When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P.T.Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.
He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.
During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people. He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall.
Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.
Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.
The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.
Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country sponsored “Tom Thumb” weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.“the talk of the town” means _________ .
| A．they were in the newspaper |
| B．people spread mean rumors about them |
| C．they were the most popular things happening |
| D．they were discussed in a city meeting |
What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?
| A．People gave it too much of their attention. |
| B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time. |
| C．It was funny and ridiculous. |
| D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid. |
Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?
| A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five. |
| B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age. |
| C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon. |
| D．He married a school teacher. |
It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because ________ .
| A．the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom were tap dancing |
| B．it made Tom feel taller |
| C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted |
| D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller |
What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
| A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine. |
| B．People are always disappointed during wartime. |
| C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose. |
| D．People should be married even if they are small. |
Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some form---football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often
looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.Mountaineering is a sport, not a game because ________.
| A．it has man-made rules |
| B．it is too dangerous for climbers |
| C．it can’t bring people joy and leisure |
| D．it is free for climbers to use their own methods |
A mountain climber must be strong both mentally and physically because _______.
A．there are no regular man-made rules for him to follow |
| B．there is no teamwork and he has to depend on himself |
| C．his component is not one or several people but nature |
D．mountaineering requires the s kills practiced year after year |
We know from the passage that _______.
| A．mountaineering has no appeal to people |
| B．physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers |
| C．it is possible for an old man in his fifties to climb the Alps |
| D．a mountain climber would pass his best by the age of thirty |
Name: Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
Our price: $l9.80
The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $l5.95
Our price: $9.49
A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth (深入的) plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $l7.95
Our price: $l3.96
Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: l80l Home Remedies
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters (水泡) to allergies (过敏), and hiccups (打嗝). You can most probably read the passage in a ________.
| A．newspaper | B．travel guide | C．reference book | D．textbook |
Which of the following could help you to improve your home environment?
| A．Off the Beaten Path & l80l Home Remedies. |
| B．Container Gardens by Number & Best Weekend Projects. |
| C．l80l Home Remedies & Container Gardens by Number. |
| D．Best Weekend Projects & Off the Beaten Path. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To share his opinion about the books with readers. |
| B．To advise readers to read more in spare time. |
| C．To share the pleasure of reading with readers. |
| D．To advise readers to buy their books. |
阅读理解（共14小题；每小题2分，满分28分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的（A、B、C和D）四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and when I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib（肋骨）might have pierced（穿透）a lung...”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except 
those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy… I am so sorry…”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay. ”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said. “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though. ”He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on. The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
C． Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that _______.
| A．he had a poor memory | B．he didn’t hear what his son said |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son | D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |
An 18-year-old high school student who had just learned to swim in the last summer vacation saved the life of a drowning Ohio boy on Friday
afternoon.
Tom Erickson was credited with (因．．．．．．而受赞扬
)saving the life of Jason Pryor,10, in Mill Creek (小河) Park. Young Jason Pryor, from Chillicothe, was visiting relatives from Anchor Point when he fell into Mill Creek.
The Pryor boy had no business playing near the edge of the river, but he had no idea of the danger.
The creek, with much more water than usual for the recent spring rains, flowed fast and carried the boy around a bend and out of sight from his parents, who took Jason out there and said they had not even witnessed the incident.
Luckily for Jason, one of the most unselfish students from Brentwood’s Central High School was taking a walk alone through the park.
As soon as he found the boy struggling in the water, Erickson jumped into the creek and managed to pull the drowning boy out of the water. And it was reported that Erickson had never received any life-saving instruction before.
“I wasn’t sure I could do it,” Erickson said. “I didn’t know if I could swim through the river by myself, not to mention getting another person out with me.”
This incident should be a lesson to young children who do not know how to swim. Stay away from dangerous bodies of water. Young Jason Pryor lives at _______.
| A．Anchor Point | B．Chillicothe, Ohio | C．Mill Creek | D．Brentwood |
Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage?
| A．Life-saving instruction helped a lot in the incident. |
| B．Jason’s parents saw him fall into the creek but couldn’t help. |
| C．The creek flowed fast because it was very straight without any bends. |
| D．Erickson was not sure if he could save the boy when jumping into the creek. |
What’s the possible meaning of the underlined sentence “The Pryor boy had no business playing near the edge of the river,” in the third paragraph?
| A．The accident was none of the boy’s business. |
| B．The boy had no friends to play with him. |
| C．The boy shouldn’t have played near the creek. |
| D．The boy was very busy and had no time to play. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Did You Know the Danger of Water | B．Be Responsible Parents |
| C．The Fast Running Mill Creek | D．Beginning Swimmer Saved Drowning Boy |
Geena David knew she wanted to be a movie star when she was very young. She was not sure what gave her the idea, but she wanted to look like a movie star. “I have a lot of pictures from my childhood of me wearing sunglasses,” she ways. “I used to wear them to watch TV.”
Early movie actors started wearing sunglasses not because they looked good, but because their eyes hurt. The lights used on movie sets were extremely bright and could cause a painful problem known as “Klieg eyes”. It was named after the Klieg brothers who invented the lights. Actors wore sunglasses to give their eyes a rest. But when movie stars began wearing their sunglasses in public, they quickly became a must.
Eventually actors started wearing sunglasses in their movies as well as on the street. Audrey Hepburn wore ultra-cool Ray-Ban sunglasses in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As a result, Ray-Ban sunglasses started to appear more and more in the movies. In 1979, Ray-Ban “Wayfarers” were worn by Jake and Elwood in The Blue Brothers. Tom Cruise wore Ray-Ban “Aviator” sunglasses in the 1986 hit, Top Gun. Then in 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made Ray-Ban “Predator” sunglasses famous in Men in Black.
Of course sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement. The main reason to wear sunglasses is to protect our eyes against UV radiation. UV radiation can damage our eyes, so people now choose their sunglasses carefully. But you don’t have to give up style for safety. The choice of frames and lenses available these days is huge. So you can protect your eyes and still be the coolest person on the beach. What is mainly discussed in this passage?
| A．The use of sunglasses. | B．The history of sunglasses. |
| C．The sunglasses wearing. | D．Why movie stars like to wear sunglasses. |
Why did Geena David like to wear sunglasses?
| A．She was a movie star. | B．She wanted to follow a movie star. |
| C．Wearing sunglasses was good to her eyes. | D．It was good wear sunglasses when watching TV. |
Early actors’ eyes hurt because _______.
| A．they wore sunglasses. | B．they went out in the sun too much |
| C．the lights on movie sets were too bright | D．their scripts were written in very small writing |
We may know from this passage that _______.
| A．Audrey Hepburn was a famous film star |
| B．Ray-Ban is the name of sunglasses maker |
| C．sunglasses made Top Gun the hit in 1986 |
| D．Men in Black must be an advertisement of sunglasses |