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 a 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 schoolteacher. 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 2000 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, communities throughout the country sponsored(发起) “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 bad rumors about it

C. it was the most popular happenings

D. it was discussed in a city meeting

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

A. It helped people cheer up in a dark time.

B. People gave it too much of their attention.

C. It was funny and ridiculous.

D. Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3.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 dancing

B. it made Tom look 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

4.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.

Apparently，we are safe neither at home nor in the business office．We use water in both places，but the research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects．These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house．They are released from water by daily actions like water running out of tap，spraying from garden pipes，or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines．As the water is moving．these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health.

    Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists, but we should put all pollution into perspective. Activities at home such as the burning of coal, cooking oil, or even candles release carbon monoxide and particulates such as cigarette ashes which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near heavy traffic. New tugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that“new smell, ”which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation (通风), these chemicals can build up to become health problems. Their poisonous effects are only now being slowly recognized.

    These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise warning. Home and office windows should be opened during good weather. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well while in the garage.

    We need further research to understand better other potential health dangers, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build-up ), the factory work environment ( an endless list of potentially dangerous substances ), and even home heating and cooling (the air conditioner may be our enemies, not our friends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that“there is no place like home.”

1.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

    A．The air we breathe in is harmful.

    B．The water in everyday use is unsafe.

    C．Chemicals are added to the drinking water.

    D．Chemicals are released in the running water.

2.In Paragraph 2, the underlined sentence means that       .

    A．bathing should be done with caution

    B．homes and offices should be aired often

    C．any pollution should be taken into consideration

    D．we should prevent any pollution from doing harm to us

3.What is the purpose of the passage?

    A．To call on us to guard our water.

    B．To show us that no place is like home.

    C．To make us aware of the pollution around us.

    D．To argue that neither homes nor offices are safe.

THIS was the year the Earth struck back.

Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, snow storms, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter of a million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.

"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.

And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.

Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird（古怪的） year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.

Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable（脆弱的） buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.

Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes "are pretty much constant," said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. "All the change that's made is man-made."

The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people - many of them living in poverty - and more poorly built shanties than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010, total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.

In February, an earthquake that was more than 500 times stronger than the one that struck Haiti hit an area of Chile that was less populated, better constructed, and not as poor. Chile's bigger quake caused fewer than 1,000 deaths.

Climate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.

In the summer, one weather system caused oppressive heat in Russia, while farther south it caused flooding in Pakistan that inundated 161,200 square kilometers, about the size of Wisconsin. That single heat-and-storm system killed almost 17,000 people, more people than all the worldwide airplane crashes in the past 15 years.

Scientists have calculated that the killer Russian heat wave—setting a national record of 43.9℃—would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.

1.What is responsible for the most human deaths in 2010?

A．Natrual disasters.                        B．Terrorist attacks.

    C．Poor buildings.                      D．Too rapid developrnent.

2.According to Andreas Schraft,             .

A．earthquakes are happening more often because of human beings

B．earthquakes are causing more damage because of human beings

C．stronger houses should be built to limit storm damage

D．Port—au—Prince is now overpopulated

3.The main point of the article is to            .

A．list the natural disasters that occurred in 2010

B．give the details of some natural disasters of 2010

C．warn that more natural disasters are to strike

D．blame humanity for not helping those affected by the disasters

Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask．But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history．Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history．

    The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past．I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures．However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history". Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this．

    A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context．We can’t even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less （更不必说） try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be．

    I teach my children history, for one more reason．I purchased a set of historical audio （录音机） tapes for our children．My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over．It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself．I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr．if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished．I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for．

1.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?

    A．Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past．

    B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes．

    C．Many people feel it hard to understand history．

    D．Many people have no interest in studying history．

2.In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________．

    A．It makes the current political situation go smoothly

    B．It helps us realize the importance of historical events

    C．It helps us understand why things are the way they are

    D．It helps people accept the present situation where they live

3.Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________．

    A．People can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil

    B．People may also learn from bad historical figures

    C．More celebrations should be held to honor their achievements

    D．Today’s people can also achieve what they achieved

4.What would be talked about in the following paragraph?

