A
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 twofoottall 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 twentyfive.
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 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, 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 underlined words “talk of the town” means__________.
A.it was in the newspaper
B.it was the most popular topic
C.people spread bad rumors about it
D.it was discussed in a city meeting
( )2.What does the author think about Tom's wedding?
A.Tom and Lavinia were stupid.
B.People gave it too much of their attention.
C.It was funny and ridiculous.
D.It helped people cheer up in a dark time.
( )3.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.
【语篇解读】本文主要介绍了著名的侏儒演员Charles Stratton的故事,尤其是他的婚礼给当时处于内战中的美国人民带来了很多快乐。
1.B 词义理解题。根据下面两句“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.”可知,他们的婚礼有很多名人参加,也引起了轰动。说明the talk of the town 意为“最流行的话题”。故B正确。
2.D 推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句“Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war.”可知,他们的婚礼在美国内战中举行,同时也由于他们婚礼的特殊性,这给当时处于黑暗中的人们带来了快乐。故D正确。
3.C 主旨大意题。作者在本文中讲述了著名的侏儒症患者Charles Stratton的成名以及他结婚的庆典成为当时美国人谈论的话题,并给当时的人们带来了很多的快乐。说明娱乐在很多情况下也会给人们的生活带来很大的作用。故C正确。