For an owl (猫头鹰) with one-metre wingspan, the sky should be the limit. But Troy prefers his bird’s eye view to be no higher than 5 feet 10 inches. The one-year-old owl has an inconvenient symptom: he’s afraid of heights. After an unfortunate start in life when he fell from his nest by accident, Troy was raised by Gareth Tonen, a handler (饲养员), who just happens to be 5 feet 10 inches tall.
As a result, Troy has grown up without any great ambitions of his own. When it comes to trees, he can’t see what is about and would prefer to fly along at Mr. Tonen’s side. Only when the 25-year-old handler climbs up a tree can Troy be tempted to leave his comfort zone and join him.
Ashley Smith said, “ Troy’s fear of heights was a result of forgetting how to be a bird. He’s been in captivity (被圈养) for as long as he can remember and has never been higher than his handler can lift him. He sees himself as more of a human than an owl, and he doesn’t know how to sit in trees or hunt. Gareth has to almost act like an owl to get Troy to behave like one.”
As a result, a daily tree climb has become part of Troy’s – and Mr. Tonen’s – routine. Ladders have been fixed so Mr. Tonen can climb into the trees and call for Troy, who will fly up and join his handler but go no higher. Most of the time he flies down again, but occasionally Mr. Tonen has to carry him back to ground level. The afternoon ends with a meal of mouse, rabbit or his favorite, chicken.
Mr. Tonen said, “He now looks upon me as his mum or dad. He’s gaining more confidence and if I have to carry on climbing up trees with him then we’ll do what it takes for him to be a high flyer.
【小题1】Troy was brought up by Gareth Tonen because he ______.

A．couldn’t fly high	B．got badly hurt
C．left his parents accidentally	D．couldn’t live in trees

【小题2】 What can you learn from the second paragraph?

A．Troy doesn’t show any interest in flying high up in the sky.

B．Gareth Tonen has spoiled Troy by offering him everything.

C．Gareth Tonen is pleased to see Troy fly along at his side.

D．Troy would like his owner Gareth Tonen to climb up trees.

【小题3】According to Ashley Smith, Troy doesn’t know he is a bird because ______.

A．he has developed the symptom of fearing heights.

B．he has been raised since he was very small.

C．he can’t learn how to fly higher than his owner.

D．he doesn’t want to fly among trees hunting for food.

【小题4】 Why does Gareth Tonen have to climb up trees every day?

A．To set an example of flying high to Troy.

B．To see how high Troy can really fly.

C．To teach Troy how to get meals in high trees.

D．To get Troy back down to cure his fear of heights.

完形填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

“Where is the bus? Why is it always late?” I asked myself. I was going to be late ___36___ the manager wasn’t going to be pleased. “Thank God, here it is!” The bus came round the corner and I got on. Ten minutes later I was walking into the ___37___ where I work. “Twenty-five past nine. I ___38___ the manager doesn’t notice.” But I was not ___39___.

“Smith!” shouted the manager. “Late again. What’s your ___40___ this time?” “I am afraid the bus was late, Mr. Brown.” “___41___ up earlier tomorrow! Anyway, go to your place at the counter. We’ll be opening in a few minutes.”

My first customer was a pretty girl wearing a red dress. ___42___ her was a young man of about 25. He seemed very ___43___, and every few seconds he looked towards the main entrance. The girl drew some money and ___44___ about opening an account. I gave her necessary ___45___ and she went out. ___46___, I noticed a tall man by the door, carrying something ___47___ with brown paper. Turning to my next customer, I was frightened to see a gun sticking out of his coat. The next moment a loud noise ___48___ my ears. Everything went black. I was falling… It seemed to be a long time ___49___ I opened my eyes and I found myself in bed! ___50___ shaking from the memory of this terrible dream, I got dressed and ran out of the house. ___51___, the bus wasn’t on time, and I got to the bank at 9:25.

“Smith!” the manager cried out in a voice like thunder. “___52___ of your excuses! Start work at once!” To my ___53___, the first customer was a girl ___54___ a red dress and behind her stood a man carrying something wrapped in brown paper. The ___55___! Sometimes life is full of coincidences (巧合)!

A. as              B. but              C. and              D. or

A. hotel          B. shop             C. bank             D. restaurant

A. believe        B. think            C. guess            D. hope

A. lucky   B. happy       C. sorry            D. angry

A. excuse          B. idea             C. cause    D. answer

A. Hurry      B. Set              C. Catch    D. Get

A. Before         B. Behind           C. Beyond           D. Against

A. nervous         B. shy              C. calm             D. angry

A. cared          B. talked           C. asked            D. worried

A. information     B. offer            C. introduction    D. support

A. Again          B. Then        C. Thus             D. However

A. hidden         B. filled           C. decorated       D. covered

A. took           B. closed           C. filled          D. came

A. before          B. after    C. when             D. that

A. Even           B. Still            C. Just             D. Ever

A. As usual       B. For one thing    C. In fact              D. In general

A. Less       B. Plenty           C. More             D. None

A. pleasure       B. surprise         C. joy              D. regret

A. of             B. with             C. on               D. in

A. dream          B. story            C. affair          D. incident

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.

