56 in her first 42.2-kdnmetre race three years ago.

　 Afterwards she set a "mixed course" mark of 2:17:18 five months later In Chicago before lowering that to a time of 2:15:25 m the 2003 London event.