3 . I became a magician by accident. When I was nine I learned how to make a coin disappear. At first the magic wasn’t any good; it was just a bad _________ I spent hours each day practising in the bathroom, running through the secret _________ in front of the mirror.

One day I made the coin disappear on the playground. What a miracle! Dozens of people were _________. I showed the coin to everyone. Then it disappeared. The kids _________and laughed. It was great. Everyone went _________.

The teacher on duty crossed the playground to _________ more about it. Mrs. Tanner was a(n)       _________ woman who controlled her class with an appetite for punishing students. She marched toward me and _________ to know what was going on.

The coin disappeared for her too. “Do it again,” she said angrily, and I did. My hands were _________, but when I looked up, everything had __________. I would remember the look on her face — the look of wide-eyed, open-mouthed __________.

I kept seeing my teacher’s face—the strict look__________ into great wonder and joy all at once. The kids’ too. They had been __________ immediately from an indifferent pack of creatures into real people. When the __________ of worry or pain had gone, the faces that shone without it were amazing.

Magicians get to see people at their very best, and in this change we can see what can only be described as real, actual __________.

1.

A．gesture

B．trick

C．joke

D．word

2.

A．services

B．messages

C．angles

D．moves

3.

A．debating

B．performing

C．watching

D．suspecting

4.

A．screamed

B．whispered

C．envied

D．sighed

5.

A．motivated

B．crazy

C．blind

D．frustrated

6.

A．leave out

B．hand out

C．figure out

D．turn out

7.

A．reliable

B．pleasant

C．mature

D．annoying

8.

A．demanded

B．begged

C．pretended

D．urged

9.

A．circling

B．trembling

C．flying

D．dancing

10.

A．started

B．recovered

C．changed

D．frozen

11.

A．excitement

B．eagerness

C．disappointment

D．astonishment

12.

A．softening

B．falling

C．highlighting

D．breaking

13.

A．admired

B．transformed

C．freed

D．recognized

14.

A．weight

B．attempt

C．significance

D．instance

15.

A．cuisine

B．genius

C．magic

D．education

4 . It was a hot, wet summer day a few years ago. At a local gas station, I noticed two elderly ladies _________ away from their car. There was a look of shock and _________ on their faces. I looked and saw what they saw. Five wasps (大黄蜂)had started to _________ a nest around the gas cap. My eyes _________ in surprise. I shared the ladies' fear. The nest seemed to be forming.

Wasps had never been _________ of mine. Several times wasps had _________ me while I was cutting my grass, bringing me a lot of pain _________ I was afraid to cut the grass for a long time.

The most _________ time, however, was when I was a young boy. A friend of mine and I were running and playing in my backyard. I had _________ stepped on one of their hidden nests because before we knew it, we were being run after and __________ over and over by the wasps. We ran to my mom with tears in our eyes. My mom immediately let us have a cold bath and put us in the __________ water before giving us medicine to fight all the __________ in our little bodies from the stings(刺毛).

Recalling the past stings, I knew I couldn't let fear prevent me __________ others now. I reached into my back pocket for a paper towel and tore out the nest while the __________ wasps flew around me. The ladies finally thanked me and I said “You're welcome!” with a smile and a(n) __________ heart.

1.

A．standing

B．laughing

C．lying

D．conflicting

2.

A．respect

B．joy

C．faith

D．horror

3.

A．destroy

B．repair

C．remove

D．build

4.

A．hurt

B．widened

C．escaped

D．closed

5.

A．friends

B．passengers

C．enemies

D．partners

6.

A．ignored

B．assisted

C．attacked

D．recognized

7.

A．as though

B．even if

C．in case

D．so that

8.

A．independent

B．terrible

C．limited

D．normal

9.

A．definitely

B．flexibly

C．hardly

D．gratefully

10.

A．believed

B．rejected

C．bitten

D．drawn

11.

A．hot

B．dirty

C．cool

D．mild

12.

A．smell

B．poison

C．memory

D．energy

13.

A．helping

B．seeking

C．harming

D．carrying

14.

A．virtual

B．friendly

C．annoyed

D．pleased

15.

A．upset

B．heavy

C．curious

D．happy

5 . One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept into the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.

Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.

He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter from the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him. Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.

By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could - he huddled (蜷缩) in his cave and slept.

The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out again to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. Having been stuck in the snow for two days, Nicholas was saved.

Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life. When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was super impressed that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.

1. What caused Nicholas to get lost at the mountain?

A．Having no guides to help.

