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.　

Jones, a hardworking blacksmith, used to work all day in his shop. So hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his 　 1　 .

　 The son of Mr. Smith, a rich 　 2　 , would come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself 　 3　 how the tradesman worked.

　 "Young man, why don't you 　 4　 your hand to learn to make shoe tacks,　 5　 it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "　 6　 knows, one day, it may be of use to you."

　 The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little 　 7 he found that he was becoming very　 8 and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

　 Old Mr. Smith died and the son 　 9　 the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to 　 10　 residence in another country. It so 　 11　 that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were spending a lot of money 　 12　 tacks for their shoes and even 　 13　 when they paid high prices they were　 14　 able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.

　 Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to　 15　 his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a 　 16　 with the shoemakers. He told them that he　 17　 make the tacks if they could help him to　 18　 a workshop. The shoemakers were 　 19　 willing to do so. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

　 "How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a 　 20 .My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches."

1．A．hand　　　 　 B．finger　　　　 　　　　　　　 C．gun　　　　 D．hammer

2． A．classmate　 B．neighbor　　 　　　　　　　 C．blacksmith　 　 D．workmate

3． A．observing　　 　　　　　　　 B．noticing　 C．watching　　 D．finding

4． A．put　　　　 B．raise　　　 C．tie　　　　 D．try

5． A．even if　　　 　　　　　　　 B．whether or not 　　　　　 C．only if　　 D．in that

6． A．He　　　　 B．Somebody　 C．Who　　　 　 D．Nobody　　　 　

7． A．advice　　 B．practice　　 　　　　　　　 C．knowledge　 　 D．training　　　

8． A．serious　　 B．caution　　 　　　　　　　 C．devoted　　　 　 D．skilled　　　　

9． A．on account of　 B．regardless of　 　　　　 C．instead of　　 D．in need of

10．A．take in　　　　 B．take up　 　　　　　　　 C．take off　　　　 D．take on

11．A．occurred　　 B．took place　 　　　　　　　 C．happened　 D．appeared

12．A．selling　　 B．buying　　　 　　　　　　　　 C．making　　 D．promoting

13．A．at times　　 B．at a time　 　　　　　　　 C．at one time 　 D．at the time

14．A．never　　　　 　　　　　　 B．ever　　　　 C．often　　　 D．not always

15．A．eat　　　　　 　　　　　　　 B．cook　　 　 C．earn　　　　 D．make

16．A．living　　　 　　　　　　　 B．bargain　 　 C．mistake　　 D．sense

17．A．would　　　 B．used to　　 　　　　　　　 C．should　　　 D．dared

18．A．set down　　 B．set out　　 　　　　　　　 C．set up　　　　 D．set to

19．A．much too　　 B．too much　　 　　　　　　　 C．only too　　　 D．not too

20．A．fortune　　　 　　　　　　　 B． fame　　　 C．profit　　　　 D．welcome

 

A friend of mine was sitting in the living room one day when his cat dragged in a little “gift” in its mouth — a dead animal of some sort．Taking a closer look, he was surprised to 　36 it as the bunny （小兔）that 　37 Mary, the young daughter of the family next door．My friend felt 　38 , believing his cat had killed Mary’s bunny．

My quick-thinking friend came up with a plan． 39 　from the cat’s mouth the dead animal, which by now was a 　40 mess, he put it in the kitchen sink(水槽)．With a little warm water and some shampoo, he tried to 　41 the dead bunny as best he could．Then he took a hair dryer and blow-dried the bunny 　42 it looked pretty good．

Finally, under the cover of darkness, he crept into the next-door garden and placed it 　43 　in the cage．He managed to make the bunny look very 　44 　there in his little box．

The next morning, my friend looked out of the window and noticed a crowd of people 　45 around the rabbit cage ．Everyone seemed to be talking and pointing．My friend 　46 to go over and act like any normal　 47 neighbor and find out what was going on．

When he got there, Mary’s mother said to my friend, “You won’t believe this! It’s a（n） 48 thing! Mary’s bunny 49 　a few days ago, and we buried that little bunny right over there．．．”

Have you ever tried to cover up one wrongdoing with another? Covering up only makes matters 　50 ．

When we get caught doing something 　51 , for example, we may 　52 to cover it up with a lie．But just like Mary’s bunny, the result is 53 what we expected．We 　54 looking foolish．We would have been better off admitting we were wrong and accepting the 　55 ．What do you think of it?

