user: Q: The practice of magic includes special words, actions, and objects. Most magic involves a person called a magician, who claims to have supernatural powers. Magic words. To work most magic, the magician sings or speaks special words in a certain order. These words are called incantations or spells. Some spells form prayers to demons , spirits, or other supernatural forces. Many societies believe the magic will not work unless the magician recites the spells perfectly. Other magic words have no meaning, though they supposedly possess power when spoken by a magician. Magic actions accompany the words spoken in performing much magic. Many of these movements act out the desired effect of the magic. For example, a magician trying to make rain fall may sprinkle  water on the ground. The magician's combined words and actions form a ceremony. Magic objects include certain plants, stones, and other things with supposed supernatural powers. Any such object may be called a fetish . But this term often refers to an object--for example, a carving or a dried snake--honored by a tribe for its magic powers. Many tribes believe fetishes have magic power because spirits live in these objects. Many people carry magic objects called amulets to protect themselves from harm. Many amulets are stones or rings engraved  with magic symbols. The magician, in some societies, nearly everyone knows how to work some magic. In other societies, only experts practice magic. Magicians may be called medicine men, medicine women, shamans, sorcerers, or witch doctors. In many societies, magicians must inherit  their powers. In others, any person may become a magician by studying the magical arts. Many societies believe magicians must observe certain rules and taboos (forbidden actions) for their spells to work. For example, they may be required not to eat various foods or to avoid sexual activity for a certain period before the ceremony. What do magic words mean to people in some society? A) They have the power to kill devils. B) They have power if magician recites the right spells. C) They have no effect at all. D) They can be used whenever they want.
A: B


Q: Traditional fairy tales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study has found.  A research has discovered one in five parents has given up old classics such as Snow Whiteandthe Seven Dwarves and Rapunzelin favour of more modern books. One third of parents say their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details ofLittle Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to readRumplestiltskinto their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing. Similarly,Goldilocks and the Three Bearsis also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents feel it forgives stealing. The survey of 2,000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9 p.m. on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairy tales. The survey has found a quarter of parents polled will not consider reading a fairy tale to their children until they have reached the age of five, as they have to face too many awkward questions from their children. Steve Hornsey, General Manager, Watch, said, "Bedtime stories are supposed to  _ children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see inGRIMM, some fairy tales can be dark and dramatic tales so it' s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children. As adults, we can see the innocence in fairy tales, but a five-year-old child would take them too seriously. Despite the dark nature of some classic fairy tales, as we see inGRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story." The study also shows two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares. However, half of parents think traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillarand theMr. Menbooks. We can learn from Para. 3 that GRIMM is   _  . A) a fairy tale book B) a movie for children C) a play loved by children D) a drama based on traditional fairy tales
A: D


Q: On a grassy plain in South Africa,thousands of miles from home,two pairs of Zoo--bred South China tiger cubs----one-year-o1d Hope and Cathay and six-month-old Tiger Woods and Madonna--are learning to hunt in the wild.The hope is that they will one day pass on their skills to their young,allowing the next generation to get back to wildlife reserves in China. A survey shows that the tigers are in more danger of dying out than China's most famous animal,the giant panda.Forty years ago,about 4,000 South China tigers lived in the wild.Today there are only about 30.An additional 64 live in 19 zoos in China,,which are all descendants of six wild animals seized in 1956. The cubs were born in zoos in China and removed from their mothers when they were three months old.Their first home in South Africa was a one-acre camp where they stayed for a month.Their next home was a ten acre area,where they lived for three months to help them gradually get used to life outside a cage. When the cubs first arrived in South Africa,they didn't even want to leave their cages.It took weeks to get them to eat chicken,used as they were to being fed beef at the Zoo in China where they were born.It took months of practice to hunt a live animal and then make the link between the kill and food.Now just a few months on,and living in a 150-acre camp,they have become remarkably skilled hunters. All four animals will finally return to Zoos in China while the pioneering pairs' cubs will grow up completely wild.The aim is for _ to go to reserves developed in China by 2008,when the Olympic Games will be held in Beijing. The tigers are sent to South Africa so that_. A) their young can live in the wild B) their young can have a better environment C) they can get used to wildlife reserves D) they can live a free life in the wild


assistant: A: A