When we read books we seem to 21 a new world. This new world can be similar to the one we are living in, or it can be very 22 . Some stories are told  23 they were true. Real people 24 live in a normal world do real things; in other words, the stories are about people just like us doing what we do. Other stories, such as the Harry Potter books, are not  25 . They are characters and creatures that are very different from us and do things that would be  26 for us.

27 there is more to books and writing than this. If we think about it, even realistic writing is only imagined. How can we tell the difference between what is real and what is not real? For example, when we read about Harry Potter, we 28 seem to learn something about the real world. And when Harry studies magic at Hogwarts, he also learns more about his real life than 29 . Reading, like writing, is an action. It is a way _30_ living. When we read or write something ,we do much more than simple look at words on a page. We use our 31  --which is real—and our imagination—which is real in a different way --- to make the words come to life in our minds.

Both realism and fantasy(幻想) 32  the imagination and the “magic” of reading and writing to make us think. When we read  33 realistic, we have to imagine that the people we are reading about are just like us, even though we  34 that we are real and they are 35 . It sounds strange, but it works. When we read, we fill in missing information and 36 about the causes and effects of what a character does. We help the writer by pretending that _37_we read is like real life. In a way, we are writing the book, too.

Most of us probably don’t think about what is going on in our 38 when we are reading. We pick up a book and lose  39 in a good story, eager to find out what will happen next. Knowing how we feel 40 we read can help us become better readers, and it will help us discover more about the real magic of books.

21.  A. arrive    B. enter       C. come  D. get

22.  A. possible  B. easy   C. new    D. different

23.  A. that     B. what  C. whether     D. as if

24.  A. who  B. whom   C. where      D. which

25.  A. realistic   B. reasonableC. moral     D. instructive

26.  A. difficult  B. impossible C. important  D. necessary

27.  A. Otherwise  B. But    C. While     D. Furthermore

28.  A. do   B. make     C. have       D. are

29.  A. lessons B. dreams   C. experience   D. magic

30.  A. with  B. to C. for   D. of

31.  A. knowledge B. skill   C. words    D. grammar

32.  A. make  B. get    C. use    D. have

33.  A. a newspaper B. something C. everything   D. a story

34.  A. find     B. learn   C. know     D. hope

35.  A. too     B. not    C. all      D. so

36.  A. talk     B. learn   C. read     D. think

37.  A. that  B. what     C. which      D. when

38.  A. mind     B. life    C. world    D. society

39.  A. heart    B. time    C. money    D. ourselves

40.  A. what     B. how    C. when     D. why

Can you imagine living in a house built by recycled waste?

Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating beautiful floors with wood pieces, kitchen counters from ivory­colored bones and roofs out of license plates(牌照).

The fantastic houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely of materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage area.

“People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years; using whatever is available to build shelter,” Phillips said,“If you think about carefully what could be used, then building materials are everywhere.”

The thirteen homes he has built so far would fit better in an art museum than the residential streets of Huntsville, a conservative town of about 35,000 people.

Living in these houses is a bit like living in a roadside attraction.“Almost every day, somebody knocks on the door and says ‘Is there any way that we could see?’”said Edie Wells, an artist who rents a room in the Bone House.Her home features a stairway made of bones, floors covered in wine corks(软木塞) and beer bottle caps.Wells said visitors are most impressed when they see a bathroom with its walls, floor and ceiling entirely covered with broken mirror pieces.

In addition, each house is highly energy­efficient with plenty of insulation(隔热材料), an on­demand solar hot water heater and a system that can collect and recycle rainwater to clean the toilet and wash clothes.

Phillips founded Phoenix Commotion 12 years ago with the aim of creating a new model for sustainable housing.For as little as $10,000 it builds affordable homes for single parents, low­income families and artists.

The company has used hundreds of tons of construction waste by recycling the materials into habitable buildings.

Phillips tries to spread his recycled­house idea by speaking at events across the United States, and by using the Internet to reach out to like­minded individuals.Phillips said, “I'm not going to be saving the world anytime soon.But there needs to be at least some visibility for this model in this century.”

20.Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the homes built by Phillips?

A.Environmentally­friendly.   B.Energy­efficient.

C.Convenient.   D.Cheap.

21.What do we know about Dan Phillips?

A.He is serious and hard­working.

B.He is full of imagination and intelligence.

C.It didn't take him long to build the houses.

D.He didn't give speeches in the United States.

22.According to the passage, the houses are like artful treasures because they are ________.

A.made of bones  B.museums

C.admired by people  D.made of various trash

23.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A.Home Builder Dan Phillips

B.Green Homes

C.Home Builder Dan Phillips Turns Trash into Green Homes

D.A Home Builder' s Life

You've just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you've been away, has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?

If you've just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight's holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile­phone shop to someone in your street moving house.

So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.

     Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle­class families—all very conservative(保守的). The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.

     Having been an immigrant(移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I'd think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they're more open­minded and often work harder than the natives.

     Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we'd left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.

     To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they're very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal­made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car­hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.

     But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they've got.

16.After a short overseas holiday, people tend to ________.

A.notice small changes

B.expect small changes

C.welcome small changes

D.exaggerate small changes

17.How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?

A.Cautiously.  B.Positively.

C.Sceptically.  D.Critically.

18.When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by ________.

A.the relaxed policemen  B.the messy arrivals hall

C.the tight security  D.the bank robbers

19.Which might be the best title for the passage?

A.Life in Britain.  B.Back in Britain.

C.Britain in Future.  D.Britain in Memory.

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