A famous American John Muir said in 1898: “The Grand Canyon… as unearthly (神秘的) in the color and grandeur (壮观) of its architecture as if you had found it after death on some other star.” Like Muir, those of us who stand along the rim are prompted to wonder about the unearthliness and the forces that created and are still changing this place.

After more than 100 years of studies, many things are still mysterious. Today visitors come by the thousands -- the great and simple of the earth -- all in a spirit of wonder. Travelers come from every state of the Union, from every country in Europe and Asia.

From the depths of the canyon comes welling silence. Seldom can you hear the roar of the river, for all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. “It makes one want to murmur.” A woman once whispered to her companion. This silence is not the silence of death; rather, it is a presence. It is like a great piece of music. But music made of man works up to a climax (高潮) and stops.

Now, visitors to the South Rim alone may number 18,000 in a single day. Some of that number will travel by mule train down Bright Angel Trail to the canyon's floor, cross the raging river by a suspension bridge (吊桥) and walk to the North Rim. Though the two rims face each other across only 12 miles, it is a journey of 214 miles by car from one to the other. Nor can you visit the North Rim except in summer; some 1,200 feet higher than the South Rim, it is snow covered much of the year except in July and August.

   But there is no day that you may not visit the South Rim and find the sun warm on your face and the air perfumed with the incense (香气) of smoke from an Indian hearth (香炉). No wonder an American writer and journalist said, “I came here an atheist (无神论者), and departed a devout （虔诚的）believer.”

What is it that attracts so many travelers to the Canyon?

A. The unearthliness and the grandeur of its architecture.

B. The presence of American super stars.

C. The saying made by American writers and journalists.

D. The roaring of the river in the Canyon.www..ocm

What does the underlined word “simple” refer to?

A. peaceful stream  B. land surface       C. common people        D. tamed animals

If you want to visit the North Rim from the South Rim, which of the following won’t be the way of traveling for you?

A. By train.                B. By animal.      C. By car.                         D. On foot.

The last sentence “I came here an atheist, and departed a devout believer.” implies that ______.

A. natural wonders such as the Canyon have some effect on human activities

B. all visitors to the Grand Canyon are God believers

C. atheist can’t see the magnificence of the Grand Canyon

D. the Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight that only God could create

A famous American John Muir said in 1898: “The Grand Canyon… as unearthly (神秘的) in the color and grandeur (壮观) of its architecture as if you had found it after death on some other star.” Like Muir, those of us who stand along the rim are prompted to wonder about the unearthliness and the forces that created and are still changing this place.
After more than 100 years of studies, many things are still mysterious. Today visitors come by the thousands -- the great and simple of the earth -- all in a spirit of wonder. Travelers come from every state of the Union, from every country in Europe and Asia.
From the depths of the canyon comes welling silence. Seldom can you hear the roar of the river, for all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. “It makes one want to murmur.” A woman once whispered to her companion. This silence is not the silence of death; rather, it is a presence. It is like a great piece of music. But music made of man works up to a climax (高潮) and stops.
Now, visitors to the South Rim alone may number 18,000 in a single day. Some of that number will travel by mule train down Bright Angel Trail to the canyon's floor, cross the raging river by a suspension bridge (吊桥) and walk to the North Rim. Though the two rims face each other across only 12 miles, it is a journey of 214 miles by car from one to the other. Nor can you visit the North Rim except in summer; some 1,200 feet higher than the South Rim, it is snow covered much of the year except in July and August.
But there is no day that you may not visit the South Rim and find the sun warm on your face and the air perfumed with the incense (香气) of smoke from an Indian hearth (香炉). No wonder an American writer and journalist said, “I came here an atheist (无神论者), and departed a devout （虔诚的）believer.”

1. 1.

   What is it that attracts so many travelers to the Canyon?

   1. A.
      The unearthliness and the grandeur of its architecture.
   2. B.
      The presence of American super stars.
   3. C.
      The saying made by American writers and journalists.
   4. D.
      The roaring of the river in the Canyon.www.ks5u.ocm
2. 2.

   What does the underlined word “simple” refer to?

   1. A.
      peaceful stream
   2. B.
      land surface
   3. C.
      common people
   4. D.
      tamed animals
3. 3.

   If you want to visit the North Rim from the South Rim, which of the following won’t be the way of traveling for you?

   1. A.
      By train.
   2. B.
      By animal.
   3. C.
      By car.
   4. D.
      On foot.
4. 4.

   The last sentence “I came here an atheist, and departed a devout believer.” implies that ______.

   1. A.
      natural wonders such as the Canyon have some effect on human activities
   2. B.
      all visitors to the Grand Canyon are God believers
   3. C.
      atheist can’t see the magnificence of the Grand Canyon
   4. D.
      the Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight that only God could create

 Angela Chang didn’t know it would be so hard to turn her singing hobby into a career. Her agent used to take her to lots of auditions（试唱）at different recording studios but the Taiwanese girl was always turned down for looking too young and small.

Chang’ s talent was at last recognized in 2002 by the Decca Record Company. When she was offered a contract she burst into tears. Two years later Chang, 21, is a star. With the release of her debut album “Over the Rainbow” this year, she won the “Most Promising New Artist in Taiwan” at the CCTV-MTV Music Awards in July. In September she won the “Best New Artist” in the Fourth Chinese Music Billboard Awards.

“You just can’t believe that such an amazingly powerful voice comes from such a small body,” said musicians after hearing Chang sing “Over the Rainbow.” “It’s such a special voice. You cannot forget it.” Chang can hit very high motes（高音）clearly and beautifully.

Her tunes make Chang stand out from the numerous newcomers in the music world. But mainland fans also know her for her girl-next-door performances in Taiwanese TV dramas, “My MVP Valentine” and “At Dolphin Bay”.

But few people know that while filming her first TV series, Chang acted so badly that the director wanted to fire her. At one time it took her a record of 27 attempts to shoot one scene.

“I cried my heart out when I went back home.” Change said, “But I know that defeat is often a temporary condition. By giving up you remain defeated.”

Though she looks very girlish, Chang said she has a boy’s personality. “The way I release pressure is to have a sound sleep. When I wake up, everything is new.”

26. The first paragraph mainly tells us               .

A. Chang’s hard way to success            B. Chang’s appearance

C. Chang was looked down upon           D. Chang has no talent in singing

27. When Chang’s talent was recognized, she               .

A. felt doubtful                          B. was too astonished

C. was full of sadness                D. was mixed with various feelings

28. What musicians said shows               .

A. Chang has a common voice        B. Chang isn’t suitable to sing

C. they think highly of Chang          D. they will give Chang some direction

29. The author thinks Chang               .

A. should take up singing instead of acting

B. begins to be familiar to audience in the mainland by her performances

C. has made some achievements in acting

D. takes pride in her talent in singing and acting

30. The underlined sentence shows Chang               .

A. had some pleasure on the way to acting         B. made the director disappointed

C. worked hard                             D. based her success on continuous efforts