Question

I stood outside New York’s Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.

From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knees, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.

Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. I rarely left the farmhouse-and then only in someone’s arms. Mom bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.

“The world will see him when he can walk, ” she told Dad. “And he will walk. ”

Mom devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.

A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (假肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.

“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t, ” Mom said. “You and I are going to walk through town. ”

The next day Mom dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mom took my hand. “Hold your head up high, now, Ronan. ” she said.

We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I’d walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mom’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.

That night, back on our farm, I lay exhaustedly on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I’d done on my walk.

Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mom’s words came back to me-Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do-and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.

I’ve sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world’s finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mom’s words chiming in my ears, the same place where Mom’s promise lived. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my ears.

61. What was the problem with the author as a baby?

A. He was expected unable to walk.

B. He was born outward in character.

C. He had a problem with listening.

D. He was shorter than a normal baby.

62. The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means________ .

A. shortcoming                                                B. disadvantage

C. disability                                                      D. delay

63. Why did Mom dress him and herself?

A. To hide their depressed feeling.

B. To indicate it an unusual day.

C. To show off their clothes.

D. To celebrate his successful operation.

64. From the story we may conclude that his mother was________ .

A. determined                                                  B. stubborn

C. generous                                                     D. distinguished

65. According to the writer, what mattered most in his success? 

A. His consistent effort.

B. His talent for music.

C. His countless failures.

D. His mother’s promise.

Answer 1

61.【解析】選A。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從第一段第二句. . . a child who some thought would never walk. . . 可知。

62.【解析】選C。詞義猜測(cè)題。從下文. . . that affected both legs below the knees, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes. 及下一段的開頭Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. 可知其意為“殘疾”。

63.【解析】選B。推理判斷題。從上下文可知，一個(gè)重度殘疾的人第一次行走的那一天毫無疑問很重要。

64.【解析】選A。推理判斷題。從他媽媽所說的There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t, 及他媽媽所做的 Mom devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. 可知。

65.【解析】選D。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從最后一段第二句可知。