阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A,B,C,D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂上.
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 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 underlined words "talk of the town" means________.
| A．it was in the newspaper |
| B．it was the most popular topic |
| C．people spread bad rumors about it |
| D．it was discussed in a city meeting |
Which one of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．Charles mother took him to see the famous showman because he stopped growing. |
| B．Tom had to fight with others during the show. |
| C．Tom’s wedding ceremony helped people cheer up in a dark time. |
| D．Tom and his mother came from England. |
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. |
By May，after three months，I had lost22pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds．My friends would say “Alice，you look great！”or“How did you lose so much weight？”Those compliments made me feel good and confident．
Soon I dropped to110 pounds．A few of my friends told me that I needed to stop dieting，because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present—— a bag of chocolates，which I later gave to my sister．My mother would come to my room，with tears in her eyes，and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop．My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school，telling me that it would do serious harm to my body．
By mid-June，when school was coming to an end，I was down to an only alive state of 95 pounds．All of a sudden，I knew I had to do something．I guessed the number itself scared me．I recalled my doctor．He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying．I knew I was putting my life at risk，but for what？ To make those who love me worried？ Was it worthwhile to be thin？
Now I realize that models in magazines，TV and movies are not realistic．The price to pay for the“perfect body”is living with a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder．And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are．The underlined word“compliments”in Paragraph I probably means_____.
| A．questions | B．praise | C．understanding | D．experiences |
Why did the author's mother come to her room in tears？
| A．Because the mother was worried about her daughter's health． |
| B．Because the mother thought her daughter was brave enough． |
| C．Because the mother was sorry to have helped her daughter go on a diet． |
| D．Because the mother was deeply moved by her daughter's friends． |
The author decided to stop dieting_______．
| A．after her parents persuaded her out of it |
| B．when her weight dropped to 95 pounds |
| C．after she reached her goal of losing weight |
| D．after her friends told her to stop dieting |
From the text we learn that _________.
| A．there are no models with a perfect body in real life |
| B．it is too expensive for people to lose weight |
| C．you will be healthy as long as you stop dieting |
| D．an unhealthy diet can lead to serious health problems |
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl,she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college.
Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes；she hopes to get a master’s degree （M A）. With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well.
The school day at Mrs. Blake’s high school，like that in many high schools in the United States is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period，which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M.，Mrs. Blake must meet with parents, make out examinations，check homework at all，Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school？
| A．four years | B．eight years | C．twelve years | D．twenty years |
According to the article，which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？
| A．a doctor’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree |
| B．a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| C．a master’s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| D．a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree—a master’s degree |
How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far？
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．none |
Which of the following sentences is not true？
| A．Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates |
| B．Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality. |
| C．Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees. |
| D．The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states. |
According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
| A．lonely | B．free | C．funny | D．busy |
阅读表达：
[1]An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. He and a friend decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.
[2]They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck and the boys began to work to make the concert a success.
[3]The big day arrived. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight(困境). They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance(差额) $400. They promised to pay the cheque at the soonest possible.
[4]“No,” said Paderewski. “This is not acceptable.” He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys: “Here’s the $1600. Please deduct（扣除）whatever expenses you have spent on. Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left”. The boys were surprised, and thanked him a lot.
[5]It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being.
[6]Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of us only think “If I help them, what would happen to me?” The truly great people think, “If I don’t help them, what will happen to them?” They don’t do it expecting something in return. They do it because they feel it’s the right thing to do.
[7]Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was regarded as a great leader in Poland’s history.Why did the student decide to hold the musical concert? (Within 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________________What do you know about Ignacy J. Paderewski? (Within 15 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________Please find a word in the text to replace the word “recital” in Paragraph 2.
____________________________________________________________________________How did the boys feel on hearing what Paderewski said? (No more than 5 words)
___________________________________________________________________________What should we learn from Paderewski’s words in Paragraph 6? (Within 20 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
If you like bicycling as much as you like playing ball and can’t seem to decide between the two sports, you may want to consider cycle ball—a fun sport that adopts the key attributes from both activities and transforms it into a totally new game..
Also known as red ball, the game was invented in 1893 by German laborers who wished to play polo(马球), but could not afford horses. While the sport has not caught on in North America, it is very fashionable in Europe and even Japan.
Played in an indoor court, cycle ball is similar to soccer in many ways—the aim is to score as many goals as possible, and only the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball.
The one big difference? Use of legs is forbidden. Instead, players have to guide the ball across the court, using the front wheels of their bicycles or with their heads. In fact, if a player even touches the floor with his feet during the 14-minute game, it is considered a foul(犯规) and the opposing team gets a free kick.
While the game was initially(最初) played with normal bikes, things are a little different now. The seats of these specialized bikes are positioned over the back tire and they sport a single fixed gear, making it easier for the rider to control the constant back and forth movement required for the game. The handlebars(车把) also point straight up so that the competitors can sit upright while playing and they are about twice the weight of normal bikes, which helps with the stability.
While cycle ball may sound a little strange, it is a fast-paced sport that requires much training, skill, and, is also really fun to watch.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The origin and development of soccer |
| B．The differences between cycle ball and soccer. |
| C．The most popular sports game in the world. |
| D．A new and fun sports game—cycle ball |
What does the underlined phrase “caught on” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．turned up | B．hung up | C．come about | D．become popular |
What can we know about cycle ball?
| A．It is a fast-paced game played in an indoor court |
| B．It was invented in 1893 by poor British people. |
| C．It is another name of soccer played by many people. |
| D．It is a strange game played with normal bikes. |
It can be known from the passage that __________.
| A．every player who is playing cycle ball is allowed to touch the ball. |
| B．the aim of playing cycle ball is to score as many goals as possible. |
| C．if a player touches the floor with his feet, the opposing team will win |
| D．heads are not allowed to be used to guide the ball across the court. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Cycle ball is popular both in Japan and other Asian countries. |
| B．The cycle ball game is popular all over the world. |
| C．A cycle ball game takes 14 minutes. |
| D．Cycle ball has to be played with heads, legs or the front wheels. |
As an English saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Laughter can make people breathe deeper |
| B．Laughter can make you become old quickly. |
| C．Laughter helps to reduce pain. |
| D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body. |
The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “_________”.
| A．delays | B．prevents | C．increases | D．reduces |
Why do doctors hold laughter clinics?
| A．Because they want to earn more money. |
| B．Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses. |
| C．Because they want to improve their patients’ health. |
| D．Because they want their patients to laugh more. |
According to the author, we should __________ in our life.
| A．laugh as much as possible | B．watch more funny films |
| C．smile all the time | D．spend time in the laughter clinics |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health. |
| B．Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition. |
| C．Laughter can reduce the effect of pain. |
| D．Laughter is the best medicine. |
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