Today we tell about Louisa May Alcott. She wrote one of America’s best loved children’s books.
In 1868, an American publisher asked Louisa May Alcott to write a book for girls. At first, she was not sure if she wanted to do it. She said she didn’t like girls.
However, she decided to write the book finally. She told about her experiences growing up in the northeast of the United States. The book was quite interesting. Little Women became one of the most popular children’s books in American literature. It was published (出版）in more than 50 languages.
Alcott was born in Pennsylvania in 1832. The Alcotts did not have much money. She tried teaching, sewing(缝纫) and taking care of children. She did not like any of these jobs.
At the age of 16, she wrote her first book, Flower Fables. Her stories were exciting, but unreal. She sold them to newspapers and magazines for money.
The first volume (卷) of Little Women came out in 1868. It made Alcott famous and get a lot of money. She continued writing other popular books for young people. These books included An Old-Fashioned Girl, Little Men and Eight Cousins.
Alcott wrote many exciting stories about love. But she was single (独身的) all her life. She continued to help her family during the last years of her life.
【小题1】Alcott grew up in the ______ of the US.

短文填空 根据短文内容及首字母提示, 补全空格内单词, 使短文完整、通顺。(请在答题卡上写出完整单词!(10分)

Your maths teacher may wear old-fashioned clothes and always pronounce your name wrongly. Your English teacher may love to start classes with tests. Perhaps it is hard f  1   you to accept these. But they eat pizza, go to movies and enjoy sports at weekends, just like you.

   So how can you g  2   along with your teachers? Here are some tips.

   F  3   ,do the following things: Don’t be late for school. H  4   in your homework on time. Be polite to your teachers.

   Second, show an interest in the subject. Even if you are not g  5    at your maths or English, you should do your b  6   to learn it and show your teacher that you are a hardworking student.

   You can also come to your teacher during his/her spare time. Use this time to get some help or talk about your progress in class. You may be surprised to learn that your teacher is more relaxed in his/her free time t  7   in his/her working hours.

   A good relationship with your teachers will help you now and in the f  8   .There may be some t  9   you will always remember because they change you and your life. After f  10   school, you may even go back to visit them. And they are always proud of that.

In many countries, unusual names for children are becoming more popular, especially when more and more stars give their children special names. In Britain, you can call a child almost anything you like except dirty words.
Some parents choose names which come from popular culture. Because of the film the Lord of the Rings(指环王), six boys were named Gandalf. Names about sport are very common, too. Since 1984, 36 children have been called Arsenal after the football team.
Other parents like to make up names, or combine(合并) two names to make a special one. A mother in Britain invented the name Tiaamii for her daughter. She combined the names Thea and Amy (the two grandmothers).
In China, there are some rules about names ―- you can’t use foreign letters or symbols(符号) in a Chinese name. For example, parents are not allowed to name their baby @. In New Zealand, a name beginning with a number is not allowed. Other countries have stricter rules about calling children. For example, Japan, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Argentina have a list of names. Parents must choose the names in the lists for their children.
In Britain, some old-fashioned(过时的) names have become popular again, such as Maisie or Ella for a girl, and Alfie or Noah for a boy. But the most popular names are not the strange ones. The top names are very traditional--Jack and Thomas for boys, or Grace and Jessica f6r girls.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案，并将其字母代号填入答题卷相应空格内。(共5小题,每小题2分，满分l0分)
【小题1】In Britain, people can’t use         words in their children’s names.    

A) 根据所读内容，在文章后第62—71小题的空格里填入恰当的单词。每个空格只填1个单词。
Venice, a city in the northeast of Italy, is famous throughout the world for its buildings and romantic canals (运河). But in February every year, people come to Venice for another reason. The city carnival fills the place with excitement and fun. This year, the celebration runs from February 4 to 21.
Colorful costumes have always played a very important role in the Venetian carnival. The carnival happens at the start of the Christian fasting (斋戒) period of Lent. It was traditionally a time to go a bit crazy with eating, drinking, dancing and dressing up before the fast began. People used masks to hide their social identity so that the nobility(贵族) would look no different from the commoners.
Today the carnival is largely for the tourists. “Venetians don’t dress up for Carnival after the age of 10.” Giuseppina Giudice, who has lived in the city all her life, told the Guardian. “All we see of Carnival is a river of strangers who flow into town to feel ‘Venetian’. They fill it, buy a cheap mask and leave with nothing but photographs of St Mark’s Square.”
Some locals want to bring back the original (最初的) feel of Carnival. In 2009, two social networking groups started organizing their own carnival. Visitors were invited. But there were no expensive tickets or fancy ball dresses---- just an old-fashioned Italian street party. “Tourists are welcome to our party ---- the more we can show them about the real Venice rather than the postcard Venice, the better,” Matteo Secchi, one of the organizers, told the Guardian.