He is very shy. He can’t stand ____________.

   A. laughing at   B. being laughed at   C. being laughed   D. to be laughed

The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life. I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid. It was Carlos. “My God, you’re tall,” he said. Of course, the class began to laugh. Angry, I walked to my seat without a word.

I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest. That would be the last straw. But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else. I didn’t know why I considered Reed my friend. Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I. Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington.

“Take that seat,” Mr. McCarthy told the cocky newcomer Carlos, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room. Carlos grinned, “But I need a couple of dictionaries.” Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him. He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side.

The bell rang for classes. As I stood up to go I saw Carlos coming toward me. “I’m sorry I  embarrassed you,” he said. I look straight ahead over the top of his black hair. “That’s all right.” “I ought to know better.” He was still blocking my way. “What’s your name?” “Karen Forbes.” “You probably heard me say; I’m Carlos Herrear.” He held out his hand. Unwillingly, I shook hands with him. He looked up at me seriously with his brown eyes. “I don’t see why you’re so touchy.” I brushed by him and said sharply, “You wouldn’t understand.” He followed me a few steps. “I’m just the one who should, Karen,” he said. “You and I have a lot in common.”

It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice-president. “How come?” I kept asking myself, “How come this shrimp who’s only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?”

So on that morning, I stopped Carlos and said, “It doesn’t seem to bother you—being short.” He looked up at me. “Of course I mind being short. But there isn’t anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself.” “You seem to get along great,” I admitted. “But what about me? Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is.” “The trouble with you is you’re afraid to be yourself. You’re smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty.” I felt myself turning red...

56. It is a story about a short boy who ________.

A. won the school election            B. is ashamed of his height

C. has learned to accept his size        D. is embarrassed by his class

57. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A. The author cared much about Reed’s attitude.

B. The author was relieved to find Reed focused on his studies

C. The author thought Reed was the same as the others.

D. The author couldn’t stand Carlos playing tricks on her.

58. What does the underlined word “touchy” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A. Moved.         B. Cheerful.       C. Curious.          D. Annoyed.

59. From the text, we can see Carlos is _________.

A. handsome and proud            B. humorous and confident

C. diligent but shy                  D. honest but sensitive

60. According to the text, which is the most likely ending of the story?

A. Reed and Carlos became very good friends.

B. Carlos and the author argued with each other.

C. The author changed her attitude to Carlos.

D. Carlos was elected president of the student committee.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分；满分40分）

       阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。

A

       The first time I saw Carlos, I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid．It was Carlos．

       "My, you're tall," he exclaimed． Of course, the class began to laugh．Annoyed, I walked to my seat without a word．

       I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest．That would be the last straw．To my relief．Reed was studying and did not seem to be aware of it．I didn't know why I considered Reed my friend．Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I．

       "Take that seat," Mr．McCarthy told the newcomer, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room．

       Carlos smiled broadly．"But I need a couple of dictionaries．" Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him．He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side．

       It was the school election that made me think of Carlos again．Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice-president．"How come?" I kept asking myself．"How come this shrimp （虾） who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?"

       So when I met Carlos this morning, I said to him, "It doesn't seem to bother you — being short, I mean．" He looked up at me．"Of course I mind being short．But there isn't anything I can do about it．When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I decided to make the best of it．My motto is — don't be afraid to be yourself．"

56．This passage is mainly about a short boy who ____________．

       A．won the school election        B．is ashamed of his height

       C．has learned to accept his size   D．is embarrassed by the class

57．From the story, we can see that Carlos is ________．

       A．shy but diligent     B．humorous and confident                                  

       C．proud and popular         D．honest but sensitive

58．Paragraph 4 suggests that the author ______．

       A．cared much about Reed's attitude

       B．thought Reed was the same as the others

       C．couldn't stand Carlos playing tricks on her 

      D．hoped Reed was laughing with the others

59．According to the passage, what happened after the election?

       A．Carlos and the author argued with each other．                                 

       B．Carlos and Reed became very good friends．                            

       C．The author changed her attitude toward Carlos．                                     

       D．Carlos was elected president of the student committee．

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分；满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。
A
The first time I saw Carlos, I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid．It was Carlos．
"My, you're tall," he exclaimed． Of course, the class began to laugh．Annoyed, I walked to my seat without a word．
I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest．That would be the last straw．To my relief．Reed was studying and did not seem to be aware of it．I didn't know why I considered Reed my friend．Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I．
"Take that seat," Mr．McCarthy told the newcomer, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room．
Carlos smiled broadly．"But I need a couple of dictionaries．" Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him．He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side．
It was the school election that made me think of Carlos again．Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice-president．"How come?" I kept asking myself．"How come this shrimp （虾） who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?"
So when I met Carlos this morning, I said to him, "It doesn't seem to bother you — being short, I mean．" He looked up at me．"Of course I mind being short．But there isn't anything I can do about it．When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I decided to make the best of it．My motto is — don't be afraid to be yourself．"
56．This passage is mainly about a short boy who ____________．
A．won the school election       B．is ashamed of his height
C．has learned to accept his size   D．is embarrassed by the class
57．From the story, we can see that Carlos is ________．
A．shy but diligent    B．humorous and confident                                  
C．proud and popular        D．honest but sensitive
58．Paragraph 4 suggests that the author ______．
A．cared much about Reed's attitude
B．thought Reed was the same as the others
C．couldn't stand Carlos playing tricks on her 
D．hoped Reed was laughing with the others
59．According to the passage, what happened after the election?
A．Carlos and the author argued with each other．                                 
B．Carlos and Reed became very good friends．                            
C．The author changed her attitude toward Carlos．                                     
D．Carlos was elected president of the student committee．