The child of today owes much of its pleasant school life to the work of Maria Montessori and others who felt as she did.

　Maria Montessori was born in 1870 in northern Italy. Both her parents were well educated.

　While Maria was a student, she took great interest in the study of the particular nature of the child's mind. It came to her that small children should have freedom(自由) to learn.

　Maria became a doctor and a professor at Rome University. In 1907, after working with backward students, she was given a chance to try out her ideas on children. There were sixty children, aged three to six, in the Children's House. The rooms were bright and colorful. Maria let the children make their own choice of what they wanted to do and work with their own speed. They became busy, peaceful and happy.

　　Maria Montessori was one of the world's great teachers. She traveled in Europe, America and Far East. She thought that true education, providing(提供) for the real needs of the child, would produce wise and happy grown-ups and therefore a peaceful world. Her original way of education has changed our whole idea of what childhood is.

　　Maria Montessori died in Holland at the age of eighty-two.

45. The short passage is mainly about .

　　A. the education of backward students

　　B. a new idea of education

　　C. the importance of proper education

　　D. the life of Maria Montessori

46. Maria traveled a lot in the world to .

　　A. teach the backward students

　　B. enjoy her life in real nature

　　C. spread her ideas of teaching

　　D. study the situation of education

47. In what way did Maria teach the children in the Children's House?

　　A. She taught them the best way of learning well.

　　B. She let them learn in a very pleasant way.

　　C. She taught them by showing them how to do things.

　　D. She just let them choose the most interesting subjects.

48. We learn from the passage that ________.

　　A. Maria left her homeland in order to study abroad

　　B. Maria didn't get married

　　C. Maria's own parents were her teachers

　　D. Maria fully understood the child's mind

49. Which of the following best explains why Maria was one of the world's great teachers?

　　A. She created a new way in teaching, which changed the old idea of children's education.

　　B. She taught the backward students very successfully and produced a peaceful world.

　　C. She showed great love for the children and trained them in a new way.

　　D. She taught backward students in many different countries and let them learn freely.

The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.

　　Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.

　　Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.

　　It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chins. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.

　　Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.

According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.

　　A. his special tricks and supernatural power　 B. his unusual ability and a skeleton key

　　C. his magic tricks and supernatural powers     D. his wisdom and magic tricks

In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.

　　A. his first prison escape        B. the year 1898

　　C. the publicity               D. Harry Houdini’s success

It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.

　　A. in 1894                   B. before he married

　　C. at the age of 17             D. when he was about 24

Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

　　A. A Skeleton Key             B. A Man of Many Secrets

　　C. World-wild Fame            D. Great Escape

阅读理解

  By the early 19th century the factory system had spread to the U.S. The first cotton factory was built in 1814, and by 1850 some 24 percent of workers were women. They produced clothing, shoes, cigars, and other things. In the Northeast, newly-arrived women with little education became the factory force. In the South, black women moved into factory and domestic（家庭的）jobs, first as slaves and later as free workers.

　　By 1890 nearly 4 million women in the U.S. worked for pay. This represented（代表）18 percent of the female population aged 14 and 17 percent of the total work force. Half the female workers were under 25 years of age, and seven out of ten were single. Most of them worked in domestic service, teaching positions, and textile（纺织的）factories; only about 5 percent were secretaries, clerks, or salespersons.

　　Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the number of women joining the paid labour force in the U.S. Today, almost 54 percent of all women of working age are employed. Over 50 percent of working women are married, and 60 percent of working wives have school--aged children.

（1）By 1850 about _______ percent of workers were men.

[　　]

（2）By 1890 ________ of working women were married.

[　　]

（3）Today less than ________ percent of female workers are single.

[　　]

（4）More and more women in the U.S. have worked for pay _______ .

[　　]

A．by 1850

B．by 1890

C．by the early 19th century

D．in the recent years

（5）According to the passage, which of the following sentences is NOT true?

[　　]

A. Today three fifths of working wives have school--aged children.

B. By 1890, 17 percent of the total work force in the U.S. worked for pay.

C. The first textile factory was built in 1814.

D. Black women in the South of the U.S. first worked as slaves.

He _______ Alice for ten years.

A. married to　　　　           B. has married to

C. has married　　　            D. has been married to

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.