¡¡¡¡The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life£®I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid£®It was Carlos£®
¡¡¡¡¡°My¡, you're tall,¡± he said£®
¡¡¡¡Of course, the class began to laugh£®Angry, I walked to my seat without a word£®
¡¡¡¡I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest£®That would be the last straw£®But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else£®I didn't know why I considered Reed my friend£®Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I£®Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington£®¡°Take that seat,¡± Mr£®McCarthy told the proud newcomer Carlos, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room£®
¡¡¡¡Carlos smiled broadly£®¡°But I need a couple of dictionaries£®¡± Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him£®He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side£®
¡¡¡¡It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again£®Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice president£®¡°How come?¡± I kept asking myself£®¡°How come this shrimp(Ϻ)who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular£®¡±
¡¡¡¡So on that morning, I stopped Carlos and said, ¡°It doesn't seem to bother you£being short£®¡± He looked up at me£®¡°Of course I mind being short£®But there isn't anything I can do about it£®When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself£®¡± ¡°You seem to get along great,¡± I admitted£®¡°But what about me? Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is£®¡± ¡°The trouble with you is you're afraid to be yourself£®You're smart£®And you could be pretty£®In fact, you might be more than pretty£®¡± I felt myself turning red£®
(1)
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
The writer cared much about Reed's attitude£®
B£®
Carlos isn't popular with the classmates£®
C£®
The writer is always confident with herself£®
D£®
Carlos always makes fun of the writer£®
(2)
From the passage, we can conclude ________£®
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
Carlos is as tall as the writer
B£®
Carlos fell in love with the writer later
C£®
the writer is very tall
D£®
Reed, Carlos and the writer became good friends later
¡¡¡¡Step into Pat Lundin's home and you'll be greeted by 500 smiling faces of dolls£®Lundin, 82, describes herself as ¡°doll crazy¡±£®And she's not alone£®
¡¡¡¡As a member of Timeless Treasures Doll Club of Largo, she frequently meets with 25 other women who share her hobby£®Once a month, they gather at the Palms of Largo to show off their latest finds and catch up on news in the world of doll collecting£®
¡¡¡¡On Saturday, the club will hold the Palms of Largo Fifth Annual Doll Show£®The program will include 37 vendors(ÂôÖ÷)with both classic and contemporary dolls for sale£®
¡¡¡¡¡°Timeless Treasures is a club that's open to doll lovers regardless of the age of the doll,¡± said Judy Smith, president of the organization£®¡°Some doll clubs require members have a certain number of antique dolls, but we don't£®we make sure we are not terribly formal£®¡±
¡¡¡¡Smith, 71, is a retired schoolteacher who owns Judy's Doll Hospital, a part-time business she operates out of her home£®She will have a table offering repair and appraisal(¼ø¶¨)services£®
¡¡¡¡Smith firs began studying and collecting dolls in her early 20s,in Glassboro, New Jersey, she does not know how many dolls she owns, or how many repairs she has made over the years£®But she does know the age of her oldest doll£®
¡¡¡¡¡°She's 129,¡± Smith said£®¡°It is a German-made doll that belonged to my grandmother, and it sits in my living room£®¡±
¡¡¡¡The show is for both the beginner as well as the experienced collector, said Anita Munson, one of the show's organizers£®
¡¡¡¡Over the years, Munson, 82, has learned how to identify a valuable doll£®¡°Generally speaking porcelain(´ÉÖƵÄ)dolls are the most valuable,¡± she said£®¡°But the porcelain will not be shiny£®¡±
¡¡¡¡Smith believes many people will attend to find out how much their dolls are worth£®She wants them to know more£®
¡¡¡¡¡°Because the dolls reflect what the children were wearing and doing at a particular period of time, they can be a great history lesson for children now,¡± she said£®
(1)
According to the passage, Timeless Treasures is _______£®
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
a club for doll lovers
B£®
a company selling dolls
C£®
a group of retired teachers
D£®
an organization repairing toys
(2)
We can infer that the show has been held _______£®
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
twice
B£®
four times
C£®
six times
D£®
eight times
(3)
What can we learn about Smith?
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
She owns the oldest doll in the world£®
B£®
She has collected about five hundred dolls
C£®
She has studied dolls for about fifty years
D£®
She worked as a businesswoman before retirement
(4)
Smith wants people to know _______£®
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
porcelain dolls are not valuable
B£®
collecting dolls is a way to make money
C£®
dolls have nothing to do with tradition
D£®
dolls may help children learn about history
(5)
The passage is written mainly to _______£®
[¡¡¡¡]
A£®
describe the colorful life of a group of elderly women
B£®
explain why some people like collecting old dolls
C£®
introduce a recent doll show and its host organization
D£®
offer knowledge and experience about doll collecting