题目内容
President Barack Obama has apologized for a gaffe (失言) in which he described his bowling skills as akin to participants in the Special Olympics, a sports program for people with intellectual disabilities.
Obama made the mistake during an interview on Thursday night on “The Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno, the first time a sitting U.S. president had been on the show.
Talking about living in the White House, Obama said he had been practicing his bowling in the home’s bowling alley and had scored a 129 out of a possible 300.
It was an improvement on the embarrassing 37 he had rolled during a stop on the presidential campaign trail a year ago. “It’s like—it was like Special Olympics or something,” Obama said.
The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving some 200 million people with intellectual disabilities, with a presence in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Soon after the Jay Leno interview, Obama telephoned Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize.
Shriver told ABC’s “Good Morning America” television show that Obama had apologized “in a way that I think was very moving” and that he said “he did not intend to humiliate (羞辱) the population, didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or kind of suffering.”
Shriver said people should gain a lesson from the incident.
“I think it’s important to see that words hurt. Words do matter. And these words in some respect, can be seen as humiliating or a put-down to people with special needs, do cause pain. And they do result in stereotypes,” Shriver said.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama “made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to look down upon the Special Olympics.”
“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,” Burton said.
56. What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. skillful B. similar C. appealing D. superior
57. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Obama loves sports and is especially gifted at bowling.
B. Obama apologized for his remarks via ABC’s TV show.
C. The Special Olympics are for various disabled people.
D. The Special Olympics don’t intend to make any money.
58. What does Shriver mean by saying people should gain a lesson from the incident?
A. Disabled people cannot be humiliated. B. One should be careful with his words.
C. An apology for wrong words is wanted. D. Words matter even more than actions.
59. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. Obama receiving a TV interview B. Obama looking down on the disabled
C. Obama apologizing for his gaffe D. Obama being attacked for his words
56—59 BDBC
It was an afternoon Truman would never forget.
Rayburn and his friend were talking in the office before Truman arrived. The telephone rang. It was a call from the White House asking whether Vice-President Truman had arrived yet. No, Rayburn replied. The caller asked to have him telephone the White House as soon as he arrived.
Truman entered a minute later. He immediately called the White House. As he talked, his face became white. He put down the phone and raced out of the door to his car.
Truman arrived at the White House within minutes. An assistant took him to the president’s private living area. Eleanor Roosevelt, the president’s wife, was waiting for him there. “Harry,” she said, “the president is dead.” Truman was shocked. He asked Mrs. Roosevelt if there was anything he could do to help her. But her reply made clear to him that his own life had suddenly changed. “Is there anything we can do for you ?” Mrs. Roosevelt asked the new president, “You are the one in trouble now.”
Truman had been a surprise choice for vice-president at the Democratic Party nominating convention in nineteen forty-four. Delegates considered several other candidates before they chose him as Roosevelt’s running mate. That was at a time when presidential candidates did not make their own choices for vice-president.
Harry Truman lacked the fame,the rich family and the strong speech-making skills of Franklin Roosevelt.He was a much simpler man.He grew up in the Midwestern state of Missouri.Truman only studied through high school but took some nighttime law school classes.He worked for many years as a farmer and a small businessman,but without much success.
Truman had long been interested in politics.When he was almost forty,he finally won several low-level positions in his home state.By nineteen thirty-four,he was popular enough in Missouri to be nominated and elected to the United States Senate. And he won re-election six years later.
Most Americans, however, knew little about Harry Truman when he became president.They knew he had close ties to the Democratic Party political machine in his home state.But they had also heard that he was a very honest man.They could see that Truman had strongly supported President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.But they could not be sure what kind of president Truman would become.
At the center of all the action was Harry Truman.It was not long before he showed Americans and the world that he had the ability to be a good president.He was honest,strong and willing to make decisions.
【小题1】When Mrs. Roosevelt said”You are the one in trouble now”,she really meant that .
A.Truman’s life had suddenly changed |
B.Truman was at the center of all the action |
C.Truman was a surprise choice for vice-president |
D.Truman had close ties to the Democratic Party |
A.decided by delegates |
B.recommended by presidential candidates |
C.chosen by the Democratic Party |
D.elected by vice-president |
A.for ten years | B.before he was forty |
C.before 1943 | D.for two terms |
A.An Unforgettable Afternoon |
B.Vital Telephone Call Makes a Difference |
C.Truman Makes His Decisions |
D.Roosevelt’s Death Makes Truman President |