A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspaper.
“Last week, ” he said,  “my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As
it was a present,  I spent twice its worth in advertising,  but didn’t get it back. ”
“How did you write your advertisement? ” asked one of the listeners,  a merchant.
　　“Here it is, ” said the man,  taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read,  “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening,  a black silk umbrella. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street. ”
“Now, ” said the merchant,  “I often advertise,  and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again,  and if it fails,  I’ll buy you a new one. ”
　　The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote:  “If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn’t wish to get into trouble,  he will return the umbrella to No. 10 Broad Street. He is well known. ”
　　This appeared in the newspaper,  and on the following morning,  the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors,  and his own was among them. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake,  and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter.
【小题1】The result of the first advertisement was that＿＿＿＿ .

A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspaper. “Last week,” he said, “my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn’t get it back.”

“How did you write your advertisement?” asked one of the listeners, a merchant. “Here it is,” said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read, “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street.”

“Now,” said the merchant, “I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one.”

The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: “If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn’t wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No.10 Broad Street. He is well known.”

This appeared in the newspaper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors, and his own was among them. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about matter.

1.The result of the first advertisement was that ______________.

A. the man got his umbrella back

B. the man wasted some money advertising

C. nobody found the missing umbrella

D. the umbrella was found somewhere near the church

2.The merchant suggested that the man should _______________.

A. buy a new umbrella                                  

B. go on looking for his umbrella

C. write another and better advertisement       

D. report the police

3.“If it fails, I’ll buy you a new one,” suggested that the merchant

_______________.

A. was quite sure of success                        

B. wanted to buy him a new umbrella

C. didn’t know what to do                            

D. was rich enough to buy one

4.The story is mainly about _________________.

A. a useless advertisement        

B. how to make an effective advertisement

C. how the man lost and found his umbrella

D. what the merchant did for the umbrella owner

What does the word“youth” mean to you? Many define it as a precious time in their life when they are young, when fun, passion, and imagination seem limitless. But for most high school students, youth is a time of determination and willpower for achieving their goals.
This is vividly shown in Mark of Youth, a movie that opened on Feb 5. Mark of Youth tells the story of four Senior 3 students in a top high school in the days leading up to the national college entrance examination.
Each character represents a different type of student, ranging from the most mischievous(调皮的)to the most motivated. Like most teenagers, they enjoy carefree moments and like to talk about their schoolmates. But the tension of the approaching exam, probably their first life-changing event, is common—they must memorize seemingly endless English words and Chinese poems, work through piles of practice test papers, and improve their scores despite the increasing pressure.
But life exists beyond campus. That the college entrance examination is coming up doesn’t mean they can escape family changes, such as when one character’s parents get divorced or another’s father is arrested. Can these four young people handle their problems and eventually make it to their ideal universities despite their on –and –off campus stress?
The story is set in Hubei Huanggang Middle School, known for its students’ outstanding performances on the big exam. The four students are played by the actors who played in the reality shows Happy Boys and Happy Girls. HongKong actor Alex Fong plays their teacher.
Students may look more fashionable in Mark of Youth than in real life, but it is the story about the final year of high school that many viewers relate to.
“The film is very inspiring,” said Senior 2 student Yao Lingqian, 16, from Leshan Foreign Language School in Sichuan province. “A total commitment(投入)to hard work, though it can be lonely and no fun at all, will leave precious marks on my youth.”
And for Senior 3 student Gao Jing, the film has given her optimism. “The characters taught me that what you score is not the only important thing. The way you approach the exam matters the most,” said the 17-year-old from Zhenping County No 1 High School in Nanyang, Henan province.
“The film really reflects senior 3students’life.” Zhang Ping, a teacher from a senior high school in Qingdao, commented.
【小题1】What is the function of the first paragraph in the passage?

Here is an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician, Liu Qian, discovered it, in front of an audience of millions at CCTV`s Spring Festival Gala. Liu`s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable (时髦的)once again, and made him the hottest magician in China.

 As a seasoned (老练的) young magician from Taiwan, Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows. Countries he has performed in include the United States, Japan, South Korea and the UK.

 Witnessing (目击)something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people`s love for magic.

 Liu is known for his interaction(互动) with his audiences. He has a special understanding of performing skills.

 “It is actually thinking , rather than one`s performing skills, that is more important to achieve a successful magic show. We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively，to make them appear more attractive.” Liu said.

 Liu Qian`s success dates back to his childhood. Born in 1976 in Taiwan, he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old. At the age of 12, he won Taiwan`s Youth Contest, which was judged by the great American magician, David Copperfield.

 Yet, Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician. He studied Japanese literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur (业余的) magician in his spare time. However, his failure to find a decent (体面的) job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.

 To improve his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for passers-by, policemen and farmers.

 “Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough(难对付的) crowds.” Liu said.

The story is about _________.

A. how Liu Qian became China`s hottest magician

B. why people love magic

C. what magic tricks are

D. what fashionable magic is

People love to watch magic because __________.

A. they can`t figure out the secret of magic

B. it arouses their curiosity

C. they love watching magicians make the impossible happen

D. it is a centuries-old art

Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?

A. He was interested in magic when he was little

B. He had won Taiwan`s Youth Magic Contest

C. He became an amateur magician in his spare time

D. He couldn`t find a decent job after graduation

From the story, we know that________.

A. Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions

B. Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic shows

C. Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fame 

D. Liu Qian does street shows to make money    

Long ago there were two people--- a young father and an old neighbor. One day the young father was visiting the old neighbor. They were standing in the old man’s garden, talking about children. The young man said, “How strict should parents be with their children?”

The old man pointed to a string（绳子）between a big strong tree and a thin young one．“Please untie（解开）that string，” he said．The young man untied it, and the young tree bent over to one side. “Now tie it again，please,” said the old man, “but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again.”

    The young man did so．Then the old man said，“There，it is the same with children. You must be strict with them, but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on．If they are not yet able to stand alone，you must tie the string tight again. But when you find that they are ready to stand alone，you can take the string away.”

1.The story is about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

A． how the young father should get on with his old neighbor

B． how to tie and untie the string

C． how to take care of young trees

D． how strict parents should be with their children.

2.The young man untied the string ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

A． only to find that the thinner one bent over to one side

B． in order to let the old man teach him

C． in order to throw it away          

D． so that both of the trees would grow straight

3.When can the string be taken away？＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

A． When the young man has untied it next time

B． When the young tree grows strong enough

C． When the old man has left                

D． After you have untied it

4.At last the old man told the young man ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

A.  that he should be strict with his children if they could not yet stand alone    

B． that he should be hard on them

C.   that he should tie his children until they are ready to stand alone

D． that he should always be strict with his children