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.

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 _________ .

Crazy is our new normal. With two teenage boys and three little boys, our family is restless—to the baseball field, track field(田径场)and piano lessons. Even though we’ve limited each boy’s activities and try our best to defend our family time, it seems that we’re in a constant state of flight.
“Embrace it. Roll with it,” my husband, Lonny, says, “It’s going to be like this for a while.”
He is right. It’s likely that life will continue to go forward before it slows down. But I remembered the still, quiet days that our family used to enjoy. I missed long walks through the park when we held the boys’ little hands. I longed for(渴望) lazy Saturday afternoons under the tree in our backyard. I wanted to slip back a few years, when busyness was the exception and not the rule.
One night, after a particularly full day and evening games, our family gathered on the porch(门廊)for ice cream. Two parents, two teens, and three small boys piled on one old swing and a couple of rocking chairs. We were together, in one place, for a small slice of time.
The moon was full. The Mississippi River, flowing past our home, was smooth as glass. I wrapped my own arms around the son who sat on my lap and breathed deeply to inhale his little-boy scent(气味)—dirt and sweat. My heart was still and content(满足的).
I realized that while crazy is our new normal happiness is as usual. They may look different from before, but they are still there—even if they’re in the form of a single moment on the porch. Maybe I just need the eyes to see.
【小题1】What does the author mainly talk about?

This year I decided to do something to regain my good name as a kindly uncle. My  36    Tony,had never forgiven me for the dictionary I had bought him as a birthday present last year. His  37  had no reason to be thankful to me either,because the year before, I had   38   their dear son with a pot of paste(浆糊) and some funny pictures. Instead of   39    them into a book, Tony had naturally covered every wall in the house with them. This year,   40  , I decided to let him  41   for himself.

  We went into a big shop,but Tony was very particular about   42   . Although I tried to show him toy after toy,he was not to be   43  . Then I saw he suddenly became  44  ; he had discovered something he really liked: a large tin dram. I was quite happy too   45     I thought what Tony’s mother would say when she saw it. Nobody would get any    46    for weeks! I led Tony away   47  , saying that the dram was too expensive.

   Tony asked for permission to go off    48     and I made the most of my chance to sit down end    49    my aching feet. Fifteen minutes passed but there was still no sign of Tony. I began to get   50    and got up to look for him. I asked a young lady if she had seen a little boy in a grey suit. She looked    51    her helplessly and pointed out that there were so many   52

in grey suits. I was just going to call the police for help,when I saw a strange   53   dressed in strange orange clothes. He was wearing a false beard and had a caveman’s axe(斧子)in one hand,and a space gun in the other. It was, of course,Tony, who informed me  54    that he was the first   55   to fly into space.

1.A. cousin         B. daughter          C. grandson          D. nephew

2.A. friends       B. parents           C. classmates       D. brothers

3.A. presented      B. annoyed          C. confused         D. occupied

4.A. entering       B. dividing         C. sticking          D. drawing

5. A. anyhow       B. though          C. again             D. therefore

6.A. guess        B. choose           C. pay             D. see

7.A. sweets        B. toys           C. clothes          D. books

8. A. pleased   B. disturbed        C. accepted         D. disappointed

9. A. surprised     B. hopeful          C. patient          D. excited

10. A. after            B. until            C. unless           D. since

11.A. shock           B. trouble          C. peace           D. time

12.A. happily         B. eagerly        C. cautiously       D. quickly

13.A. on his own   B. in his way      C. now and then      D. more or less

14.A. drag           B. rest.           C. lay              D. step

15. A. 8shamed        B. angry           C. worried          D. doubtful

16.A. about           B. to             C. at               D. across

17.A. young ladies  B. new customers   C. loving parents     D. small boys

18.A. figure          B. actor           C. man            D. doll

19.A. on time        B. at once          C. just now         D. once again

20.A. policeman       B. spaceman        C. caveman       D. postman

This year I decided to do something to regain my good name as a kindly uncle. My  36   Tony,had never forgiven me for the dictionary I had bought him as a birthday present last year. His 37  had no reason to be thankful to me either,because the year before, I had   38  their dear son with a pot of paste(浆糊) and some funny pictures. Instead of   39   them into a book, Tony had naturally covered every wall in the house with them. This year,   40 , I decided to let him  41  for himself.
We went into a big shop,but Tony was very particular about   42  . Although I tried to show him toy after toy,he was not to be   43 . Then I saw he suddenly became  44 ; he had discovered something he really liked: a large tin dram. I was quite happy too   45    I thought what Tony’s mother would say when she saw it. Nobody would get any    46   for weeks! I led Tony away   47 , saying that the dram was too expensive.
Tony asked for permission to go off    48    and I made the most of my chance to sit down end    49   my aching feet. Fifteen minutes passed but there was still no sign of Tony. I began to get   50   and got up to look for him. I asked a young lady if she had seen a little boy in a grey suit. She looked    51   her helplessly and pointed out that there were so many   52
in grey suits. I was just going to call the police for help,when I saw a strange   53  dressed in strange orange clothes. He was wearing a false beard and had a caveman’s axe(斧子)in one hand,and a space gun in the other. It was, of course,Tony, who informed me  54   that he was the first   55  to fly into space.