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 _________ .
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A．they were in the newspaper |
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B．people spread mean rumors about them |
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C．they were the most popular things happening |
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D．they were discussed in a city meeting |
2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?
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A．People gave it too much of their attention. |
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B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time. |
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C．It was funny and ridiculous. |
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D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid. |
3.Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?
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A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five. |
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B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age. |
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C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon. |
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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 ________ .
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A．the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom were tap dancing |
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B．it made Tom feel taller |
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C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted |
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D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller |
5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
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A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine. |
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B．People are always disappointed during wartime. |
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C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose. |
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D．People should be married even if they are small. |
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡上标号为31-40的相应位置。
Doctors urge more playtime for children
The American Academy of Pediatrics (儿科) says 1. children really need for health development is more good, old-fashioned playtime.
Many parents load their 2. (child) schedules with get-smart videos, enrichment activities and lots of classes in a drive to help 3. do better. The efforts often begin as early as babyhood. Free play is neglected in the shuffle, a new academy report says.
Numerous studies have shown that free play is very 4. (benefit). It can help children become creative, develop problem-solving skills, relate to others and adjust to school settings, 5. academy report says.
“Perhaps above all, play is something 6. is a cherished part of childhood,” says another report, 7. (prepare) by two academy committees for release Monday 8. the group's annual meeting in Atlanta.
It adds that enrichment tools and organized activities can be helpful, 9. should not 10. (view) as a requirement for creating successful children. They must be balanced with plenty of free playtime.
读写任务（共 1小题；满分 25分）
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇 150词左右的英语短文。
A grand memorial service was held Wednesday, October 28, 2009 in central Hubei province to honor three college students who died rescuing two children from the Yangtze Rive on October 24．Thousands of people holding chrysanthemum（菊花）flowers went to the Jingzhou Memorial House to see off the teenagers, all 19‐year‐old students from the Yangtze university based in Jingzhou City．
The three were Chen Jishi, He Dongxu and Fang Zhao． More than 10 students from the Yangtze University formed a ladder with one student holding another’s arms to rescue the two boys in the river on the afternoon of October 24． One of the student lost his grip（控制） on his classmates and all of them were in danger．Several members of a winter swimming team nearby came to help．Chen Jishi, He Dongxu and Fang Zhao were swept away in the river, but others were saved．People touched by their selfless act had donated more than 500,000 yuan to their relatives on Wednesday．Millions of Internet users made online comments to show their grief（悲伤）．
“I am also a college student． I feel sorrow for you,” said “Liu Zhuoya” from northwestern Xi’an
City．However, some questioned the sacrifice． “rifice three and rescue two, is that worthwhile?” asked “Tiaozhantianya” on the forum of www． 163． com． “Rescue can not be blind as they could not swim．”
【写作内容 】
1．以约 30个词概括短文的要点。
2．以约 120个词就“救人是否要考虑自身安全”这个主题发表你的看法，至少包括以下要点：
1）当别人有难时，你是否会马上伸出援手？为什么？
2）救人时你是否会考虑自身的安全？
3）假如你当时在场，你会怎样做？
【写作要求】
1．你可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的观点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
基础写作（共 1题；满分 15分）
请用英语写一篇短文介绍广东的气候，内容包括：
1．相对北方而言，广东的气候冬不寒夏不热，春秋连在一起，适宜居住。
2．全年温暖湿润，冬天最低温度为 7摄氏度，最冷的 1—2月份平均气温也有 14摄氏度。
3．夏天最高温度只有 36摄氏度，最热的 6—8月份月平均温度才 28摄氏度。
4．每年的5月到10月是雨季。
5．但是，随着大气层二氧化碳的增多以及环境污染的日趋严重，跟全球一样，广东也时不时受极端天气的影响。
【写作要求】只能使用 5个句子表达全部的内容。
【评分标准】 句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。
阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。若选择E，请涂AB；若选择F，请涂CD。
首先请阅读下列GPS的信息：
A．TomTom One 125-GPS Receiver
The TomTom One 125 isn’t the newest or flashiest portable navigation device on the market, but that’s OK. Not everyone needs the latest or greatest. What the One 125 offers is a solid, entry-level GPS for first time buyers or for those looking for the most basic navigation function.
Price: $98.00---$179.99
B. Garmin Nuvi 880
As we’ve come to expect from the Nuvi line, the Garmin Nuvi 880 offers an impressive feature list and solid performance, but it’s the accurate speech recognition that really pushes the Nuvi 880 over the gdge and makes it one of the best GPS we’ve tested to date.
Price :$599.95
C. NA1/4vi 200-270
Tis affordable entry-level personal travel assistant comes with preloaded maps for the continental U. S. Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. For even more mapping options, NA1/vi 250 features preloaded maps for all of North America, while the transatiantic NA1/4vi 270 includes preloaded maps for both continents. Like all nuvi 200-series members, the 200 features an easy-to-use colorful touchscreen and ultra-slim design---perfect for everyday navigation.
Price: $499.00
D. Magellan Maestro 4370
Despite a couple of minor performance issues, the Magellan Maestro 4370 offers convenience through its new OneTouch interface, providing you with quick one-click access to your preferred destinations. The GPS also delivers with features and accurate directions.
