C

Long long ago, there lived two girls named Emily and Tina. Both of them had long black hair and blue eyes. One day while they were playing in the back yard (庭院), Emily heard a tinkling (叮当) sound. She jumped up. “Listen,” she told her twin. They listened. The noise came again.

This time Tina heard it. She sat up. “It came from over there,” She whispered, looking at the zinnias (鱼尾菊) far away. They came near to find it out. Then something flew out, making the same tinkling sound they had heard before. The children looked at one another. “Was it a bee?” asked Tina. “I don’t think so,” replied Emily. “Do bees make a sound like bells?” “Let’s call it the Tinkle Bee anyway,” said Tina. Emily nodded, listening with a little difficulty. What had made that noise?

The next day, Emily and Tina brought their cookies outside. Tina took her plate by the zinnias. Suddenly she caught something. “Emily!” she called. “I’ve got the Tinkle Bee!” Emily rushed over. They sat down on the grass. Tina opened her hand very carefully. There was that sound! Something was shining in Tina’s hand. They smiled. Then Emily cried, “It’s a fairy (仙女)!” Tina looked down at it in her hand. It looked like a girl. A tiny girl with wings! Tina dropped it before she noticed that a wing was torn (撕裂). The little fairy could not fly away so she took a piece of grass out of the ground and sat on it.

Emily and Tina were surprised at what they saw. The fairy turned to Emily and said, “Hello, I am Marabella.” Then she said again, “Marabella the Fairy.” Emily smiled. “I’m Emily,” she said. Tina said, “I’m Tina. Are you really a fairy?” “Oh, yes!” replied Marabella. “I’ve always been a fairy.”

50. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “tiny” in this passage?

A. Weak.             B. Nice.             C. Little.            D. Sick.

51. How did the sound come out?

A. A bee behind the zinnias made the sound.     B. It came out from the fairy’s flying.

C. It came out when the fairy shouted for help.   D. The bell by the zinnias rang.

52. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. Emily and Tina found a tinkling sound when they were playing in the yard.

B. Emily and Tina were very interested in the tinkling sound.

C. How a fairy by the zinnias was saved by the twins.

D. The process of Emily and Tina’s finding a fairy.

D

New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The New York police have 170 horses working in certain parts of the city. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them. Because the horses must walk on the streets, they need special horseshoes. In fact, they need more than 8,000 of them each year. Every police horse in New York gets new shoes every month. Keeping these shoes in good repair is the job of six blacksmiths(铁匠). There are only about thirty-five of these blacksmiths in the whole United States. The cost of shoeing a horse is between twenty dollars and thirty-five dollars, and it takes a good blacksmith two or three hours to do the job.

A blacksmith’s job is not an easy one. He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot. The blacksmith must bend over all the time when he is fitting the shoe and must hold the weight of the horse’s leg while he works. Clearly, a blacksmith must be very storng. But even more important, he must be able to deal with horses---for before the blacksmith can begin his work, he has to get the horse to lift its leg.

One of the blacksmiths in New York is James Corbin. He came to the country from Ireland in 1948. He not only makes horseshoes for the police but also works for a group of horse owners near the city. Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”

53. According to the reading passage, a blacksmith must be likely a ________________ man.

A. clever    B. rich    C. strong    D. lucky

54. James Corbin became a blacksmith because he ________________.

A. was interested in horses

B. was needed by the policemen

C. drew a picture of the horseshoe

D. had to make a living

55. In the reading passage “to shape a shoe” is to ________________.

A. fit it on the horse’s foot

B. use it for two or three hours

C. make the form of a horseshoe from a piece of metal

D. draw a picture of the shoe

56. The best title for the passage is “________________”.

A. Policemen on Horseback

B. Blacksmiths and Horseshoeing

C. James Corbin, a Blacksmith

D. Horseshoeing is a Good Way to Make a Living

57. Which of the following is true?

A. Only a few large American cities have some policemen on horseback.

B. New York is the only city in America to have some policemen on horseback.

C. Policemen on horseback enjoy travelling around the United States.

D. Policemen on horseback are less expensive than those in cars.