Renata Di Pietro was studying to be an opera singer. But at 23, while on a music scholarship at the University of Iowa in 1976, her sight began to fail. Soon, it became increasingly difficult to read scores and pick up hand signals from conductors, and the gifted singer was forced to drop out.
After moving to Cleveland, Georgia in 2005, Di Pietro relied on guide dogs to get around. Over the years, she became depressed when she’d lose one of the dogs, who had become her best friend, to old age or death. “It’s very painful, because you love each one,” she says.
In 2009, Di Pietro was intrigued by information from a friend that miniature horses typically live for at least 30 years and make calm and strong guides. She started with a male horse, but he was too hard to control. Angel came next, a mini white female horse Di Pietro has mostly trained herself. “Horses have the ability to avoid the things in the way,” she says. “If I am about to run into something, she slides her body in front of me.”
Di Pietro, now 59, has taught her guide horse to make some sounds with her hoof (馬蹄)when she comes to stairs. “Angel can find a chair and locate the nearest door for me,” Di Pietro says. Currently, she’s training Angel to pull her wheelchair and to fetch.
Despite her disability, Di Pietro still sings, performing with her husband, musician Carl Hummer, at special events. Angel is always by her side. “I fight a battle every day to take courage to engage the world,” Di Pietro says. “Angel is my warhorse. We fight that battle together.”
【小題1】Why did Di Pietro have to give up her studying in the university?
A.She disliked her major in music. |
B.She failed to get high scores. |
C.She couldn’t understand hand signals from conductors. |
D.She found it difficult to see things clearly. |
A.Puzzled. | B.Interested. | C.Satisfied. | D.Frightened. |
A.supporting her in case of her falling |
B.helping her find a chair to sit on |
C.keeping her company every day |
D.fighting with her against others |
A.Caring and strong-minded. | B.Honest and responsible. |
C.Kind and helpful. | D.Ambitious and sensitive. |
【小題1】D
【小題2】B
【小題3】D
【小題4】A
解析試題分析:文章介紹Di Pietro雖然因為視力問題,放棄大學的學習,但是她沒有放棄夢想,在Angel的幫助下,繼續(xù)追求著。
【小題1】細節(jié)題:從第一段的句子:it became increasingly difficult to read scores and pick up hand signals from conductors, and the gifted singer was forced to drop out.可知Di Pietro因為很難看清楚所以放棄大學的學習,選D。
【小題2】猜詞題:從后面的句子:She started with a male horse, 可知她對這種馬活的時間比較長和它們能帶路很感興趣。Intrigued和interested意思相近,選B
【小題3】細節(jié)題:從第三段的句子:If I am about to run into something, she slides her body in front of me.”可知Angel可以在她要跌倒的時候幫她。從第四段的句子:Angel can find a chair and locate the nearest door for me,” 可知Angel可以幫她找到椅子坐下。從第五段的句子:Angel is always by her side可知Angel可以一直陪著她,沒有說Angel可以和她一起和別人打仗,選D
【小題4】推理題:從文章的Over the years, she became depressed when she’d lose one of the dogs, who had become her best friend, to old age or death. “It’s very painful, because you love each one,” she says.可知她是有愛心的,從最后一句話“I fight a battle every day to take courage to engage the world,” Di Pietro says. “Angel is my warhorse. We fight that battle together.”可知她是意志力堅定的,選A
考點:考查人物傳記類短文
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
For a lang time,a boy wonder why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class , whereas he could only rank the 21st.
At home,he asked his mom:“Am I more stupid than other kids? How can I alwasys fall behind? I just can’t come with an answer.”Mom was aware that her son’s selfrespect had been damaged by the ranking system,but she didn’t know what to say to help.
She tended to say that intelligence differs and that yes,her son’s friend really was the smarter boy.But that would so upset her son .Thank goodness she resisted the temption (誘惑)to say it .
Her son and his friend went on to high school that year,but despite trying as hard as he could,her son’s friend still outdid him.But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud,It was aroud this time that she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside,On the trip,she at last found an answer for him.
Today her son no longer care about rankings.He doesn’t have to,for he himself is now the top of the class at the national unversity he attands,After university his Teachers and peers fully expect him to have promising career.
Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience. It concerned that holiday his mother had prepared for them: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The clumsy(笨拙的)seagulls are far slower and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these clumsy birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”
【小題1】The story convey the message that.________.
A.competion between students is good for society |
B.only rankings show intelligence of a child |
C.chilren take competion among them to heart |
D.parents should build up chilren’s self-respect |
A.decided to help with her son’s homework |
B.saw the negative effects of the ranking system |
C.knew her son was weak in his study |
D.felt sorry for her son’s bad behavior |
A.the mother was cafeful to protect her son’s self-respect |
B.the mother was not strong enough to face the truth |
C.the son knew intelligence didn’t mean anything |
D.the son would forget his rankings soon after leaving high school |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn't know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday-morning bus trips through the city with the same group of “nameless” people have changed our thinking. Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where’s the silent woman who sits up front and never responds to our cheery greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn't have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver.
We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they’re still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape confirmed that she’d delivered the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family.?
For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to establish the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus.?
We greeted her with friendly familiarity we’d shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn’t spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her.?
Over dinner, we learned the stay of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him desperately, she explained. “I love him… and he loves me, even though he doesn’t express it very well,” she murmured. “Lots of us have that problem, don’t we? We don’t say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that’s not good enough.” The candles flared on our tables. Our fish had never tasted better. But the atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends—we shared names.
【小題1】All the following statements can describe the woman except ______.
A.poor | B.warm -hearted | C.silent | D.cold |
A.keep | B.discover | C.set up | D.accept |
A.they both disabled people |
B.they both had some difficulty in expressing |
C.they both liked bus travel |
D.they both brought interest to the passengers |
A.Friends of the Road | B.The Silent Woman on the Bus |
C.Going to Work by Bus | D.Different Kinds of Friendship |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
One day an out of work mimic(滑稽演員) is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd,a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mimic that the zoo's most popular attraction,a gorilla(大猩猩),has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mimic a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mimic accepts.
So the next morning the mimic puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it's a great job. He can sleep all he wants,play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mimic. However,eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on wires. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience,he climbs to the top of his cage,crawls across a partition(隔離物),and dangles from the top to the lion's cage. Of course,this makes the lion very angry,but the crowd loves it.
At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mimic a raise for being such a good attraction. Well,this goes on for some time-the mimic keeps taunting the lion,the crowds grow larger,and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the angry lion he slips and falls. The mimic is terrified.
The lion gathers itself and prepares to attack. The mimic is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally,the mimic starts screaming and yelling,“Help me,help me!”But the lion is quick and attacks. The mimic soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says,“Shut up,you idiot!Do you want to get us both fired?”
【小題1】The mimic visits the zoo to________.
A.take care of the dying gorilla | B.beg some money from the zoo keeper |
C.ask for a job there | D.perform and earn some money there |
A.it is more expensive to hire a real gorilla |
B.the real gorilla died but the keeper does not want to lose its visitors |
C.he likes the mimic's performance |
D.he wants to help the mimic who is out of work |
A.He likes it because he has enough freedom in the job. |
B.He likes it but he prefers to working as a mimic. |
C.He doesn't like it for people do not respect him. |
D.He doesn't like it because he gets little pay. |
A.he finds it more interesting to climb the cage |
B.he wants to play with the lion |
C.he wants to attract the attention of his audience |
D.he has never seen a lion before |
A.The mimic and his job | B.The mimic and his success |
C.The actor and the mimic | D.The mimic and his animals |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
The Doll and the White Rose
I was walking around in a mall, when I saw a cashier hand this little boy some money back.The cashier said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.”The little boy seemed very disappointed.
I walked toward him and asked him who he wished to give this doll to. "It's the doll that my sister wanted so much for Christmas.She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her. But Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there."His eyes were so sad."My sister has gone to be with God.Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister."
My heart nearly stopped.The little boy looked up at me and continued, "I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall."
I quickly reached for my wallet and said," Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll."
"OK, I hope I do have enough," he said.I put some of my money with his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.
Surprisingly, the little boy cried, "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that Mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much.But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose ! "
Then I remembered two days before a local newspaper reported an accident in which a woman and a little girl were badly injured.The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state.Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after I met the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the woman had passed away.I couldn't stop myself from going to the funeral. Teary-eyed, I felt that my life had been changed forever.
