Tom used to work at a little railway station. He was very 36 about “rules”. For 37, he never smoked in a nonsmoker (不准吸烟的车厢), nor 38 a passenger to do so.

He was there for 50 years and then he had to 39. He asked for a part of an old railway carriage（车厢）which, he thought, would remind him of the 40 days he had spent at the station.

About a week later, a carriage was 41 and was taken into Tom’s back 42. Tom worked at it, just as he had worked at the station. It was 43 and painted, and in a week 44 so it looked very nice.

One day, I went to visit old Tom. It was a 45 day for a visit. It was raining hard. I walked to the front door and 46, but there was no answer. However, the door wasn’t 47, so I opened it and went in. He was 48 to be seen. I thought he 49 be in that old railway carriage. So I went to the back. Sure enough, he 50 there, but he wasn’t sitting in the carriage; he was outside, on the step of the carriage, 51 his pipe. His head was 52 with a sack and the rain was running down his 53. “Hello, why on earth are you sitting here? Why don’t you go inside the 54 out of the rain?”

“Can’t you see?” said Tom. “The carriage they sent me was 55.”

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.
【小题1】“the talk of the town” means _________ .

Tom, it’s good for you to search the Internet for some information ____ Shanghai before your trip there.

  A. in               B. for                  C. of          D on