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.
【小题1】 What would be the best title for the passage?

San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times, Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day’s coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会).The Council approved, and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere named the bridge “Nutty Narrows.”
After architects designed the bridge, Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started Construction, They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost 1,000.
It didn’t take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became know in newspapers all over the world.
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in 1984, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.
【小题1】The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to ________.

  Imagine yourself on a boat looking out at the horizon and all you can see is the water meeting the sky with no land in sight and you are sailing straight ahead to meet the world. Jesse Martin does not have to imagine: he is living in it.

On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse set sail from Melbourne, Australia on his boat, attempting to become the youngest person to sail alone and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne.

Even as a young child, Jesse had been an adventurer who traveled all over Europe and Asia with his parents. Born in Munich, Germany in 1981, he moved to Australia with his family when he was only two years old. They moved close to a rainforest in Cow Bay, about 3500kms north of Melbourne, where they built a small house with no electricity or running water. Jesse grew up at the beach enjoying the outdoors to its fullest.

At 14, he sailed for the first time with his father and brother, Beau. It was after this trip that he began to dream about sailing around the world.

Jesse’s family played an important role. “I was made to believe I could do anything.” he says. Although, he says, there were others that were not so encouraging or supportive, “People that I looked up to, respected and trusted told me I couldn’t. Thankfully, I trusted myself. There were people that said that the boat couldn’t be ready by the time I had to leave.” However, through perseverance and belief in himself he was able to do what many told him was impossible.

On Oct.31, 1999, more than 10 months after he set sail, Jesse Martin went down in history as the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted.

What’s the author’s purpose in encouraging the reader to imagine a sailing experience?

    A. To show how difficult it is to be a sailor.

    B. To show how wonderful Jesse’s sailing is.

    C. To describe what Jesse’s sailing is like.

    D. To describe what a sailor’s life is like.

Jesse Martin was at the end of his voyage when he _______.

A. sailed on the South Pacific.

B. sailed on the Indian Ocean.

C. sailed past Africa

D. sailed past South America.

Which of the following made Jesse decide to sail alone around the world?

   A. His childhood adventure experiences.

   B. His journeys to Europe.

   C. His first sailing trip with his family.

   D. His love for outdoor activities.

What can we learn from Jesse Martin’s story?

   A. Interest leads to success.

   B. A strong belief will make a person stronger.

   C. Life is an unusual adventure we should enjoy.

   D. Failure is the mother of success.

  For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.
  Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye-pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants（ 污染 物） can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer, Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution. People began to notice the problem in the early 1970s. It is that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they built buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using manmade building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases. As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building― green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and through its tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square metres of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and more healthy place.

  64．Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because ________.
  A. the man - made building materials let out dangerous gases inside houses
  B. there may be more harmful gases outside houses
  C. the flow of air indoors is limited
  D. indoor air pollution can make a person seriously ill
  65．The indoor air pollution is caused________.
  A. by the building method through which the builders want to save energy
  B. by the limit of the flow of air between inside and outside
  C. by the building things which are made of man - made materials
  D. not only by the limit of air - flow but also by the man made materials
  66．The most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants because________.
  A. they may let out more oxygen which people need
  B. they can absorb different kinds of the harmful indoor chemicals
  C. they can take in all kinds of indoor pollutants
  D. they can make your house prettier and more healthy

The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists. Descriptions like ‘Palaeolithic Man’, ‘Neolithic Man’, etc., neatly sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twentieth century, they will surely choose the label ‘Legless Man’. Histories of the time will go something like this: ‘in the twentieth century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts and escalators in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth dwellers of that time because of miles each day. But the surprising thing is that they didn’t use their legs even when they went on holiday. They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain. All the beauty spots on earth were ruined by the presence of large car parks.’
The future history books might also record that we were deprived of the use of our eyes. In our hurry to get from one place to another, we failed to see anything on the way. Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world—or even less if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way. When you travel by car or train a blurred (="not" clear) image of the countryside constantly smears the windows. Car drivers, in particular, are forever obsessed with the urge to go on and on: they never want to stop. Is it the lure (引诱；诱惑) of the great motorways, or what? And as for sea travel, it hardly deserves mention. It is perfectly summed up in the words of the old song: ‘I joined the navy to see the world, and what did I see? I saw the sea.’ The typical twentieth-century traveler is the man who always says ‘I’ve been there. ’You mention the remotest, most evocative (引起记忆的) place-names in the world like El Dorado, Kabul, Irkutsk and someone is bound to say ‘I’ve been there’—meaning, ‘I drove through it at 100 miles an hour on the way to somewhere else.’
When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend most of your time looking forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival, when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By traveling like this, you suspend all experience; the present ceases to be a reality: you might just as well be dead. The traveler on foot, on the other hand, lives constantly in the present. For him traveling and arriving are one and the same thing: he arrives somewhere with every step he makes. He experiences the present moment with his eyes, his ears and the whole of his body. At the end of his journey he feels a delicious physical weariness. He knows that sound. Satisfying sleep will be his: the just reward of all true travellers.
【小题1】 Anthropologists label nowadays’ men ‘Legless’ because _________.

A．People won’t use their eyes.

B．In traveling at high speeds, eyes become useless.

C．People can’t see anything on his way of travel.

D．People want to sleep during travelling.