Magic is believed to have begun with the Egyptians, in 1700 BC. A magician named Dedi of Dedsnefu was reported to have performed for the pharaoh, or the king. He was also known to have entertained the slaves who built the pyramids. The "Cups and Balls" trick which he was particularly good at is still performed by magicians all over the world today.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were also fascinated by the idea of magic. Actually, one of their main interests was the art of deception（欺骗）. This explains why at that time the priests（神父） even built magic devices into their temples. These devices made it possible for doors to open by themselves and wine to flow magically out of statues' mouths. This was done mainly to convince people that the priests were powerful.

Magic, however, was not well accepted before the 1800s. Magicians were thought of as freaks（怪物） and were only allowed to perform in a circus（马戏团）. It was in the 19th century that the magician Robert Houdin came along and changed people's views and attitudes about magic. It was also because of Robert Houdin that many magicians were able to add Dr. or MD to their names. Today magicians try hard to find new ways to show their practiced skills. Magic is now entertainment for families all over the world.

1. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Magical Tricks	B．The History of Magic
C．Magic as Entertainment	D．A Great Magician

2.In ancient Greece, what did the priests do to show people they had unusual power?

A．They performed magical tricks to entertain people.

B．They made the statues in the temples drink wine as they wished.

C．They treated the people with wine flowing down from statues' mouths.

D．They built magic devices in the temples to make doors open by themselves.

3. What did people think of magic before 1800?

A．Magic should be used only in temples.

B．Magic could only be performed in a circus.

C．Magic was performed by freaks and doctors.

D．Magic was the major daily activity for the pharaohs.

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A．Magic began about 3,700 years ago.

B．Dedi of Dedsnefu performed magic for kings only.

C．Robert Houdin was the first magician to perform magic.

D．The "Cups and Balls" trick has been performed for about 1,700 years.

 

Paul was a good athlete when he was a middle school student. He liked running and jumping and won some medals at the sports meetings. So he was tall and strong. Suddenly war broke out and the young man joined the army. He was sent to the front and killed several enemy soldiers. Two years later he raturned to his home town and found a job at the police station. People had known about his bravery by then and they all liked the polite young man.

One day a few young men had drunk too much before they came in a cinema. They danced and sang there and the film couldn't be shown. Paul was ill that day and went to the hospital. When he was passing there, the young men were beating an old man. He went to stop them and they began to fight. He caught them all and sent them to the police station. Since then all the bad men in the town were afraid of the brave policeman.

It was a summer evening. The weather was hot and few people could stay indoors. Paul was on duty and sat by the telephone. Suddenly in rushed a beautiful girl with a book in her hand. She stood there, shaking in her shoes.

“What's the matter, madam? ”asked Paul.

“I wish you could protect me sir, ”answered the girl.

“Protect? ”Paul said in surprise. “For what? ”

The girl showed the book to Paul. The young man understood at once: it was a book about Ghosts（鬼）！

Paul won some medals because ____.   [    ]

A. he was a middle school student

B. he was tall and strong

C. he kept doing morning exercises

D. he was good at running and jumping.

Paul was ____ after he joined the army. [    ]

A. a good athlete

B. a brave soldier

C. a polite policeman

D. a brave policeman

Paul sent the young men to the police station because ____.       [    ]

A. they made some trouble（闹事）at the cinema

B. they drank much in the restaurant

C. they wouldn't see the filin

D. they wanted to fight with him

Paul sat by the telephone that evening because ____.   [    ]

A. he was waiting for an important call

B. he was going to call somebody

C. he was on duty

D. he wasn't afraid of hotness

I try to be a good father. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he’s not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed (拉着) him 2.4 miles in a dinghy (小游艇) while swimming and pedaled (蹬车) him 112 miles — all in the same day. And what has Rick done for his father? Not much — except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled (使窒息) by the umbilical cord (脐带) during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

When Rick was 11 the Hoyts took him to hospital and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,’’ Dick was told. “There’s nothing going on in his brain.’’

“Tell him a joke,’’ Dick countered (反驳). They did. Rick laughed. It turns out that a lot was going on in his brain. Equipped with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor (光标) by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate.

And after a high school classmate was paralyzed (瘫痪) in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out (啄出), “Dad, I want to do that.’’

How was Dick, who had never run more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried.

That day changed Rick’s life. “Dad,’’ he typed, “when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled any more!’’

