LIU Qian is a *magician from Taiwan. For the CCTV Spring Festival *Gala he put on two *magic shows. They were very successful. Now many people are mad about magic. We all want to know how to do a *trick!

Liu was a shy boy who was born in 1976. When Liu was 7, he saw a coin trick in a big store. At that moment Liu decided to learn magic. But he didn't go to any magic school. He learned all by himself. He worked really hard at it and he practiced hard to improve his skills. He spent lots of time studying how to play tricks. When he was 8 years old, he could do coin and card tricks really well. Then one day he was able to put on a show for his class. The tricks looked so difficult to his classmates, but Liu thought they didn't need many skills. Once he did one for his classmates. They were so surprised that they didn’t believe it! And then Liu told them how to do the trick. After that, all his classmates spoke highly of him. They all think he was so great. At the age of 12, Liu won an international prize for tricks. This is his first prize for magic. As a super magician, Liu still practices hard today. He may spend three years working on a new show. He wrote a book about tricks and it is one of the best sellers in China.

Many of the teenagers are in love with magic after Liu’s two shows for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. They’re studying how Liu’s tricks work.

（    ）49. Liu became interested in magic when he _______________.

A. went to a famous magic school                       B. saw a coin trick in a big store

C. put on a show for his class                             D. did coin and card trick well

（    ）50. The phrase “spoke highly of” in the passage means______________ in Chinese.

A. 高度評價他                                                        B. 嫉妒他

C. 對他說話很大聲                                                 D. 說他壞話

（    ）51. Liu won an international prize at the age of _______________.

A. 7                        B. 8               C. 10             D. 12

（    ）52. Liu Qian makes a great success because _____________.

A. he works really hard                                       B. he can play coin and card tricks

C. he put on a show for his class                         D. he went to a famous magic school

 

In Japan, children who are three, five or seven years old are thought to be especially lucky. So, on November 15, families who have children of these ages take part in a very old festival. This special children’s festival is called Shichi-Go-San, or “Seven-Five-Three”.

On this day, the children put on their finest clothes. And every child has a long paper bag. On each bag there are pictures with the meanings of youth（年輕） and long life.

When everyone is ready, the families go to a shrine（神殿）. There they give thanks for the good health of the children. Outside the shrine, the parents will buy candy and toys to fill the children’s paper bags. After the families return home, the children give some of their candy to friends and relatives. In return, the children are often given presents.

Finally, the day usually ends with a party.

1. In Japan, which of the following age is NOT thought to be especially lucky?

  A. 3.                         B. 5.                            C. 7.                            D. 15.

2. The passage is about a（an） ______ festival.

  A. new                     B. old                    C. Chinese             D. American

3. The festival is on ______.

  A. December 25   B. December 15  C. November 15       D. November 5

4. Why do the families go to a shrine?

  A. Because they can buy candy and toys there.                   

  B. Because the children can get presents there.

  C. Because they want to have a party with friends. 

  D. Because they want to give thanks for the good health of the children.      

5. The festival usually ends with ______.

  A. a party                                       B. a big meal

  C. a visit to a shrine                 D. shopping for some candy and toys

閱讀理解

　　The Chinese New Year is now known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the beginning of spring. Though there are some sayings about its origin（起源）, all agree that the word Nian, which in modem Chinese means“year”, was originally the name of a beast（野獸）that started to eat people the night before the beginning of a new year.

　　One story goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would eat a great many people at one time. People were very afraid. One day, an old man came to their help and said he would stop all this. To Nian he said,“I hear that you are very strong, but can you eat up all the beasts on earth instead of people who are too weak to be your enemy（敵人）? ”“Yes,”Nian agreed with him and went to kill many of the beasts on earth. People were very happy because those beasts also did bad things to people and killed their farm animals from time to time.

　　After that, the old man, who was a god（神）, rode on the beast Nian and left. Nian was gone, and other beasts also went into forests; people began to enjoy their happy life. Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper-cuts on their windows and doors at each year's end to drive Nian away, because red is the colour the beast felt most afraid of.

　　From then on, every year at the beginning of spring, people“Guo Nian”. The word“Guo Nian”means“Go through the Nian safely”. Putting up red paper-cuts to drive Nian away and making dumplings for a better new year are still an every-year doing by the Chinese people. However（但是）, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, they just feel that the colour and the food make the New Year very enjoyable.

(1) How did the old man stop Nian from eating people?

[　　]

A．By putting red paper-cuts on windows.

B．By eating up beasts.

C．By talking to him.

D．By riding on him.

(2) Why did people put up red paper-cuts instead of those of any other colours?

[　　]

A．Because Nian liked the colour red.

B．Because the colour red could kill Nian.

C．Because the old man liked the colour red.

D．Because Nian was afraid of the colour red.

(3) The best title of this passage is ________.

[　　]

A．The Origin of the Chinese New Year

B．The Old Man and the Beast Nian

C．How to Go through the Nian Safely

D．What Nian Was Like

(4) Which of the following is TRUE?

[　　]

A．Nian can eat up all the beasts on earth at one time.

B．Nian is a tall beast that likes to eat farm animals.

C．Nian is afraid of paper-cuts.

D．Nian doesn't like to use his own mind.