【小題1】The boy wanted to buy the doll because____________.
A.he had always been eager for such a doll |
B.Santa Claus didn't give him any Christmas gift |
C.he would give it to his mother as a birthday surprise |
D.he wanted to turn his sister's Christmas wish into reality |
A.the boy's sister died after staying in hospital for two weeks |
B.the boy's family were all seriously injured in a car accident |
C.the author gave the boy some extra money without his notice |
D.the boy's mother always wished to receive a white rose on Christmas |
A.a kind act can bring joy and hope to others |
B.a gift is a perfect way to express love for others |
C.losing a family member is a heavy blow to children |
D.a religiou s belief can help one solve problems in his life |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
The unwanted disturbing of a mobile phone ringing at a critical moment has led to some famously strong reactions
British actor Richard Grif-fiths,stopped a performance at the National Theatre and ordered The offending party to leave
Judge Robert Restaino went considerably further.He was hearing a session of domestic violence offenders in a court when proceedings were interrupted by rings of a phone.
“Everyone is going to jail unless I get that instrument now,” he shouted.
Over the next two hours,the judge entered a period of “incredible madness”.He began by ordering the doors of the court locked,and set the officers to searching for the phone.
When that failed to find the offending item he ordered each of the defendants(被告) present in the room up to his bench and in turn asked them if they had no idea, he sent each in turn to jail(監(jiān)獄).
All 46 of them.
When a defendant protested the judge’s actions were not fair to those who didn’t possess the phone,Restaino replied:“I know it isn’t.
Judge’s actions caused chaos.Extra officers had to be drafted into the court to control the crowd.and booking officers at the city jail were at full stretch.“We were playing Twister in here”, one said at the time.
Fourteen of the defendants were shackled(束縛 )in irons and sent to the county jail.
The judge cooled off and later that afternoon released all 46.
The “two hours of viral lunacy(瘋狂)”, has probably cost Restaino his job.The commission ruled that he should be removed from his $14,000 job.Restaino now has 30 days to appeal(上訴).
His lawyer pointed out that until that moment he had served 11 years as a judge without any disciplinary issues.“With the exception of two hours.his record is spotless.”
【小題1】The underlined sentence in the passage means _____.
A.we are just playing games |
B.we are struggling to control the crisis here |
C.we can hardly survive the crisis |
D.we’re searching casually |
A.To indicate the disadvantage of mobile phone. |
B.To scold the misusage of mobile phone. |
C.To provide an excuse for Richard’s offence. |
D.To support the opinion above |
A.make Robert pay a large sum of money |
B.make no difference to Robert |
C.most likely make Robert lose his job |
D.make him world famous |
A.Phone-rage(狂怒) judge | B.Judge,prisoner and mobile phone |
C.The story in court | D.Mobile phone in court |
A.Robert is always challenging the disciplines |
B.Robert is now in jail |
C.judge is not a well-paid job |
D.all the defendants didn’t follow Robert’s instructions willingly |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Isn’t it cool to surf (沖浪) in summer? You catch a wave and enjoy the ride. Surfing is not only our favorite sport, though. A group of penguins (企鵝) enjoy the sport as much as we do. And they show their excitement and skills in the new animated film —Surf`s Up, which came out on June 6, in the US.
Cody loves the sport. Cody’s idol (偶像) is Big Z, a great penguin surfing king. Cody doesn’t like his brother and his mother who are not supportive. He really wants to get away. Cody believes that winning a surfing competition will bring him admiration and respect. When Mikey Abromowitz, a talent scout (偵察員), comes to Antarctica to look for talented penguins for a surfing competition, Cody’s really excited, but during his show there are no waves and he doesn’t make it. But he knows he can’t give up. He runs after Mikey’s whale and begs until Mikey agrees to take him.
There Cody meets Lani, the island’s beautiful lifeguard, as well as his main rival (對手), the surfing champion Evans. The cocky Evans shows no respect for Big Z, which makes Cody angry. For this, he challenges Evans to a surfing match, only to suffer a terrible defeat.
Lani takes Cody to the island doctor. As they spend time together, Cody realizes that this doctor is really Big Z himself. When he learns this, Cody begs him to train him and make him a better surfer.
Cody begins to find his own way. Cody improves his skills with the help of Big Z and discovers that a true winner isn’t always the one who comes in first.