Price: $480.00
E. Navigon 7200T
The Navigon 7200T offers an attractive design and plenty of features, including voice address entry, 3D landmark renderings, text‐to‐speech functionality, and integrated Bluetooth．The user interface and maps still aren’t as clean as a Garmin or a TomTom, but performance has improved and address entry by voice can be quite accurate with some training．
Price: $ 149．99—$ 339．95
F．Mio C520 Navigation Receiver
The sleek Mio C520 is a good‐value GPS devise, packing in advanced navigation features, a large screen, and other extras for an affordable price．It is even sleek enough that we’d use it as a video player．Our only complaint is that we think you can get a slightly better experience and smoother performance from competing systems．
Price: $ 349．99
以下是车主的购买意向。请把车主与其想购买的 GPS匹配起来。
1.Fighting in the commercial circle and getting a great success, Malcolm makes a fortune and buys a luxury car, a land‐based rocket ship which we’d seen only in our dreams, to develop an even brighter future．With the car equipped with computers and video screens, he still wants a super audio‐GPS with high accuracy．
2.Russel is a farmer in a mountainous area who grows hundreds of acres of crops．To transport his goods town timely, he buys a Maserati which runs very fast and first of all, meets the natural conditions．Though the car is of style quality and high technology, he prefers his Maserati to be operated more easily–one click is enough for GPS, creating most advanced road cars in the world．
3.Desmond is a young athlete．Having won a champion in an important international game, he buys a car equipped with the first four‐cam 32‐valve V8 engine offered in a sport‐utility vehicle．Of course, the car is extremely fast and is especially fit for him, but he wants a GPS that brings him not only convenience but also amusement．
4.Carls has just been admitted to a famous university hundreds of kilometers away from her hometown and has bought a car provided by an advanced‐design Triton engine, with a perfect cooling system, and plenty of pulling power．As a new driver, the young girl student certainly needs a GPS which costs not too much．
5.Warren is a businessman traveling to different parts of America in any weather situation．He has a new Lincoln Aviator, 302‐hp best‐in‐class V8, 3rd‐row seating, and available climate controlled front seats． He needs a satisfactory GPS to make his business better．
People want action on noise, a recent public meeting in Brisbane showed. Some want technical improvements such as quieter air conditioners or better sound barriers around major roads. Others want tougher laws to restrict noise from building sites or to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs. But the highest priority was a noise complaints system that works.
Brisbane City Council receives more complaints about noise than all other problems put together. So it conducted a survey and found that about half its residents are upset by noise in one form or another –traffic, mowers, pool pumps, air conditioners or loud parties. This inspired the Council to bring together more than 100 citizens one evening to talk through a range of options.
The meeting found the present regulatory system bizarre. Depending on the problem, responsibility for noise can lie with the Council, the Environment Protection Authority, one of three government departments or even the police. So complainants often feel they are getting the run-round. When the people at the forum were asked to vote for changes, the strongest response was for a 24-hour noise hotline to be the first port of call for all complaints.
The forum also favored regulatory measures, such as tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances like air conditioners. This even makes economic sense, as noise is a waste of energy and money. Other measures the meeting supported were wider buffer (缓冲) zones around noisy activities and controls to keep heavy traffic away from residential areas.
But there are obvious conflicts. Many people like to have a bar within walking distance if they feel like a drink, but they don’t want a noisy pub keeping them awake when they want an early night. Most people want to live near a major road providing good access to other parts of the city, but they don't’ want the problem of road noise.
I was most interested by the proposals aimed at behavioral change. There was strong support for measures to reduce traffic: better public transport, cycle ways and footpaths, even charges for road use. Many people optimistically thought industry awards for better equipment would stimulate the production of quieter appliances. It was even suggested that noise from building sites could be alleviated (减轻) if Brisbane adopted daylight saving, thus shifting the working day and providing longer, quieter evenings.
1.According to the recent public meeting in Brisbane, what was the first step to take in order to reduce noise pollution?
A．Produce quieter air conditioners.
B．Provide better sound barriers around major roads.
C．Establish a noise complaints system.
D．Make stricter laws to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A．the Brisbane residents were satisfied with the present noise regulatory system
B．many people in Brisbane preferred to live near a pub to which they have easy access
C．nearly all the inhabitants in Brisbane were bothered by noise in one form or another
D．noise pollution is the most serious among pollution complaints in Brisbane
3.Brisbane City Council brought together citizens to talk through solutions to the noise problem mainly due to .
A．the result of the survey carried out by itself
B．a noise complaints system that works
C．people asking for tougher laws on noise
D．requirements of an effective noise complaints system
4.What does the word “run-round” (Para. 3) mean?
A．Unfair treatment.
B．Quick response.
C．Delaying action in response to a request.
D．Full attention.
5.How could noise from building sites be alleviated if Brisbane adopted daylight saving?
A．If daylight saving was adopted, the daytime would be prolonged and the night would become quieter.
B．If daylight saving was adopted, the working hours during the daytime would be shortened
while the night would be extended and thus quieter.
C．If daylight saving was adopted, the night would be shortened and thus quieter.
D．If daylight saving was adopted, both the daytime and the night would be shortened and the
noise would be reduced.