    A．How to teach history effectively．

    B．Some negative reasons for studying history．

    C．How to get more people to study history．

    D．Some bad historical figures．

5.The main purpose of this passage is to ____________．

    A．inspire the parents to teach their children history

    B．show the importance of history in politics

    C．explain the reasons why children study history

    D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal – or at least many parts of it have.  1. . Ideas about social class – whether a person is “working - class” or “middle - class” – are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.

　　In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander（挥霍） the rest on beer and betting.

　　The old style of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was-and still is-inclined (有意) to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as a most important thing, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important.   2.   . Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity （or the education and training） to make such long-term plans.

　　 3.  . In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much as their middle – class supervisors (管理者). Improved social security and laws have made it less necessary than before to worry about "tomorrow". Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority(自卑感). In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.

       4.   .They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations.  5.   . As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups.

    A. Nowadays, a great deal has changed

    B. Both of these provided him and his family with security

    C. As a result, differences in life – styles and attitudes came into existence

    D. However, we still have a wide gap between the well – paid and the low - paid

    E. In recent years, the working – class people have begun to design long – term plans

    F. In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned

    G. The changes in both life–styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Edison was a great scientist or inventor. As may not be known to many people, born in a

peasant families, he received few school education. He started to go to school at age of eight

and remain at school for only three months. It’s said that he always asked some strange

questions which his teachers couldn’t answer them. In fact, he was a man full with

imagination. He made over 2,000 inventions in his life, covered many fields, such as the

electric lamp, film, etc. He made an important contribution for the whole world, the social

develop and the progress of human beings.

2013年全运会将在我们辽宁召开，某英文报纸对辽宁群众体育现状进行了调查，请根据下列图表和所给提示，用英语写一篇报道，向该报投稿，并表明你对此现状产生原因的看法。为使行文连贯，可做适当发挥。

参加体育活动的人口比例：

（a）不懂锻炼方法者   （b）场地远、不方便   

（c）缺少场地设施     （d）缺少时间

Recently we made a survey of the people on physical training._______________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Many teenagers feel _______, as if no one _______ them and the changes they are going _______. Day by day, everything seems different, yet the same.

2. Many boys become _______ — they want to find their own limits and the limits of the world around them, but may not have the _______ to make good choices in their _______.

3. The truth is, diet and _______ of life are often a problem for teenagers. However, the good news is that you can _______ better, look better and have more energy if you eat the _______ food and exercise _______.

1.George didn’t find it difficult at all, but it was really a c____task for me.

2. In modern times, people should pay attention to their psychological health as well as their p_______ health.

3. To e______ enough money to support a large family, Thomas had to work really hard.

4. Every Monday morning, we a_______ a school assembly on the school field.

5. On a_______, 90,000 people are killed in traffic accidents in China every year.

6. The company gave him a large sum of money in ____ (作为交换) for the information he provided.

7.The most likely ____ (解释) for his success is that he works harder than anyone else.

8. To her ____ (满意), her son spoke English fluently after spending two years in the US.

9. Lisa made Tom’s secret known to all, which made him _____ (尴尬的) in public.

10. The _______(教授), for whom students show great respect, teach his students not only what to learn but also how to learn.

1. Great changes _______(take) place in our country in the past thirty years.

2. Peter prefers to stay at home watching TV rather than _______(go) there alone.

3. Now that the headmaster _______(approve) the plan, we can carry it out now.

4. In some countries, missing a bus means _______(wait) for another half an hour.

5. _______(chat) on line took him a lot of time, which led to his failure in the exam.

6. The law requires that everyone _______(have) his car checked at least once a year. 

7. _______(achieve) success, you should concentrate on what you are doing.

8. It’s a pity that I missed _______(see) the film which was on at the cinema last week.  

9. When I entered, the teacher, along with her lovely students, _______(dance) to the music.

10. Susan couldn’t tolerate _______(work) for twelve hours a day and decided to change her job.