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　　In the water around New York city is a very small island ___1___ Liberty Island. On Liberty Island there is a very special ___2___ called the Statue of Liberty. It is one of the ___3___ famous sights in the world.

　　___4___ Statue of Liberty was a gift ___5___ the people of France to the people of the Passageed States. The Statue was made ___6___ a French sculptor named Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The inner support ___7___ was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same man ___8___ made the famous Eiffel Tower in ___9___.

　　Liberty, of course, ___10___ freedom, and the Statue of Liberty was given to the Passageed States to ___11___ the one __12___ anniversary of US independence from ___13___. The statue was built in France, taken ___14___ piece by piece and then ___15___ in the Passageed States. It was opened for ___16__ public on October 28, 1886.

　　___17___ you might expect, the statue is very big. Visitors can ride an elevator from the ground to the ___18___ of the statue. If they want to, they can then __19__ up the 168 steps to reach the head of the Statue ___20___ they can look out and enjoy the beautiful sight of the city of New York.

When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies（代理机构）to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

　People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to________.

　　  A. attend a stage school　　　　  B. are going to the theatre

　　  C. have got some work to do 　　  D. love singing and dancing

　　 In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

　　  A. produce star performers

　　  B. help pupils improve their study skills

　　  C. train pupils in language and performing arts

　　  D. provide a general education and stage training.

　“Professional work” as used in the text means ________.

　　  A. ordinary school work　　　　　  B. money-making performances

　　  C. stage training at school 　 　  D. acting, singing or dancing after class

　 Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

　　  A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.　　　　

　　  B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

　　  C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

　　  D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

Love Is Just a Thread

Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the  ?　36　? tuition for my brother and me. They don't ?　37　? in the romantic ways that I read in books or  I see on TV. My father has a bad temper; it's easy for him to lose his temper.?

One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I ?　38　? sat down beside her and looked at her.

“Is there any ?　39　? between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice.

My mother stopped her work and raised her head with ?　40　? in her eyes. She didn't answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt.

?　41　? at last I heard my mother say the following words:?

“Susan,” she said ?　42　?.“Look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable(耐用的).If life is a

?　43　?,then love should be a thread. It can ?　44　? be seen anywhere or ?anytime, but it's really there. Love is ?　45　?.”?

I listened carefully but I couldn't understand her until the next ?　46　?.At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. After they were ?　47　?,every day in the morning and dusk(黄昏),my mother helped my father walk ?　48　? on the country road. My father had never been so ?　49　?.Along the country road, there were many beautiful flowers, green grass and trees. The sun gently shone through the leaves. All of these ?　50　? the most beautiful picture in the world. The doctor had said my father would ?　51　? in two months. But after two months he still couldn't walk alone. We were all worried.?

“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.?

“Susan,”he said gently.“To tell you the truth, I just like ?　52　? with your mom. I like this kind of life.” ?　53　? from his eyes, I knew he loved my mother deeply.

Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this ?　54　?,I understand that love is just a ?　55　? in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.

36. A. expensive    B. low     C. cheap  D. high

37. A. play     B. talk     C. act      D. perform

38. A. silently B. carefully    C. certainly     D. happily

39. A. money  B. love    C. time    D. distance

40. A. surprise       B. pride   C. disappointment  D. satisfaction

41. A. So       B. But     C. And    D. For

42. A. sadly    B. excitedly    C. regretfully  D. thoughtfully

43. A. trouble B. pleasure     C. quilt   D. cloth

44. A. hardly  B. often   C. always       D. ever?

45. A. valuable      B. inside  C. true    D. priceless

46. A. winter  B. autumn      C. summer      D. spring

47. A. free      B. back   C. fine    D. ready?

48. A. continuously       B. worriedly   C. constantly   D. slowly?

49. A. gently  B. perfect       C. pleased       D. thankful

50. A. put up  B. took up      C. made up     D. set up?

51. A. run      B. recover      C. Stand  D. work

52. A. walking       B. living  C. sitting D. chatting?

53. A. Examining   B. Seeing       C. Noticing     D. Reading

54. A. practice       B. observation C. experience  D. activity?

55. A. thread  B. thing   C. jewel  D. light