Q: CHAPTER II

DEW OF MORNING

Outside, the Ingleside lawn was full of golden pools of sunshine and plots of alluring shadows. Rilla Blythe was swinging in the hammock under the big Scotch pine, Gertrude Oliver sat at its roots beside her, and Walter was stretched at full length on the grass, lost in a romance of chivalry wherein old heroes and beauties of dead and gone centuries lived vividly again for him.

Rilla was the "baby" of the Blythe family and was in a chronic state of secret indignation because nobody believed she was grown up. She was so nearly fifteen that she called herself that, and she was quite as tall as Di and Nan; also, she was nearly as pretty as Susan believed her to be. She had great, dreamy, hazel eyes, a milky skin dappled with little golden freckles, and delicately arched eyebrows, giving her a demure, questioning look which made people, especially lads in their teens, want to answer it. Her hair was ripely, ruddily brown and a little dent in her upper lip looked as if some good fairy had pressed it in with her finger at Rilla's christening. Rilla, whose best friends could not deny her share of vanity, thought her face would do very well, but worried over her figure, and wished her mother could be prevailed upon to let her wear longer dresses. She, who had been so plump and roly-poly in the old Rainbow Valley days, was incredibly slim now, in the arms-and-legs period. Jem and Shirley harrowed her soul by calling her "Spider." Yet she somehow escaped awkwardness. There was something in her movements that made you think she never walked but always danced. She had been much petted and was a wee bit spoiled, but still the general opinion was that Rilla Blythe was a very sweet girl, even if she were not so clever as Nan and Di.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who is the Blythe girl mentioned?
2. How old is she?
3. How many people are with her?
4. Was she the oldest?
5. What was the weather like?
6. Was she sitting on the ground?
7. What was she doing?
8. Was she popular with boys?
9. What color were her eyes?
10. Did she have red hair?
11. What color was her skin?
12. Did she have freckles?
13. What was her nickname?
14. Was she skinny?
15. Had she always been skinny?
16. Who gave her that nickname?
17. Was she awkward?
18. How tall was she?
19. How was her personality?
20. Was she doted on by her family?
A: 1. Rilla
2. nearly fifteen
3. Two
4. Rilla was the "baby"
5. sunny
6. no
7. swinging in the hammock
8. yes
9. hazel
10. ruddily brown
11. milky white
12. yes
13. "Spider."
14. yes
15. no
16. Jem and Shirle
17. no
18. unknown
19. very sweet girl,
20. yes
Q: Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell 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 things about magic 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 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 language 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 or cynical we become," he said.

Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand 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.

Answer the following questions:
1. What is his name?
2. What does he do?
3. how old?
4. Where is he from?
5. Did he graduate college?
6. What did he study?
7. Why did he become a magician?
8. Did he plan to make it a permanent job?
9. DO we all have the ability to create magic?
10. What makes magic work?
A:
1. Liu Qian
2. he is a magician
3. 32
4. Taiwan
5. yes
6. Japanese
7. he found himself unable to find a job
8. no
9. yes
10. the way we work