【小題1】The passage mainly tells us ______.
A.that winning can bring you good luck and respect |
B.how a penguin can be a good surfer |
C.about a new animated film —Surf`s Up |
D.about the life of a teenage penguin called Cody |
A.He is a great penguin surfing king. |
B.He doesn’t help Cody with surfing although Cody begs him. |
C.He works as a doctor after he leaves surfing. |
D.He is loved by the teenage penguin Cody. |
A.feels very sad | B.can’t breathe freely |
C.is not successful | D.can’t continue surfing |
A.He likes surfing and lives in Antarctica. |
B.He thinks winning will win him the respect of others at first. |
C.He gets along well with his brother and his mother. |
D.He is defeated by Evans in a surfing match. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in City and landing on my head. Now I am thirty two. I can slightly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is .It would be wonderful to see again , but a calamity (災難)can do strange things to people .It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn’t been blind . I believe in life now.I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply , otherwise. I don’t mean that would prefer to go without my eyes . I simply mean that Atlantic the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left .
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality. The more readily a person is able to make these adjustments, the more meaningful his own private world becomes. The adjustment is never easy. I was totally confused and afraid. But I was lucky. My parents and my teachers saw something in me--a potential to live, you might call it--which I didn't see, and they made me want to fight it out with blindness.
The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. That was basic. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life. When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate(錯綜復雜的) pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance. It had to start with the simplest things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was making fun of me and I was hurt. "I can't use this." I said. "Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around." The words stuck in my head. "Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball. At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to learn my limitations. It was no good trying for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress.
【小題1】We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _______
A.the author lost his sight because of a car crash. |
B.the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen. |
C.the disaster made the author appreciate what he had. |
D.the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see. |
A.How to adjust himself to reality. |
B.Building up assurance that he can find his place in life. |
C.Learning to manage his life alone. |
D.How to invent a successful variation of baseball. |
A.would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his life. |
B.would be unable to move and stay in a rocking chair. |
C.would lose his will to struggle against difficulties. |
D.would sit in a chair and stay at home. |
A.hurt the author's feeling. |
B.gave the author a deep impression. |
C.directly led to the invention of ground ball. |
D.inspired the author. |
A.A Miserable Life |
B.Struggle Against Difficulties |
C.A Disaster Makes a Strong Person |
D.An Unforgettable Experience |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
“All I could see was two sets of red eyes below me,” said Dave Gatty, an Australian farmer who spent seven days up a tree in remote bush land to escape crocodiles. Gatty, 52, said he was forced to take such drastic action after he accidentally went into a crocodile-infested area of Queensland. He only had two meat sandwiches to keep him going, as crocodiles moved beneath his tree each night until his rescue. Gatty said he decided it was safer to hold out for a rescue team than try to make a run for it. His problems began after he fell off his horse while out in the northern Australia outback. Dazed and bleeding, he climbed back on his horse and hoped it would lead him home. It was only when he regained his senses he realized that he had been taken into crocodile-infested area. “I had to get off the horse and I fell straight into a crocodile nest,” he told reporters.
“That frightened me. I couldn’t go back, it was too far and too dangerous, so I headed to the nearest high ground and stayed there, hoping someone would come and find me before the crocs did.”
Gatty explained how each night two crocodiles would sit at the bottom of the tree staring at him. Although Gatty’s two sandwiches ran out after three days, he was able to get running water during the day and knew rescuers were looking for him as he could see helicopters in the air above his tree.
“If I hadn’t seen the crocs circling me, and if I hadn’t fallen into the croc nest, I would have made a push for it. But I knew the safest thing was for me to sit and wait,” he said. A chocolate bar, given to him by rescuers after being moved to safety by using a winch(卷揚機), “was like a gourmet (delicious)meal,” he said.
【小題1】Gaddy felt _______ when he found himself trapped in the crocodile- infested area.
A.panicked but optimistic | B.nervous and hopeless |
C.upset and regretful | D.frightened but calm |
A.Sandwiches | B.Running water |
C.Chocolates | D.Staying up in a tree |
A.a d e c b | B. d a e b c | C.a d e b c | D.d e a b c |
A.a news story | B.a scientific fiction |
C.a personal essay | D.a literary report |
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