8. There is a ______ cup on the table.

A. nice new big plastic    B. new plastic big nice

C. nice big new plastic    D. new nice plastic big

People turn to magic(魔力)chiefly as a form of insurance--that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results. For example, hunters may use a hunting charm(咒语). But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals. The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it. If they shoot a lot of game(猎物), they credit the charm for their success. Many events happen naturally without magic. Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it. But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible. 

People also tend to forget magic's failures and to be impressed by its surface successes. They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 per cent of the time. Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic. They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician.

Many anthropologists(人类学家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it. People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation. For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields. But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops. So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite to ensure a good harvest.

From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______.

A. a hunter     B. a farmer     C. a magician    D. an anthropologist

Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A. Magic and Hunting.          B. Magic and Farming.

C. Why Magic Works?          D. Why People Believe in Magic?

The underlined word “spell”(Paragraph 2) most likely means______.

A. magic words.    B. magic events.    C. words or expressions     D. magicians.

He is the only man ______ I can find for the work.

1. A.
   as
2. B.
   whose
3. C.
   that
4. D.
   which

Not until Dec. 2003 _____ caught by the US soldiers, and it was a great victory for the USA.

A. was Saddam Hussein  

B. Saddam Hussein was

C. had Saddam Hussein been  

D. Saddam Hussein had been

In 2003, the government banned Internet cafes from receiving customers under18. However, Shanghai plans to bring online games as well as cartoons and comics to its schools. “The influence of online games on young people cannot be ignored, ”said Weng Tiehui, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (SMEC). “We should choose the right game for them as online games are becoming part of their life.”

School teachers shared the same idea. "My students are like studying machines who are busy with homework all day," said Chen Hong, who is a teacher of Chinese in Shanghai Weiyu Middle School . "We should find ways to let them relax and online games may be a good way to do this."

"In role-playing games, you imagine yourself as a hero who fights against outlaws and saves their victims," said Shen Xia, a teacher from Shanghai Hongxing Middle School. "That is a good feeling for a kid. They gain success and confidence from the game. But the important thing is to make sure they don‘t become escapists, mixing up reality and the imaginary world. "

"Multi-media has proven to be an effective teaching tool. Students enjoy learning something while they are playing games,' said Yan, an expert on education from the Shanghai Educational Press Group , "Online games will be a new teaching method in which they can learn at the same time as entertaining themselves. "

"I have dreamed that one day students will have courses via online games, "Yan added.

"The idea is practical, "Li Lijun, director of the Public Relations Department of Shanda, China’s online game giant; told the Shanghai Star. “If it proves to be successful, it will start a revolution in educational theory and practice. "  

The above writing is most likely to appear in _________.

   A. an official paper  B. a government notice  C. a newspaper  D. a meeting memo (备忘录)

According to Weng Tiehui, deputy director of the SMEC, __________.

   A. it is not practical to forbid young people playing online games completely

   B. online games have strong influence on young people so they should be banned

   C. young people can't go without online games which are becoming part of their life

   D. internet cafes should be allowed to receive customers under 18

According to the teachers and experts, online games have the following advantages EXCEPT that _____.

   A. online games will let their students relax after busy work

   B. online games will make their students become a hero

   C. online games wilt bring good experiences to their students

   D. online games will become an effective teaching tool

What is the purpose of the above writing?

   A. To inform its readers of some information.

   B. To argue about the advantages and disadvantages of online games.

   C. To give some comments on online games.

   D. To give a support to online games.

What can be inferred from the above writing?

   A. Hopefully, young people in Shanghai will be playing online games at school.

   B. Online games will bring success to young people in Shanghai.

   C. Young people in Shanghai are having courses via online games.

   D. School teachers have opposite opinions about online games.