In 1883, an imaginative engineer named John Roebling decided to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was a pipe dream. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
But Roebling refused to listen to them. He thought about the bridge day and night and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. After much discussion and persuasion he convinced his son Washington, who was a promising engineer himself, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished. With great excitement, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but several months
after it began, a tragic accid
ent on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was so seriously injured that he was never able to walk, talk or even move again.
"We told them so", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams", "It's foolish to chase wild visions", the critics said and most thought the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
Washington's wife tried to inspire and pass on
her husband's enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too
daunted by the task. As he lay in his hospital room, an idea suddenly hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger and tapping it on his wife's arm, he slowly developed a code to communicate with her. Then he used this method to tell his wife what the engineers should do. It seemed crazy but the project was
under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.
Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's spirit and hi
s determination not to be defeated by circumstances.
小題1:
_ What did most people think about Roebling's idea to build the bridge?
| A．It would never become a reality. | B．Washington was not experienced enough. |
| C．It would take a lot of time. | D．Finding the money would be impossible. |
小題2:
_The underlined word `daunted' (para. 6) is closest in meaning to '______'.
| A．unpleasant | B．scared | C．a(chǎn)mazed | D．determined |
小題3:
_ Which of the following shows the correct order of the events that happened in the story?
a. Roebling convinced his son.
b. Washington found a new way to communicate.
c. They hired the crew.
d. The bridge was completed.
e. Roebling wanted to build a bridge.
f. There was a tragic accident.
A．e, a, c, f, d, b | B．e, a, f, b, c, d | C．e, f, a, b, c, d | D．e, a, c, f, b, d |
小題4:
_ What can we learn about Washington's wife?
| A．She knew sign language very well. |
| B．She was devoted to her husband. |
| C．She developed a code to communicate with her husband. |
| D．She helped her husband design the plan. |
小題5:
_ What does the story tell us?
| A．Success will come with the passing of time. |
B．Struggle s are exactly what we need in our lives. |
| C．Even the most distant dream can be realised with a never-say-die attitude. |
| D．The people who make a difference in our life should be remembered forever. |
ho seemed interested in ___48___ some of my stock (股票) stopped by. I thought, ‘Here’s my diamond—don’t let it ___49___!’ I sold the entire stock to him by noon. Now my next diamond is to find a new ___50___ !” 
d better job. From then on, he decided to keep his stone with him all the time as a ___51___ to look for “diamonds” as he dug through the ___52___ of life.
o can supply any clue (線索）are requested to 38 to the police ." The 39 news made the lonely girl filled with 40 .She couldn't help looking around .But she didn't 41 that a man was already behind the door.
He died in 1671.
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