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 street 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 held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1.“the talk of the town” means      .

A．they were in the newspaper

B．people spread many rumors about them

C．they were the most popular things happening

D．they were 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

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3.Which of the following is the best description of 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.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 of 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

5.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

 

Mr. Hadley was my 6th grade teacher. I was a tall thin girl weighing barely a hundred pounds. I ended up taking a lot of  36 especially from the boys, because of my appearance. I became an extremely  37 young lady.

One day  38 in the 6th grade class was told by Mr. Hadley that we would be  39 to stand up in front of the class and read the  40 that we had completed.

When my turn came, I  41 to stand up in front of all those students and  42 to their tricks. Mr. Hadley came over to me and again  43 me to read my report. I gave it back to him. He walked to the front of the  44 and said, "Yvonne has a very good report here and I think everyone  45 to hear her read it. If I hear anyone making  46 noises or making fun of her in any way, I will let you fail right here and now. Understood?"

Mr. Hadley walked back to me and  47 me the paper, asking me to go to the front of the class. I walked to the front of the class on legs  48 were shaking and I felt a(n)  49 in my chest. Everyone were all quiet, including those boys. I stood there trying to gain  50 .

Mr. Hadley walked over to me putting his arm around me, "You can do it. I have  51 in you!" His words helped calm me. I  52 the report and instead of the kids laughing at me and  53 me, they all stood up and clapped their hands.

From that day on the kids never made fun of me again and some  54 made friends with me. I continued to be quite shy all through school  55 from that day on I knew if I had to stand up in front of class again. I could do it.

1.	A．exercise B．interests C．trouble D．tricks

 

2.	A．brave B．shy C．graceful D．selfish

 

3.	A．someone B．everyone C．none D．anyone

 

4.	A．allowed B．required C．advised D．warned

 

5.	A．newspapers B．reports C．experiences D．texts

 

6.	A．refused B．decided C．promised D．pretended

 

7.	A．show off B．look back C．open up D．put down

 

8.	A．asked B．forced C．ordered D．permitted

 

9.	A．teacher B．classroom C．blackboard D．class

 

10.	A．likes B．hates C．needs D．dares

 

11.	A．quiet B．strange C．special D．little

 

12.	A．left B．dropped C．offered D．handed

 

13.	A．which B．what C．where D．that

 

14.	A．rabbit B．idea C．warmth D．coldness

 

15.	A．strength B．excuse C．calm D．encouragement

 

16.	A．dependence B．support C．confidence D．result

 

17.	A．read B．recited C．announced D．described

 

18.	A．looking down upon B．making fun of C．losing interest in D．breaking away from

 

19.	A．definitely B．fortunately C．surprisingly D．actually

 

20.	A．but B．and C．so D．though

 

I still remember my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to school I wondered what sort of questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers: “I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven’t lived here since I was two. I was living in Farley. It’s about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago.” I also wondered if it was the custom for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide not to risk it.

No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say “hello”, but no one spoke to me. When a teacher called my name and told me where my classroom was, one or two boys looked at me but that was all.

My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn’t stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens and he had decided to read aloud to us from David Copperfield, but first he asked several boys if they knew Dickens’ birthplace, but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: “Timbuktu”, and Mr. Jones went red in the face. Then he asked me. I said: “Portsmouth”, and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said I was right. This didn’t make me very popular, of course.

“He thinks he’s clever,” I heard Brian say.

After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian’s team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.

“He’s big enough and useless enough.” Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.

I suppose Mr. Jones, who served as the judge, remembered Dickens, too, because when the game was nearly over, Brian pushed one of the players on the other team, and he gave them a penalty (惩罚). As the boy kicked the ball to my right, I threw myself down instinctively (本能地) and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My bare knees were injured and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.

“Do you want to join my gang (帮派)?” he said.

At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger.

1.The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT “          ”.

A．How old are you?

B．Where are you from?

C．Do you want to join my gang?

D．When did you come back to London?

2.We can learn from the passage that           .

A．boys were usually unfriendly to new students

B．the writer was not greeted as he expected

C．Brian praised the writer for his cleverness

D．the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper

3.The underlined part “I didn’t stand out” in paragraph 3 means that the writer was not       .

A．noticeable

B．welcome

C．important

D．foolish

4.The writer was offered a handkerchief because          .

A．he threw himself down and saved the goal

B．he pushed a player on the other team

C．he was beginning to be accepted

D．he was no longer a newcomer