If you want to stay in a hotel in New York City for a week and enjoy designer details, memorable allowances, you need to get prepared for at least____________.

A. $ 1550               B. $ 1650              C. $ 1750           D. $ 1850

___________ is a good destination for New York rock climbers of all levels.

A. the Parks & Recreation Department            B. Brooklyn Boulders

C. Lower Manhattan                      D. Tent City

Suppose you are interested in Shakespeare’s plays, you may pay attention to more details written by _________.

A. ERIC KONIGSBERG                  B. LOUISE STORY    

C. FRED A. BERNSTEIN                    D. FELICIA R. LEE

When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new 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.

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 school teacher. 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 two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. 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 held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1.“the talk of the town” means      .

A．they were in the newspaper

B．people spread many rumors about them

C．they were the most popular things happening

D．they were discussed in a city meeting

2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?

A．People gave it too much of their attention.

B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time

C．It was funny and ridiculous

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3.Which of the following is the best description of the fact that Tom was smart?

A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five

B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.

C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon

D．He married a school teacher.

4.It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because      .

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine

B．People are always disappointed during wartime

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose

D．People should be married even if they are small

   It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle. As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade（消退）, or so we thought. We bought her a lovely doll, and a doll house. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23rd, she said that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.” But it was just too late. With such a lot of preparations to do for the Christmas dinner we did not have the time to buy our little girl a bike. So, here we were Christmas Eve around 9:00 p.m., with Almie and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, sleeping in their beds. Now we could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child. “What if I make a little bicycle out of clay (泥) and write a note that she could trade（交易，交换 ） the clay bike in for a real bike?” her dad asked. So he spent the next four hours making a tiny clay bike. On Christmas morning, we were excited for Almie to open the little gift box with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud. “Does this mean that I can trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?”  I said, “Yes.” Almie had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I'd rather keep this than get a real bike.” At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle in the world!

1.Choose the right time order of the following events.

a. The girl asked for a new bike.

b. The girl opened the little gift box.

c. The parents bought the girl a modern and popular doll.

d. The father made the girl a bike with clay.

e. The girl would rather keep the clay bike than get a real one .

A．a, b, c, e, d              B．a, c, d, b, e

C．a, c, b, d, e              D．a, b, d, c, e

2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The parents wanted the girl to have the clay bike for ever.

B．Tears were in the girl's eyes because she didn't like the present at all.

C．The girl never lost her desire for a bike.

D．The parents paid little attention to the daughter's desire for a bike.

3.Why did Dad make the clay bicycle?

A．He wanted his daughter to buy a real one .  B．He didn't want to disappoint his daughter.

C．He thought his daughter would like it .       D．He wanted to give his daughter a surprise.

4.What can we know from the last sentence?

A．The parents were sad and encouraged.

B．The parents felt neverous and shy.

C．The parents were moved and felt proud of the girl

D．The parents felt unhappy for the girl.

5. Which do you think is the best title （标题）for the story?

   A. A lovely little girl　　　　　　　　B. A great and serious father

C. A clay bike　　　　　　　　　　　D. Christmas shopping

When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P.T.Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new 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 school teacher. 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 two thousand guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. 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.

1.“the talk of the town” means _________ .

2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?

3. Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?

4. It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because ________ .

5. What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

第二部分 阅读理解(共25小题，每一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分，共45分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。并将选项的字母标号填入题前的答题表内。
A
It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle．As Christmas drew nearer，her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade，or so we thought．We bought the latest rages，Baby-Sitter’s Club dolls，and a doll house．Then，much to our surprise。on December 23rd，she said that she“really wanted a bike more than anything else”．
It was just too late，what with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute gifts，to take the time to select the“right bike”for our little girl．So here we were---Christmas Eve around 9：00 P．M，with Almie and her six-year-old brother，Dylan，nested snug in their beds．Now we could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child．“What if I make a little bicycle out of clay(a kind of earth)and write a note that she could trade the clay model in for a real bike?” her dad asked．“This is an expensive item and she is‘such a big girl’，and it would be much better for her to pick it out．”So he spent the next four hours painstakingly working with clay to make a tiny bike．
On Christmas morning，we were excited for Almie to open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note．Finally，she opened it and read the note aloud．“Does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?”Beaming，I said，“Yes．”Almie had tears in her eyes when she replied．“I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me．I’d rather keep this than get a real bike．”At that moment，we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle on the planet!
41.．Which is the right time order of the following events?
a．The girl asked for a new bike．
b．The girl opened the little heart-shaped package．   
c．The parents bought the girl a modern and popular doll．   
d．The father made the girl a bike with clay．
e．The girl would rather keep the clay bike than get a real one．
A  a, b, c ,e d  B a, c, d, b, e  C．a，c，b，d，e    D．a，b，d，e，e
42.．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The parents wanted the girl to have the clay bike forever．
B．Tears were in the girl’s eyes because she didn’t like the present at all．
C．The girl never lost her desire for a bike．
D．The parents paid little attention to the daughter’s desire for a bike．
43.．Why did Dad make the clay bicycle?
A．Because he wanted to buy a real one，but he had no money．
B．Because he didn’t want to disappoint his daughter．
C．Because he thought his daughter would like it．
D．Because he wanted to give his daughter a surprise．
44.．What can be inferred from the last sentence of the text?
A．The parents were happy and encouraged．
    B．The parents felt comfortable and relaxed．
C．The parents were moved and felt proud of the girl．   
D．The parents felt disappointed and sorry for the girl．