阅读理解

　　Tom Dyson tried to find out what his new machine could do. One day he fixed the small box to a flowering plant that was growing in a pot. He didn't say anything at all, but he began to think some cruel thoughts.

　　“I'm going to cut off these flowers. They're getting old and ugly. So I'll cut them off…”

　　The needle on the machine climbed quickly from  zero to 8, then 10, 12, 15. It stopped at 17. The plant was in trouble! Something was worrying it. Was it fear or sadness? The thought of being cut? The flowers bent their heads. They suddenly looked old and tired, and Tom felt sorry for them.

　　“No, no!” he cried.“I won't cut you. You're my friends. I just want you to grow and be lovely. I'll take you outside, into the sunshine. You'll like that, won't you?”

　　The flowers lifted their heads slowly and seemed to smile at him. The needle returned to zero. Tom put away the machine, picked up the plant and walked outside. It was very nice in the garden that morning.

　　All plants enjoy their owner's love and care and kindness. They know the sound of their voice. They also seem to understand people's thoughts. So if you have flowers of your own, think about them with love. They will return your kindness in the only way they can: they will grow strong and beautiful.

1．Choose the right order of the events given in the passage.

[　　]

a．The needle pointed to 17.

b．Tom felt sorry for the flowers.

c．Tom thought of cutting off the flowers.

d．The flowers looked old and tired.

e．Tom fixed the machine to a plant.

f．Tom took the plant outside.

g．The needle returned to zero.

h．Tom cried, “I won't cut you.”

[　　]

A．e; a; g; h; d; b; c; f

B．c; e; d; a; b; h; g; f

C．e; c; a; d; h; b; f; g

D．e; c; a; d; b; h; g; f

2．The only way in which plants can show their love is ________.

[　　]

A．enjoying their owner's love

B．bringing up nicely

C．holding up their heads

D．smiling at their owners

3．According to the passage, which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．Tom wanted to cut off the flowers.

B．Tom said nothing, but the flowers could understand him.

C．The machine didn't work properly.

D．The flowers were getting bad - looking

阅读理解

　　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 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(激起)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 Torn 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 (庆典) and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2,000 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(浅谈), communities throughout the country sponsored (主持)“Tom Thumb”weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1．“Talk of the town”means ________.

[　　]

A．it was in the newspaper

B．people spread mean rumors(谣言) about it

C．it was the most popular happening

D．it was 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(荒谬可笑的).

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3．Which of the following is the best clue to 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．Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because ________.

[　　]

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom was tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

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

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

5．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.

Miss Gogers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them,“Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from across the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”

　Tom at once answered,“Your brother. Because electricity travaels faster than sound waves.”“That’s every good,”Miss Gogers answered; but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gogers said.“Yes, Kate.”

　“I disagree,”Kate said.“Your brother would hear you earlier because when it’s 11 o’clock here it’s only 8 o’clock in Los Angeles.”

Miss Gogers was teaching her class_________.

A.how to telephone 　    B.about electricity 　 C.about time zone 　  D.about sound

Miss Gogers raised this question because she wanted to know whether______.

　A.it was easy to phone to Los Angeles

　B.her student could hear her from 75 feet away

　C.her students had a good command of her lesson about sound

　D.sound waves were slower than electricity

Tom thought that electricity was _________.

　A.slower than sound waves   　B.faster than sound waves

　C.not so fast as sound waves  　D.as fast as sound waves

Kate thought Tom was wrong because _______.

　A.clocks in Los Angeles showed a different time from those in New York

　B.electricity was slower than sound waves

　C.Tom was not good at physics at all

　D.Tom’s answer had nothing to do with sound waves

Whose answer do you think is correct according to the law of physics?

　A. Tom’s 　     　B. Kate’s 　　C. Bath A and B 　　D. Neither A nor B