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第三部分：阅读理解
第一节：（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell（魔法）over an audience of thousands on the CCTV Spring Festival Show. Die-hard fans are still trying to work out the secrets behind many of the tricks he performed.
But Liu, 32, when asked, laughed off the idea that there might be an “answer” to his magic. “The most fascinating thing is the puzzling process. People enjoy how magicians make the impossible come true,” said Liu.
Few people today believe in the possibility of real magic. They also often fail to consider magicians’ devotion to their art. It can take a magician years’ of practice to perfect a trick before he performs it on stage.
Part of Liu’s star appeal is his astonishing skill. However, when he began in the industry, he was all embarrassingly clumsy. “I could practice thousands of times for one single act. It wasn’t much fun,” he said.
No magician’s supernatural powers on stage extend to their life off stage. Liu says his life was no easier or funnier because he was a magician.
He developed an interest in magic at a young age, but didn’t consider making a living out of it until he graduated from university. He had studied Japanese and found himself unable to find a job. “My parents never considered being a magician as a proper job. To begin with, I had little confidence I would be doing this in the long term,” he said.
Yet Liu felt a powerful calling to become a magician. “For many people, magic somehow means a miracle, which is something we all secretly wish for no matter how hard-bitten we become,” he said.
Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand(魔杖) and makes our dreams come true. But according to Liu, we all have the power to create magic in our lives. As Liu puts it: it’s not the magic that makes it work；it’s the way we work that makes it magic.
56. According to the passage, we can tell that __________.
A. being a famous magician, Liu Qian leads a comfortable life
B. it is a hard job for magicians to perform magic tricks well
C. Liu Qian’s parents supported his wish to be a magician
D. Liu Qian showed great talents for magic tricks when he first took it up
57. Talking of whether there’s real magic, Liu Qian believes _________.
A. there is no real magic and what counts in our life is the way we work
B. if we secretly wish for something, magic will turn out to be a miracle
C. the puzzling process of performing magic tricks is the answer to magic
D. there exists a fairy godmother waving her magic wand to make our dreams come true
58. Which of the following is similar to the underlined sentence in meaning?
A. All roads lead to Rome. B. A miss is as good as a mile.
C. Every dog has his day. D. No pains, no gains.
59. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Magic Power by Liu Qian B. The Magic Skill
C. A Popular Magician---Liu Qian D. How to Be a Successful Magician