36．A．treat　　　 B．catch　　 　　　　　　　　　 C．appreciate　 　　　　 D．recognize

37．A．looked for　 B．got along　 　　　　　　　 C．belonged to 　　　　　 D．resulted from

38．A．pleased　　 B．terrible　 　　　　　　　　　　　 C．confused 　　　　　　 D．excited

39．A．Looking　　 B．Removing 　　　　　　　　　　 C．Preventing　 　　　　 D．Hearing

40．A．dirty　　　 B．lovely　　 　　　　　　　　　　 C．gifted　　　 　　　　 D．strange

41．A．dress up　　 B．bring up　 　　　　　　　　　　 C．clean up　　 　　　　 D．make up

42．A．whenever　 B．though　 　　　　　　　　　　　 C．before　　 　　　　 D．until

43．A．carefully　 B．strangely　 　　　　　　　　　　 C.especially　 D．wonderfully

44．A．serious　　 B．correct　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．balanced　 　　　　 D．natural

45．A．cheered　　 B．gathered 　　　　　　　　　　　 C．ran　　　　 　　　　 D．looked

46．A．wished　　 B．decided　 　　　　　　　　　　 C．hesitated 　　　　　　 D．meant

47．A．anxious　　 B．discouraged 　　　　　　　　　　 C．wise　 　　　　　　　　 D．curious

48．A．strange　　 B．difficult 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．sad 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．annoying

49．A．passed away B．ran away　 　　　　　　　　　　 C．set out 　　　　　　　 D．went up

50．A．more　　　 B．worse　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．better　 　　　　　　　 D．faster

51．A．exciting　　　 B．perfect　 　　　　　　　　　 C．strange 　　　　　　　 D．wrong

52．A．refuse　　　 B．attempt 　　　　　　　　　　 C．promise 　　　　　　 D．pretend

53．A．often　　　　 B．just　　　 　　　　　　　　　 C．always 　　　　　　　 D．never

54．A．get down　　 B．end up　 　　　　　　　　　　 C．go through　 　　　 D．set out

55．A．result　　 B．opportunities　 　　　　　　　　 C．hopes 　　　　　　　　　 D．choices

It was in my high school science class. I was doing a task in front of the classroom with my favorite shirt on.

A 36 came,“Nice shirt,”I smiled from ear to ear. Then another voice said,“That shirt belonged to my dad. Greg’s mother works for my family. We were going to 37　 that shirt away, but gave it to her 38 .”I was speechless. I wanted to hide.

I 39　 the shirt in the back of the closet and told my mum what had happened. She then dialed her　 40　 , “I will no longer work for your family,”she told him. That night, Mom told my dad that she couldn’t clean anymore; she knew her life’s　 41 was something greater.

The next morning she　 42　 with the personnel manager at the Board of Eeucation. He told her that without a proper education she could not teach. So mom decided to　 43 a university.

After the first year in college, she went back to the personnel manager. He said, “You are　 44 , aren’t you? I think I have a　 45　 for you as a teacher’s assistant. This opportunity deals with children who are mentally challenged with little or no chance of　 46 .” Mom accepted the opportunity very　 47 .

For almost five years, as a teacher’s assistant, she saw teacher after teacher give up on the children and quit, feeling　 48 . then one day, the personnel manager and the principal　 49　 in her classroom. The principal said, “We have watched how you　 50　 the children and how they communicate with you and admire your hard – working　 51　 over the last five years. We are all in agreement that you　 52　 be the teacher of this class.”

My mom spent more than 20 years there.　 53 her career, she was voted Teacher of the Year. All of this came about because of the　 54　 comment made in the classroom that day. Mom showed me how to handle　 55　 situations and never give up.

