American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19．2003．Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which has become one of London’s main tourist attractions.

Looking thinner and darker, 30-year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames and immediately went to hospital．He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process doctors say could be life threatening．He had been drinking only water since September 5.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s．He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends.

Over the last decade Blaine has become famous with a combination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention.

In 1999, he was buried in a coffin(棺材) for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice．Last year he stood on top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子) in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes.

“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said．“They don’t realize we can survive．The human being is an amazing creation.” But he seems to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box．He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste.

It is __________ for David Blaine to eat food after such a long starvation.

A．pleasant　　　       B．delicious　　　      C．dangerous　　 D．important

Having spent such a long time in the glass box, he suffered the following EXCEPT that __________.

A．he had become blind　　　　　　      B．he had serious back pains

C．he lost his sense of taste　　　      D．he was in weak health

Which of the following can best describe David Blaine?

A．Serious　　     B．Adventurous    C．Mad　　　　　      D．Crazy

Which of the following is NOT true of David Blaine?

       A．Blaine immediately went to hospital after he was taken out of his box.

       B．Blaine was born and brought up in England.

       C．In Blaine’s opinion, people can create a wonder．

       D．Blaine didn’t have any food for 44 days.　

Were you born in the 1990s? Do you think you are different from older generations? As there has been considerable discussion about “the post­1990s” in newspapers and on the Internet recently, people including the group themselves, have begun to look at some things that help shape their culture. Do you find them true?

1. Jay Chou　He is not handsome. When he hums no one can understand him. But the 28­year­old Taiwan singer has stolen the hearts of many boys and girls who  were born in the 1990s. They are crazy about him. Huang Kaiqin, a 16­year­old Shanghai student, said，“I love him! I love everything from his lyrics to his melody(旋律), and to his attitude toward the life. ”

2. PSP　Its full name is Play­ Station Portable and it's a Sony product for game fans. Teens love it because PSP is better than the Game Boy in terms of pictures, controls and choices of games. With a PSP you can also play MP3 or MP4, watch movies and so on.

3. Naruto　Among all the popular cartoons and comic books, the Japanese manga series has been this generation's favorite read. Naruto, who was orphaned at birth, grows from being a naughty boy to a powerful ninja (日本武士). Naruto teaches readers that honor is very important and not to give up, even if something is hard to achieve.

4. iPods　MP3s are not in any way, shape or form. But the iPod is amazing because it is a complete library of music in your hand. Post­90s are always excited about the latest product.

5. Tuzki　Tuzki, the white and hairy baby rabbit, was not born until January this year. But Tuzki's popularity has been spreading quickly among post­90s who like QQ and MSN. Wang Lin, a college student, created the cool little rabbit.

6. Chat lingo　On the Internet, the chat lingo is cool and convenient. But one day, teachers notice a new generation of errors entering their students' essays.  Words such as “3Q”，“ORZ” and “b4” confuse adults but are part of teens' everyday lives.

1.Which of the following is WRONG? 

A．The latest product among teens is iPod.

B．Naruto is a character in a popular cartoon.

C．Some adults don't understand their children's words.

D．Tuzki is a college student born in January.

2.Why does the author write the passage? 

A．He wants to make teens born in the 1990s understand more.

B．He criticizes the teens born in the 1990s.

C．He doesn't understand the young at all.

D．He feels worried about the young.

3.The best topic of this passage might be ________. 

A．the post­1990s	B．fashionable people
C．teens with electronic products	D．chatting generation

 

In 1883, an imaginative engineer named John Roebling decided to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was a pipe dream. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

But Roebling refused to listen to them. He thought about the bridge day and night and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. After much discussion and persuasion he convinced his son Washington, who was a promising engineer himself, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished. With great excitement, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but several months after it began, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was so seriously injured that he was never able to walk, talk or even move again.

"We told them so", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams", "It's foolish to chase wild visions", the critics said and most thought the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

Washington's wife tried to inspire and pass on her husband's enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay in his hospital room, an idea suddenly hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger and tapping it on his wife's arm, he slowly developed a code to communicate with her. Then he used this method to tell his wife what the engineers should do. It seemed crazy but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.

_ What did most people think about Roebling's idea to build the bridge?

A. It would never become a reality.                    B. Washington was not experienced enough.

C. It would take a lot of time.                            D. Finding the money would be impossible. 

_The underlined word `daunted' (para. 6) is closest in meaning to '______'.

  A. unpleasant    B. scared    C. amazed    D. determined

_ Which of the following shows the correct order of the events that happened in the story?

   a. Roebling convinced his son.

   b. Washington found a new way to communicate.

   c. They hired the crew.

d. The bridge was completed.

   e. Roebling wanted to build a bridge.

   f. There was a tragic accident.

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

_ What can we learn about Washington's wife?

A. She knew sign language very well.

B. She was devoted to her husband.

C. She developed a code to communicate with her husband.

D. She helped her husband design the plan.

_ What does the story tell us?

  A. Success will come with the passing of time.

  B. Struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.

  C. Even the most distant dream can be realised with a never-say-die attitude.

  D. The people who make a difference in our life should be remembered forever.

My husband is an engineer. Since we met，he has always been the rock in my life.I knew he had his feet　 __36__　 planted on the ground，and it seemed that no matter what else went　 __37__，he would be the constant one.

