B 
People all over the world write to Big Ben. They even send birthday presents. Big Ben is not a person. It’s a clock.  Big Ben is the great clock hanging up in a tower of the parliament building. The people of London like to see Big Ben’s four friendly faces. They like to hear the bell striking (敲)on the hour. Bong! Bong! Bong! 
 Big Ben’s story started in 1834. In that year the old parliament building was burned down. Its clock tower fell to the ground. There had to be a new building and a new clock.  Plans were made. They called  for a “King of Clock, the biggest and the best in the world”. So the clock had to be big. And it had to keep very good time.  In two years the big clock was made. Five more years went by before the clock tower was last finished. Then the four bells for the chimes (鸣响) were brought into the tower. And at last the big hour bell was put in place. It rang out for the first time on July 11, 1859.  This great bell had to have a name. A meeting of parliament was called to pick one. “This clock is the king of clocks,” one man said. “Let’s call the bell the Queen of Bells.”  “Then  why not Victoria?” said another (Victoria was the British queen (英国女王) at that time). The talk about names went on and on. Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak. He was a big man. By this time they were all tired. Someone shouted, “Why not call it Big Ben and be done with it?”  Everybody laughed, and the meeting was over. But it was called Big Ben from then on. Not just the bell but the whole clock. 
(   ) 50. In 1834, what happened to the clock tower?  
A. People finished the clock tower.       
B. People sold the clock tower.
     C. People polluted the clock tower.      
     D. The clock tower broke down. 
(   )51. Big Ben is the name of a _______. 
  A. building     B. clock    C. beautiful girl    D. city 
 (   )52. In which year might Victoria be the British queen?
     A. 1583      B. 1768      C. 1620       D. 1863 
(   )53. Which is the best title (标题)for this passage?  
A. Why Big Ben Is So Big              B. British Parliament Building 
C. How Big Ben Got Its Name            D. British Queen Victoria                          
C 
Sam was a fifteen-year-old boy living with his little sister, Julie. Their parents had passed away long ago. Sam had taken care of Julie by himself.
    One day, Sam woke up at three in the morning as usual. When Julie was sleeping alone. Sam left their little house to send newspapers. When he found an old man sitting in front of their house. Sam was so surprised that he stopped to look at him closely. It was an icy morning and he looked very old.
    The poor old man didn't have anything to cover himself with. Sam went into his house to get the old man a blanket. However, there were no extra blankets, so Sam thought hard and took his father's coat. It was the only thing of his father's that he had left. Sam wrote a short note."Sir, I found you sleeping in front of my house. This is my father's coat. I hope it fits you well."He put the note in a pocket of the coat, and covered the old man with the coat. Then he went to work. When he came back three hours later, both the man and the coat were gone. Sam thought that it was the best thing he could have done with his father's coat. 
    That afternoon, Sam hurried home after school because Julie was at home alone. However, Julie and the old man were standing in front of the house, and Julie shouted to Sam, "Brother! He's our grandfather!"
    The grandfather smiled and said, "Sam . Thank you for giving me the coat and letting me know how good my grandson is. This coat was the one I gave my son a long time ago!"
（  ）54.How was the weather when Sam saw an old man in front of his house?____.
     A. Hot and sunny           B. Rainy          C. Icy and cold       D. Windy
（  ）55.Sam's morning job was to ____.
    A. take care of his sister  B. go to school  C. send newspapers  D. look for his grandfather
（  ）56."Their parents passed away long ago" means" Their parents ____ long ago." 
A. died      B. went on      C. left home      D. passed by
（  ）57.Sam covered the old man with his father's coat because ____.
    A. his father's coat fitted the old man well  
B. the coat was the only thing that his father had left
C. he knew the old man was his grandfather then
D. he had no extra blanket