When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a 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 schoolteacher. 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 2000 guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage. The couple even met with President 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 (发起) “Tom Thumb” weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

56. Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Charles’ parents supported him and performed together with him.

B. Charles was found and hired by the famous showman.

C. Charles put lots of advertisements to arouse interest.

D. Charles’ success was largely due to Mr. Barnum’s help.

57. Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by an eight-foot-tall person probably because ______________.

A. the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom was dancing

B. it made Tom look 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

58. The underlined words “talk of the town” in the second paragraph from the bottom means ______________.

A. it was in the newspaper                       B. people spread bad rumors about it

C. it was the most popular topic                    D. it was discussed in a city meeting

59. What does the author think about Tom’s wedding?

A. It helped people cheer up in a dark time.              B. People gave it too much of their attention.

C. It was funny and ridiculous.                         D. Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

第二节 完形填空（共20小题，每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—60各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Ted Thomason was considered one of the students who showed the least interest in school. Whenever Miss Daisy talked with him, he would answer with a   41    “yes” or “no”. He was always in dirty clothes. His hair was   42    combed（梳）. No one liked him. Miss Daisy had to admit that she felt sort of improper   43    when she graded his paper with an “F” (Fail).
It was Christmas. Presents from the boys and girls were piled up on her desk. Miss Daisy was   44   to find one of them was from Ted. It was an ugly   45    with half of the stones missing. The students raised a great noise at Ted’s present, but Miss Daisy realized she must put it on and   46    the class. She even asked whether it looked pretty   47    her. Class was over, and   48    all went home, Ted went up to the desk and, in a(n)   49    voice, he said, “Miss Daisy, Miss Daisy … I am so glad you   50    my present. You smile like my mother and her necklace is really beautiful on you.” After Ted   51   , Miss Daisy fell on her knees, begging God to forgive her: Ted’s mother   52    just a year ago and she was treating him in a way she shouldn’t be!
The next day, the children found a completely new teacher. Miss Daisy  53    into a different person. She did all she could to help each child in her class,   54    those with poor lessons and among them was Ted. At the end of the year, Ted made great    55 _. He caught up with most of the class, and   56    got ahead of some of them. Several years later, Ted graduated with honors from high school; another four years, Ted left his   57   as a best graduate. Again four years later, Miss Daisy received a letter,   58   her to Dr. Ted Thomason’s wedding. Of course, she   59   the party. And she was set in the seat intended for Ted’s   60    — her love and what she did were unforgettable for Ted all his life.
41. A. cold            B. happy               C. silent             D. direct
42. A. often          B. sometimes          C. never                   D. always
43. A. dislike               B. pride              C. disappointment     D. pleasure
44. A. surprised             B. happy              C. interested          D. puzzled
45. A. chain            B. necklace            C. watch             D. dress
46. A. frighten              B. comfort            C. calm             D. punish
47. A. around         B. on                 C. over                    D. with
48. A. since           B. until               C. before            D. after
49. A. friendly              B. eager              C. excited            D. worried
50. A. receive        B. praise              C. recognize          D. like
51. A. cried          B. talked              C. left               D. finished
52. A. visited         B. died                       C. disappeared        D. suffered
53. A. changed              B. grew              C. got                     D. went
54. A. exactly        B. completely           C. namely             D. especially
55. A. interest          B. presents                C. progress           D. necklaces
56. A. ever                  B. even              C. still              D. yet
57. A. college        B. school             C. class              D. course
58. A. reminding            B. requiring            C. telling            D. inviting
59. A. answered             B. attended            C. accepted          D. organized
60. A. teacher        B. friend              C. mother                  D. Lover

阅读理解

　　When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles' parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.

　　He gave the two - foot - tall Charles 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(激起)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 Torn 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 (庆典) and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2,000 guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage. 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(浅谈), communities throughout the country sponsored (主持)“Tom Thumb”weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1．“Talk of the town”means ________.

[　　]

A．it was in the newspaper

B．people spread mean rumors(谣言) about it

C．it was the most popular happening

D．it was discussed in a city meeting

2．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(荒谬可笑的).

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3．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.

4．Tom would dance 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 was tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．die difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

5．What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

[　　]

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine.

B．People are always disappointed during war time.

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose.

D．People should be married when they are small children.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A young girl, Hattie, stood outside a small church. "I can't go to Sunday School," she said to the pastor(牧师). The next time the  21  met her he said "Hattie, we are going to have a larger Sunday school room soon. When we get the  22  with which to found a school building we are going to  23  one large enough to get all the little children in, and we are going to begin very soon to  24  the money for it."

The pastor did not see Hattie  25 , until he heard from her parents some two years later that Hattie died. As her poor little body was being moved, a purse was found. Inside was found 57 cents and a note  26 : "This is to help build the little church  27  so more children can go to Sunday school."

For two years she had saved for this offering of  28 . When the pastor tearfully read that  29 , he knew instantly what he would do.  30  this note, he told the  31  of her love and devotion.

A newspaper  32  the story and published it. A man  33  them a land worth many thousands. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had  34  to $250,000.00 a huge sum for that time.

Her unselfish love had  35  wonders. When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple University,  36  hundreds of students are trained. Have a look,  37 , at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars,  38  no child in the area will ever need to be left outside at Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this  39  may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little  40  whose 57 cents made such remarkable history.

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.

1.“the talk of the town” means _________ .

2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?

3.Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?

4. It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because ________ .

5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?