Singing had always been an important part of Gloria Estefan’s life. “Since I was three years old, I sang. I sang everything,” Gloria said. “Cubans,” she added, “are a musical people”.

Gloria was born in Cuba in 1957. Her family left the country just before Fidel Castro came to power. In Miami, where the family settled, many people did not accept Cuban immigrants. In first grade, she spoke little English, but she worked hard to learn the language. Six months after she entered school, she won an award for reading in English!

When Gloria was ten, her father returned from the Vietnam War. Soon, the family realized he wasn’t well. They soon found out that he was badly ill. Her mother went back to teaching at school to support the family. Gloria cared for her father and her younger sister.

She still made the honor roll, and she still had her music, but Gloria was lonely. However, when the band leader Emilio Estefan came to speak at her high school, Gloria sang for him. He asked her to join his band. It was the beginning of the Miami Sound Machine.

Within a few months, the Miami Sound Machine was the top band in Miami. In 1978 Gloria and Emilio married.

At first, the Miami Sound Machine was known only in Miami. Then the band signed with CBS Records. Estefan and his band became stars.

Since then, the Miami Sound Machine has sold millions of records. Gloria has done more than just singing when Hurricane Andrew hit central Florida in 1992. She used only two weeks to organize an all-star concert that raised $2 million for the people who suffered in the hurricane. “We needed a party after that disaster,” she said.

Gloria said, “You have to stay true to the music you really love to do. There will always be people who will tell you, ‘that won’t work.’ You’ve got to be firm in spite of difficulties. Stick to it—that’s the main thing.”

1.Gloria’s father was ill        .

       A. when they settled down in Miami.

       B. before they left their home country

       C. after he returned from Vietnam War

       D. as soon as she finished high school

2.According to the passage, probably Gloria did the following except        .

       A. organizing an all-star concert for Hurricane victims

       B. winning an award for reading in English

       C. teaching at school to support the family

       D. taking care of her father and sister

3.The underlined word “disaster” in this passage refers to        .

       A. the concert          B. the celebration     C. the victims        D. the hurricane

4.This passage mainly tells about Gloria Estefan’s        .

      A. life story   B. happy marriage   C. music style    D. Cuban background

 

Many of us have heard of the saying: everything is possible if you can just believe. But few of us really know the power of faith and perseverance(坚定).  South African swimmer Natalie du Tiot embodies(体现)those virtues.

Du Tiot, 24, became the first swimmer to compete in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics (残奥会)in Beijing. Although she finished 16th in the tough 10km marathon in the able-bodied Games, she has collected three golds in the Paralympics so far.

One of the most successful disabled athletes of all time, Natalie du Tiot was already a promising swimmer when she lost her leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, at just 17.

“There are a lot of dark moments,” she said, “There are some days when I cry. But I try to remember that better days are ahead. You just go on.”

Within a few months, she was back in the swimming pool.

She still completes and still succeeds. The only difference is she has switched to longer events—from 200m and 400m individual medley to 800m and 1,500m freestyle—to make up for her loss of speed with only one leg. But she made no adjustment to her mental look(精神面貌).

“Going out in the water, it feels as if there’s nothing wrong with me. It doesn’t matter if you look different. You’re still the same as everybody else because you have the same dream.”

She is the owner of many world records, and she also won gold when competing against able-bodied swimmers in the 1,500m freestyle at the All African Games in 2007.

But there is no magic recipe(秘诀) for success. It all comes down to hard work and determination. “She is stubborn, which is good and bad,” said her coach Karoly Von Toros. “Good for the swimming, but bad for the coach.”

There is a poem that hangs on her wall that reads:

The tragedy (悲剧)of life does not lie in not reaching your goals;

The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.

1. Natalie du Tiot is a vivid example that____________________.

A.you are what you believe

B.your biggest enemy is yourself

C.results are not so important as the process

D.you must set reasonable goals or you will fail

2.According to the text , Natalie du Tiot became________________.

A.the first athlete to compete with able-bodied swimmers in the world

B.the youngest disabled swimmer to break the world record in the 1,500m freestyle

C.the youngese disabled swimmer to collect three golds in a single Paralympics

D.the first swimmer to compete in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics

3.Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Natalie du Tiot?

a. She won gold at the All Africa Games.

b. She finished 16th in the tough 10km marathon in the Olympics

c. She adjusted herself to long events.

d. A motorcycle accident disabled her.

A.cdab

B.dcba

C.dcab

D.dacb

4.In dark moments it was_______________ that pushed her on.

A.her coach

B.her family

C.hope and faith

D.her love of swimming

 

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