36．A．noise 　　　　B．voice　　　　　 　　C．sound　　　 　　　D．tune

37．A．get　 　　　　B．take　 　　　　　　C．carry 　　　　　D．throw

38．A．otherwise 　　B．anyhow　 　　　　C．instead　　 　　　D．actually

39．A．settled　　 　　B．pushed　　 　　　　C．stored　　　 　　　D．stuck

40．A．teacher　　 　　B．employer　 　　　　C．director　 　　　D．adviser

41．A．purpose　 　　B．encouragement　 C．achievement　　 　D．victory

42．A．went 　　　　B．met　 　　　　　　C．worked　　 　　　D．stayed

43．A．visit　 　　　　B．continue　 　　　　C．attend　　　 　　　D．prepare

44．A．serious　　 　　B．fortunate　 　　　　C．careful　　 　　　D．responsible

45．A．career　　　 　　B．duty 　　　　　　C．position　　　　D．part

46．A．learning　 　　B．judging　　 　　　　C．obeying　 　　　D．imagining

47．A．patiently　 　　B．eagerly　　 　　　　C．successfully　　 　D．skillfully

48．A．upset 　　　　B．frightened　　　 C．guilty 　　　　 D．ashamed

49．A．looked up　　 B．went up　 　　　　C．took up　　 　　　D．showed up

50．A．believe　　 　 B．protect　　 　　　　C．treat 　　　　　D．receive

51．A．spirit 　　　　B．intention　　　　　C．action　　　 　　　D．attempt

52．A．must 　　　　B．would　　　 　　　　C．might　　　 　　　　 D．should

53．A．At　　 　　　　B．During　　 　　　　C．On　 　　　　　D．With

54．A．worthless　　 B．thoughtless　　 　　C．hopeless　 　　　D．helpless

55．A．challenging　　　 B．different　 　　　　C．dangerous　　　D．strange

One cold evening, I was waiting outside for a taxi in New York City. Later, I was 　26　 by a man in his thirties. Obviously, he was angry, complaining how 27　 New Yorkers were. I knew my 　28 would only be about 10 minutes and a part of me wanted to keep 29　 and just move on, but I also wanted to try and connect.

　 I asked him why. He told me he had just come from JFK airport 30　 a customer, which means $70 in lost fare(车费), a fairly big deal. I tried to share his 31　 . Gradually, he calmed down. He mentioned he had read an article 　 32 that the happiest people are those who give. 　 33 , he hoped to have more chance to 34　 in his life, I was starting to 　 35 being with him!

　 Arriving at my destination, I paid him, giving a generous tip. I also pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Sir, I share the same　 36 of giving with you. Here’s the extra money for you. 　 37 it, since you’ve already　 38 $70 from JFK. But, if you want to experience the　 39 of giving, give it to the next　 40 .”

　 For a moment I thought I was so　 41 ! But the driver　 42 me by saying, “Sir, I have a 43 idea. You give that $20 to a homeless person and I will serve the next rider for free.”

　 It was an honor meeting the driver and learning the lesson of 　 44 everyone is able to give and surprise　 45 with their generosity.

26．A．taken up　 　 B．picked up 　 C．sent up　　 D．put up

27．A．serious　　 　　 　　 B．cruel 　　　 C．horrible　　 　　 　 D．strict

28．A．ride　 　　 　　 B．flight 　　　 C．way　 　　　　 　 D．distance

29．A．free　 　　 　　 B．calm　　　 C．busy　　 　　 　 D．silent

30．A．with 　　 　　 B．without　　 　　 C．for　　 　　　　 　　 D．to

31．A．delight　　 　　 　　 B．worry　　　 　　　 C．unhappiness　　　 　 D．surprise

32．A．saying　　 　 B．writing　　 　　　 C．telling 　　　 D．speaking

33．A．Otherwise 　　 B．However　 　 C．Besides　　 　　　 D．Therefore

34．A．give　 　　 　　 B．share 　　　 C．take　 　　　 D．forgive

35．A．mind 　　 　　 B．regret　　　 　　　 C．enjoy　 　　　 D．hate

36．A．idea　 　　 　　 B．action　　　 　　　 C．practice　　 　 　　　 D．story

37．A．Forget　　 　　 　　 B．Keep 　　　 C．Put　　 　　　 　　　 D．Pay

38．A．given 　　　 B．got　　 　　　 　　　 C．lost　 　　 　 　　 D．gained

39．A．force 　 　　　 B．energy　　 　　 　　 C．strength　 　 　　　 D．power

40．A．passenger 　　 B．conductor 　 C．stranger　 　　　 D．tourist

41．A．bad　 　　　 　　　 B．cool　 　　 　　　　　 C．silly　 　　 　　　　　 D．simple

42．A．disappointed　　 B．satisfied　　　　　　　　 C．surprised 　 D．encouraged

43．A．better　　　 　 　　　 B．further　　 C．worse　　 　　　　 D．newer

44．A．what 　 　　　 B．when 　　 　　 C．which 　　 　　　　 D．how

45．A．one　　　 　　 B．another　　 　 　　　 C．other 　　 　 D．some