B．Forgetting the way back.

C．Terrible weather.

D．Poor eyesight.

2. How did Nicholas keep himself warm?

A．He built a snow cave.

B．He found a shelter.

C．He kept on skiing.

D．He made a fire.

3. Why was Gryll’s show mentioned?

A．It was Nicholas’ favorite TV program.

B．It taught Nicholas useful knowledge.

C．Nicholas shared his story on the show.

D．Gryll asked Nicholas to make a TV interview.

4. Which of the following may best describe Nicholas?

A．Calm and brave.	B．Responsible and curious.
C．Lucky and smart.	D．Confident and outgoing.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Xiao Wei, a Chinese student, for the first time left her motherland—China to study for a business     1     (qualify) in London. Like most foreign students, she has to complete the preparation course before applying     2     a degree course. Xiao Wei explained     3     took up all her concentration in the beginning to get used to a new way of life there. Sometimes she felt like a child because she had to learn almost everything.     4     (lucky), she lives with a host family who always give her good advice and also the chance     5     (learn) more about the new culture. Meanwhile, it is a substitute family to give her comfort when she misses her family. The preparation course, in Xiao Wei’s opinion, is most     6     (benefit), making her understand the academic requirements of a western university. To write an essay, as far as Xiao Wei’s tutor     7     (concern), the most important thing was her own opinion. He required her to read lots of texts     8     contain different opinions and analyze them. Besides, she was encouraged to give her own opinion, explain it by referring to other authors, and even to contradict the authors. Her marks have improved and she is a more autonomous learner now. At present she feels more at home in England and     9     had ever seemed very strange before appears quite normal to her. However,     10     (occupy) with work, she has not had time for social activities. So she tries to have a balance between study and a social life.

7 . When I entered Berkeley, I hoped to earn a scholarship. Having been a Straight-A student, I believed I could _______ tough subjects and really learn something. One such course was World Literature given by Professor Jayne. I was extremely interested in the ideas he _______ in class.

When I took the first exam, I was _______ to find a 77, C-plus, on my test paper, ________English was my best subject. I went to Professor Jayne, who listened to my arguments but remained _______. I decided to try harder, although I didn’t know what that _______ because school had always been easy for me. I read the books more carefully, but got another 77. Again, I _______ with Professor Jayne. Again, he listened patiently but wouldn’t change his _______. One more test before the final exam. One more _______ to improve my grade. So I redoubled my efforts and, for the first time, ________ the meaning of the word “thorough”. But my ________ did no good and everything ________ as before.

The last hurdle (障碍) was the final. No matter what ________ I got, it wouldn’t cancel three C-pluses. I might as well kiss the ________ goodbye. I stopped working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even ________ myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once I’d have ________ with a test. A week later, I was surprised to find I got an A. I hurried into professor Jayne’s office. He ________ to be expecting me. “If I gave you the As you ________ , you wouldn’t continue to work as hard.” I stared at him, ________that his analysis and strategy (策略) were correct. I had worked my head ________ , as I had never done before. I was speechless when my course grade arrived: A-plus. It was the only A-plus given. The next year I received my scholarship. I’ve always remembered Professor Jayne’s lesson: you alone must set your own standard of excellence.

1.

A．take

B．discuss

C．cover

D．get

2.

A．sought

B．presented

C．exchanged

D．obtained

3.

A．shocked

B．worried

C．scared

D．anxious

4.

A．but

B．so

C．for

D．or

5.

A．unchanged

B．unpleasant

C．unfriendly

D．unmoved

6.

A．reflected

B．meant

C．improved

D．affected

7.

A．quarreled

B．reasoned

C．bargained

D．chatted

8.

A．attitude

B．mind

C．plan

D．view

9.

A．choice

B．step

C．chance

D．measure

10.

A．memorized

B．considered

C．accepted

D．learned

11.

A．ambition

B．confidence

C．effort

D．method

12.

A．stayed

B．went

C．worked

D．changed

13.

A．grade

B．answer

C．lesson

D．comment

14.

A．scholarship

B．course

C．degree

D．subject

15.

A．helped

B．favored

C．treated

D．relaxed

16.

A．fun

B．luck

C．problems

D．tricks

17.

A．happened

B．proved

C．pretended

D．seemed

18.

A．valued

B．imagined

C．expected

D．welcomed

19.

A．remembering

B．guessing

C．supposing

D．realizing

20.

A．out

B．over

C．on

D．off