Three years of romance and two years of marriage later, I began to feel　 __38__　 of him because he never brought me flowers，he never　 __39__ me，and nothing had changed in our marriage.

After　 __40__， I finally told him I wanted to be　 __41__. He just sat there, speechless and didn't even know __42__　 to say to make me stay. Finally，he spoke, “What can I do to change your __43__？”

“I'll stay if you have a good answer　 __44__　 this question，”I replied coldly. “If I asked for a　 __45__ growing on a cliff, and getting it for me　 __46__　 certain death，would you still do so？”

His face grew troubled. “Can I give you the answer tomorrow morning？” With that, my heart　 __47__. He couldn't even give me an answer　 __48__　 away.

The next morning，I found he was　 __49__. However，I found a note under a warm glass of milk. My eyes　　 __50__　 misty(湿润)as I was reading it.

“Dear，I'll give you my　 __51__.

After you do typing for a long time, I need my　　 __52__　 to do it for you.

Every time you leave the house，you forget your keys. I need my legs to run　 __53__　 and open the door for you.... that's why I cannot pick the flower for you...”

With tears　 __54__　 from my eyes, I opened the door. And there he was, with an extremely worried look on his face, waving the packet he had in his hand in front of me.

Just because someone doesn't love you　 __55__　 you want him to, it doesn't mean that he doesn't love you heart and soul.

36．A.deeply　　 B．firmly　　C．slightly　　　　 D．totally

37．A.different B．crazy C．exciting D．excited

38．A.liked　 　　 B．tried C．fond 　　 D．tired

39．A.frightened 　　　 B．loved 　C．surprised 　　 D．lost

40．A.some time 　　　 B．sometime C．sometimes 　 D．some times

41．A.in　 　 B．up 　C．down 　 D．out

42．A.what　 　　 B．which C．how　 　 D．when

43．A.saying 　　 B．comment C．opinion D．mind

44．A.to 　　 B．of C．for D．about

45．A.tree B．moon 　C．flower 　 D．butterfly

46．A.meant　 　 B．resulted C．caused D．led

47．A.sank B．settled C．rose 　　 D．worried

48．A.soon　 　　 B．straight C．slight 　 D．quickly

49．A.missed 　　 B．missing 　C．losing 　 D．lost

50．A.fell 　 B．changed 　C．grew 　　 D．got

51．A.descriptions 　 B．causes 　C．lists 　　 D．reasons

52．A.heart 　　　 B．fingers C．mind 　　 D．arms

53．A.home　 　　 B．at home C．out D．in

54．A.steaming B．stretching C．streaming 　　 D．spreading

55．A.like it 　　　 B．way C．how　 　 D．the way

Kevin is a boy who might be described as “slow”. He didn’t learn his ABCs as fast as other kids. But Kevin was__1__with people, for his bright smile and big heart won him plenty of friends.

My friend Randy decided they needed a__2__team for boys.Kevin__3__up and practiced hard. But he simply shot baskets. Or more correctly, he threw the ball at the basket. He had a __4__spot near the free throw line(罚球线). He threw and threw, and it __5__went in.

The team did well but they never won a game that season except the night when it snowed and the opposing team never__6__. At the end of the__7__lot(签)of playing against the best team.

Game day arrived. The game went as__8__.Near the end of the last quarter, Kevin’s team stood nearly 30 points behind. It was then that one of the boys called timeout. ”Coach Randy, ” he said, ”this is our__9__game and Kevin has never made a basket. I think we should let him make a basket.”

The team agreed. Kevin wan __10__to stand at his special place near the free throw line and wait. When the ball was__11__to him, he shot and missed. A moment later, Kevin got the ball again, but shot and missed again.

Slowly the other team seemed to__12__what was going on. Both teams circled the boy by their time and all the other players were shouting, “Kevin! Kevin!” Soon everyone in the __13__　joined in.

Kevin attempted again and again, and one of his shots took a crazy bounce on the basket. Everyone held their__14__.The ball dropped in. Nobody remained __15__. Everyone stood and cheered as if one boy had won a world champion.

That day, an undefeated team kept their perfect record. But everybody won because everybody had participated in a crazy conspiracy(密谋)  of kindness.

1. A. patient        B. familiar          C. popular           D. careful

2.  A. basketball　    B. football         C. swimming        D. climbing

3.  A. got           B. signed           C. went            D. set

4. A. strange        B. special          C. wrong            D. safe

5. A. randomly      B. automatically     C. possibly          D. occasionally

6. A. showed up     B. took up          C. started off        D. gave in

7. A. favorite        B. difficult          C. unfortunate       D. important

8. A. reported       B. designed         C. arranged          D. expected

9. A. first           B. last              C. excellent         D. poor

10.A. forbidden      B. wished           C. trained           D. instructed

11. A. passed        B. kicked            C. carried           D. shot

12. A. give up        B. bring about       C. figure out         D. believe in

13. A. school         B. gym             C. town            D. team

14.A. hands         B. breath            C. places           D. ground

15.A. seated         B. excited           C. amazed          D. puzzled