And that sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed(迷恋) with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon. In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon (三项全能运动)?’’

Now they’ve done 212 triathlons, including four 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 — only 35 minutes off the world record.

“No question about it,’’ Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the Century.’’

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries (动脉) was 95% blocked. “If you hadn’t been in such great shape,’’ one doctor told him, “you probably would have died 15 years ago.’’ So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other’s life.

What is the meaning of the underlined word ‘limbs’ in Paragraph 3?

A. fingers and toes    B. hands and feet    C. arms and legs       D. wrists and knees

At the 24^th Boston Marathon, Dick and Rick ________.

A. reached the finish line within 160 minutes    B. nearly broke the world record

C. did better than 5082 athletes         D. completed the journey 35 minutes ahead of time

What changed Rick’s life?

A. Rick’s love for his father.        B. Rick’s joining in the charity run with his father.

C. A computer enabling Rick to communicate.     D. Rick’s strong will and perseverance.

What do we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A. Dick was considered as the Father of the Century by the public.

B. Rick made his father so well-known that the doctors treated him well.

C. Dick got into great shape by assisting his son in marathons and triathlons.

D. Rick saved his father when he had a heart attack in a race two years ago.

One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion,the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later,I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.

I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful,grateful voice on the other end of the line,all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.

It was,I should point out,after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed.and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson.”I said.I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea,but it was the only explanation I could come up with.

Finally,in desperation,I called his girlfriend’s house.After what seemed like countless rings,his girlfriend answered.“Yes,”she said brightly,“He’s right here.”

He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm,rational(理智的)self.After all,one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modem teenagers.“Where are the children?”I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed.Well,it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.

The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home,celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children,dressed in their best clothes,and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime,all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.

1.The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children

 because        .

A.she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter

B.she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones

C.she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help

D.she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night

2.When the author called home that evening,she found that        .

A.two younger children had already been in bed

B.the children were preparing a birthday gift for her

C.her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend

D.there was no one answering the telephone

3.What can you learn from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?

A.The author didn’t believe what her son had told her.

B.The author had complete confidence in her son.

C.The author believed her son was telling the truth.

D.The author was moved by what her children had done.

4.What might the children do that evening?

A.They had a birthday party.

B.They framed some photographs.

C.They had their pictures taken.

D.They made some beautiful clothes.

5.What does the author intend to teIl us by the story?

A.Modem teenagers are not worth trusting.

B.It is no easy job to look after young children.

C.It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age.

D.Her children have a caring and tender heart.

 

 

阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The angels were   26   a small space in the cold basement instead of in the comfortable guestroom. As they made their   27   on the hard floor, the older angel saw a   28   in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked   29  , the older angel replied, "Things aren’t always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to he house of a very poor but  30 farmer and his wife. After   31   what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they   32   have a good night’s rest. When the sun   33  the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife   34 . Their cow, whose milk had been their only   35   , lay dead in the field. The younger angel was angry and asked the older angel, “How could you   36   this happen? The first man had everything,   37   you helped him. The second family had   38   but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die   39   help them. ”

"Things aren’t always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we   40   in the basement, I   41   there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.   42  the owner was greedy and unwilling to share, I covered the wall so that he wouldn’t   43   it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came   44   his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem."

Sometimes that is   45  what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should.

1.

A．supplied

B．supported

C．provided

D．given

2.

A．food

B．rest

C．bed

D．room

3.

A．hole

B．window

C．spot

D．circle

4.

A．what

B．how

C．why

D．where

5.

A．gentle

B．generous

C．modest

D．devoted

6.

A．sharing

B．cooking

C．buying

D．delivering

7.

A．should

B．must

C．could

D．may

8.

A．turned up

B．came up

C．brought up

D．sent up

9.

A．in danger

B．in rags

C．in defence

D．in tears

10.

A．food

B．budget

C．income

D．output

11.

A．have permitted

B．have got

C．have let

D．have caused

12.

A．so

B．yet

C．however

D．or

13.

A．none

B．much

C．some

D．little

14.

A．less than

B．other than

C．more than

D．rather than

15.

A．repaired

B．stayed

C．lived

D．settled

16.

A．realized

B．recognized

C．noticed

D．looked

17.

A．Since

B．Although

C．If

D．While

18.

A．discover

B．search

C．seek

D．research

19.

A．to

B．for

C．over

D．around

20.

A．hardly

B．exactly

C．obviously

D．fortunately