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和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A
The American tradition of Thanksgiving dates back to colonial times, to the Pilgrims(清教徒) of Plymouth rock Colony. To escape religious persecution(迫害) in England, the Pilgrims journeyed to the New World on their ship, the Mayflower. After a long journey, they finally arrived at Plymouth Rock in autumn of 1620. They could not finish building the settlement before winter, so many froze to death. They ate most of their food on the journey over, so many also starved. However, the Pilgrims met a Native American named Tisquantum, or Squanto as he was better known, who taught them how to plant corn and catch eel(鳗鱼). By the same time next year, the Pilgrims had built a steady settlement, and had a bountiful harvest. To thank the Native Americans for their help and to celebrate the harvest, the Pilgrims held a grand banquet(盛宴). Together, they feasted on corn, yams, fish, and most importantly: roast turkey, which became the highlight of the modern Thanksgiving feast.
Schools always make a big deal about Thanksgiving, because they feel that it teaches children how to be thankful and to treat others with kindness. I spent the many years of elementary school making paper turkeys, fake cornucopias(a shell filled with food, a symbol of the holiday), and writing lists of what I’m thankful for. When I grew older, I watched movies and read books about the First Thanksgiving, and completed crossword puzzles and word searches filled with holiday themed words. While the idea for Thanksgiving is great, and it is a wonderful opportunity to instill certain values in children, I don’t think we should name a special holiday for being thankful. We should be thankful for what we have every day, not just Thanksgiving.

56. What’s the main reason for the English Pilgrims to leave their home country?
  A. Political ideas.  B. Religious beliefs. C. Hard life.  D. Hopes for fortune.
57. What threatened the Pilgrims most when they first arrived the new world?
  A. Cold and starvation. B. Wild animals.  C. Local people. D. Sickness.
58. Why did the Pilgrims hold a banquet one year after their arrival in the new world?
  A. To memorize their family members left in England.
  B. To celebrate their survival from religious persecution.
  C. To thank the Native Americans for their help.
  D. To celebrate the new state they’ve set up.
59. For Thanksgiving, all the activities are normally done EXCEPT _____.
  A. enjoying a big meal     B. making paper turkeys 
  C. doing crossword puzzles     D. sing Christmas songs
60. The passage was written to show the writer’s attitude of being _____.
  A. knowledgeable  B. responsible  C. energetic D. thankful

B
Have you ever been to the world’s smallest bookstore?
The World’s Smallest Bookstore, whose official name is just these three words, sits quietly about 100 miles northeast of Toronto.
The bookstore is about 10 feet by 10 feet, so it is easy to imagine how tiny it really is. The bookstore is open 24 hours a day. Inside the bookstore are various books, especially literary books and classic authors’ works. So if you are looking for something less popular, you may get a bit disappointed there.
Another special feature of this bookstore is that each book only costs three dollars. All the expenses are paid on the honor system, which means buyers should make a note of what they’ve bought and leave their money by themselves. So the tools of the trade in this bookstore are quite simple: pens, papers, light bulbs and a label-maker.
In order to catch passers-by’s attention, the billboards(广告牌) of the bookstore are several times bigger than the store itself. With these large eye-catchers, many people are willing to stop by and have a visit.

61. What’s the passage mainly about?
  A. The world’s smallest bookstore.   B. A strange way of selling books.
  C. The popular books nowadays.   D. The popular bookstores in the world.
62. When can you buy a book in the store?
  A. In the morning.    B. In the afternoon.
  C. At night.     D. At any time of the day
63. Which of the following books might you most probably get in the store?
  A. Books on popular science.   B. Literary books.
  C. The year book of a university.   D. Books on economic control.
64. How could you buy a book from the store?
  A. The salesman will help you find the book. 
B. The salesman will get the money for the book.
  C. Choose the book(s) and leave the money there.
  D. Pay on the net and then get the book(s) in the store.
65. How does the store attract readers’ attention?
  A. By putting up a huge billboard.   B. By making ads on TV.
  C. By broadcasting loud music.   D. By handing our ads in the street.