You never see him, but they're with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to endure almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They're known as the black box.

　When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India ocean on June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine (潜水艇) detected the box's homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.

　In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the box was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane – the area least subject to impact – from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility.

　Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots' conversations, and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft's final moments. Placed in an insulated (隔绝的) case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can stand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged, they're also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft. Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1,2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they're still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane's black boxes were never recovered.

1.What does the author say about the black box?

A．It is an indispensable device on an airplane.　

B．The idea for its design comes from a comic book.

C．Its ability to avoid disasters is incredible.

D．It ensures the normal functioning of an airplane.

2.What does the underlined word in the 3^rd paragraph mean?　

A．witness           B．experience        C．resist　           D．ensure

3.Why was the black box redesigned in 1965?

A．New materials became available by that time

B．Too much space was needed for its installation.

C．The early models didn't provide the needed data.

D．The early models often got damaged in the crash.

4.What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?

A．There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed.

B．There is still a good chance of their being recovered.　

C．They have stopped sending homing signals.

D．They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil.

 

Here’s an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician（魔术师）, 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(互动) with his audiences. He has a unique understanding of showmanship (演出技巧).

“It is 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 intriguing(吸引人的),”Liu said.

Liu Qian’s success dates 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 decent(体面的)job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.

To refine（升华） his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for pedestrians(路人), policemen and farmers.

“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said.

1.Why do people love to watch magic?

A．Because Liu Qian is known for his interaction with his audiences.

B．Because people love watching magicians make the impossible happen.

C．Because people want to know the secret of the magic.

D．Because people are curious about everything.

2.Which word in the following is close to the underlined word “seasoned”?

A．Handsome.

B．Growing.

C．Fruitful.

D．Experienced.

3.What is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?

A．He was good at magic when he was young.

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

C．He couldn’t find a decent job after graduation.

D．He became an amateur magician in his spare time.

4.The passage is mainly about         .

A．why Liu Qian plays magic well

B．what magic tricks are

C．why people love magic

D．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician

 

One day, when I was working as a psychologist in England，an adolescent boy showed up in my office. It was David. He kept walking up and down restlessly, his face pale, and his hands shaking slightly. His head teacher had referred him to me.  "This boy has lost his family," he wrote.  "He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others, and I'm very worried about him. Can you help?”

         I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn’t have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.

         The first two times we met, David didn't say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children's drawings on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon——in complete silence and without looking at me. It's not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.

         Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed， took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why did he never look at me?

         "Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with," I thought. "Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.”Some months later, when we were playing chess, he looked up at me suddenly.

         "Is your turn," he said.

         After that day, David started talking. He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times about his biking with some friends, and about his plan to get into university. Now he had really started to live his own life.

         Maybe I gave David something. But I also learned that one——without any words——can reach out to another person. All it takes is a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, and an ear that listens.

1.When he first met the author, David         .

A. felt a little excited

B.looked a little nervous

C. walked energetically

D. showed up with his teacher

2.As a psychologist, the author         .

A. was able to describe David's problem

B. was skeptical about psychology

C. was ready to listen to David

D. was sure of handling David's problem

3.David enjoyed being with the author because he________.

A. wanted to ask the author for advice

B. bear the author many times in the chess game

C. liked the children’s drawings in the office

D. need to share sorrow with the author

4.What can be inferred about David?

A．He recovered after months of treatment. 

B．He liked biking before he lost his family.

C．He went into university soon after starting to talk.

D．He got friends in school before he met the author.

5.What made David change?

A．His teacher’s  help.

B．The author’s  friendship.

C．The author’s silent communication with him.

D．His exchange of letters with the author.

 

When looking back at the scary situation that happened to him on Saturday, Patrick Canney said he couldn’t still believe that it was true. It was a situation that could have ended with a tragedy for Patrick, his father and his sister. But it didn’t really happen thanks to Patrick.

That morning, Patrick’s father was driving down busy Interstate 95 in Peabody, Massachusetts. The car started going really slowly, which seized Patrick’s attention. And then he realized that something was wrong. At that point, Patrick found his father was having a seizure （中风）.

“It was really scary,” he said. “It was unlike anything that had ever really happened to me.” But Patrick didn’t act scared. He took control of the situation and got behind the wheel of the SUV. He turned the key off and pulled the car over to the breakdown lane （车道）. He then stopped the SUV, grabbed a cell phone out of his dad’s pocket and called 911 for help.

Patrick’s 9-year-old sister was in the SUV, too. He told his little sister not to worry about it. Then he opened the door and stood right next to the guard rail. Thanks to Patrick’s description of their location during the 911 call, Massachusetts State Police were able to locate the Canneys within minutes -- and get them all to safety.

“A 12-year-old boy’s clear thinking and decisive action actually saved this family from a tragedy,” said state police spokesman David. “That’s Patrick. He is cool and collected. I couldn’t imagine what would be the result if he were panicked （惊慌失措）.”

Patrick’s father was expected to recover fully from the seizure. And thanks to Patrick, all of the Canneys are still alive. “The word hero may be overused in our society,” said David. “But Patrick is surely that -- and then some.”

1.As soon as he found his father had a seizure, Patrick ________.

A．told his sister not to worry                B．called the police for help at once

C．tried his best to save his father             D．managed to take control of the car

2.The underlined word “collected” in Paragraph 5 means “_________”.

A．confused          B．positive           C．calm             D．serious

3.What did David think of Patrick?

A．Patrick should learn from real heroes in society.

B．Patrick was a cool boy who matched the word hero.

C．Patrick should be rewarded for his behavior.

D．Patrick should protect his family carefully in the future.

4.Which of the-following best expresses the main idea of the passage?

A．A kid made every effort to survive in a car crash.

B．A kid turned into a lifesaver after his father was ill.

C．A kid learned how to become a hero by using his wisdom.

D．A kid saved his sister when they drove on a highway.

 

I think you got _______ wrong end of the stick. It’s Tom rather than David who has________good nose for news.

A．/; the

B．/; a

C．the; the

D．the; a