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  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 (慶典) 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(淺談), 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(謠言) 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(荒謬可笑的).

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.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:設(shè)計(jì)必修一英語(yǔ)北師版 北師版 題型:050

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How Long Can People Live?

  She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.

  Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder.She lived to the ripe old age of 122.So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(壽命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150-or beyond?

  Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers.“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.

  Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees.“People can live much longer than we think,”he says.“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110.When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120.So why can’t we go higher?”

  The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing.“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan.“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine.”

  Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120.Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most.So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120.”

  So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有彈性的),but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington.“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says.“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years.”

  “Of course, if you became a new species(物種),one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds.

  Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(進(jìn)化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile.

(1)

What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?

[  ]

A.

People can live to 122.

B.

Old people are creative.

C.

Women are sporty at 85.

D.

Women live longer than men.

(2)

According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________.

[  ]

A.

the average human life span could be 110

B.

scientists cannot find ways to slow aging

C.

few people can expect to live to over 150

D.

researchers are not sure how long people can live

(3)

Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?

[  ]

A.

Jerry Shay.

B.

Steve Austad

C.

Rich Miller

D.

George Martin

(4)

What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?

[  ]

A.

Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.

B.

The average human life span cannot be doubled.

C.

Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.

D.

New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species.

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