Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue. That is, except in the small town of Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People. The road sign at the edge of the town even warns visitors that they are entering the ugly zone. People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico since the 1960s. That’s when Ugly Club president Telesforo Lacobelli established a dating agency for women who believed they were too ugly to attract husbands. Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose in a country where long or large noses have always been considered beautiful.

? People from around the world travel to Piobbico to tell their sad stories of ugliness. During the annual Festival of the Ugly, which occurs on the first Sunday of every September, hundreds of people gather in Piobbico’s town square to elect the president of the Ugly Club. Lacobelli wins the election every year. The Ugly Club has over 20, 000 members. They carry ID cards that grade their ugliness from bearable to extreme. A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.

? The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue. Since beautiful people get a lot of attention for their beauty alone, they have to work hard to prove their other virtues. Ugly people, on the other hand, are genuine and do not have to prove anything to anybody, according to Lacobelli.

? Lacobelli is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be. Though the club enjoys making fun of beauty, especially beauty contests, Lacobelli has a serious side as well. He believes that too many people suffer from financial and emotional pressures because they don’t meet society’s standards of beauty. The fact that beautiful people are more successful in the workforce is a problem that Lacobelli has attempted to bring forward to the Italian public and government.

1.Piobbico is rather special in that????? .

A. it is a very small town?????? B. it is home to ugly people

C. it receives no visitors?????? D. it is the capital of Italy

2.Why is Lacobelli elected the president of the Ugly Club every year?

A. Because he is the ugliest person in the whole world.

B. Because his ugliness is always graded as bearable.

C. Because he is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere.

D. Because he has won the members’ trust and admiration.

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Ugly people are most respected in Italy.

B. The Festival of the Ugly is held every two years.

C. Ugly people are unfairly treated in society.

D. The uglier one is, the better life he or she lives.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Ugly Capital of the World????? B. The Ugliest Person of the World

C. Festival of the Ugly????? D. Beauty Contests Should be Banned

第一节　语音知识（每小题1分）

从A、B、C、D四个选项中，找出其划线部分与所给单词的划线部分读音相同的选项。

⒈ stomach      A. church            B. machine        C. character      D. peach

⒉ them            A. theme            B. bother           C. threaten       D. author

⒊ measure     A. said                 B. greatly           C. peach             D. mean

⒋ extreme      A. explain           B. examine        C. expedition    D. example

⒌ conflict        A. come              B. control           C. condition       D. topic

单词拼写（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）
请根据首字母或汉语提示完成句子。
【小题1】 After hearing the bad news, he a______         himself to sadness.
【小题2】The police are trained to deal with every situation in a calm and p______  manner.
【小题3】F __________, the traffic wasn’t too bad so I managed to go to the meeting on time.
【小题4】What a ________________(极好的) idea!
【小题5】 The look on his face is ______________(令人害怕的).

单词拼写（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

请根据首字母或汉语提示完成句子。

1. After hearing the bad news, he a______          himself to sadness.

2.The police are trained to deal with every situation in a calm and p______   manner.

3.F __________, the traffic wasn’t too bad so I managed to go to the meeting on time.

4.What a ________________(极好的) idea!

5. The look on his face is ______________(令人害怕的).

单词拼写（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

请根据首字母或汉语提示完成句子。

After hearing the bad news, he a______         himself to sadness.

The police are trained to deal with every situation in a calm and p______   manner.

F __________, the traffic wasn’t too bad so I managed to go to the meeting on time.

What a ________________(极好的) idea!

The look on his face is ______________(令人害怕的).