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 knee, 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. Mam 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.”
Mam 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 (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.
“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”
The next day Mam 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. Mam 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, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.
That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted 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 Mam’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 Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.
【小题1】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.
【小题2】The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means _______.
A.shortcomingB.disadvantageC.disabilityD.delay
【小题3】Why did Mam dress him and herself in finest clothes?
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.
【小题4】From the story we may conclude that his mother was _______.
A.determinedB.stubbornC.generousD.distinguished
【小题5】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.

The First of May is a Bank Holiday—the first public holiday of the year in England.
Most people consider it a special day ,the beginning of summer ,a day when the light lasts long into the evening ,and when we can look for warm weather .We don't always get it .We feel disappointed ,but not surprised if there are cold winds and frosts at night in May .Winter should be over .Most people know that in the past ,when farming occupied almost everyone ,the changing seasons were of great importance .In that older time there was every reason to celebrate May Day .Customs of those celebrations remain.?
Of these customs ,the best known is the choosing of a May Queen and the dancing round Maypole .Even these customs are little more than memories now—but in the last century it was quite common in villages and small towns ,and even in schools and colleges ,for a pretty and popular girl to be chosen Queen of the May .It was a great honour to be chosen .For a day she wore a light and flowery dress, carried garlands(花环),and was ceremonially crowned with flowers .She presided over a procession ,as a rule with a number of attendants ,and over the Maypole dancing and all kinds of entertainment .The Maypole was slender(苗条的) tree trunk ,cut off its branches, with beautiful ribbons fastened to the top .The dancing was designed in such a way that the dancer's movements move the ribbons into a pattern. This, as you can imagine ,required skill from the dancer ,and was not achieved without practice .
It's the Celtic(凯尔特的)people who celebrated the First of May as a spring festival .Their celebration seems to have had little to do with taking pleasure in early ,beautiful flowers and in warmer weather! They called it Beltane—the fire of the god Bel .They lit fires ,in the expectation that their blaze would help the sun in its struggle to regain its strength. They drove their cattle between banks of flame in the expectation that the terrified beasts would be purified(净化) and protected from disease .A tree ,which must have been blackened with smoke ,stood in the middle of the fires ,and is thought to have been the origin of the Maypole .Their priests(牧师) made sacrifices to the goods in the hope of good harvests and sufficient store of food for the winter. There was dancing certainly ,but it was noisy and cheerful ,since its purpose was not to weave a pattern of colored ribbons ,but to drive out evil spirits from the earth and to arouse those kind spirits.?
【小题1】The main purpose of the passage is to show ________.?

A.the reason why they celebrate May Day?
B.the start and customs of May Day?
C.the way they celebrate May Day?
D.the choosing of a May Queen during May Day
【小题2】According to the passage ,which sentence is NOT true??
A.In the old days they celebrated May Day for the changing of the seasons.?
B.In England summer begins at the first of May.?
C.The custom of the choosing of a May Queen still exists in the present May Day celebration.?
D.The Celtic people celebrated the first of May as a spring festival.?
【小题3】From the surrounding words and sentences we know that the word “presided” means ________.
A.管理B.越过C.指挥D.主持
【小题4】The best title for this passage is ________.?
A.The First of MayB.The Beginning of Summer
C.May QueenD.The Holiday of the Year?

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low you can see their underwear? What do you think of that ? Fashionable? Some of today’s teenagers are big fans of such a look?    71

The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came after a class trip. One day, he saw one boy’s baggy trousers slide to his feet.  72  .

But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster’s request will limit students’ freedom—or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual.

73   “we do not want to kick fashion out,” the headmaster explained, “ but extremes (极端)of fashion like this are not right in school.” Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers.

74  Ludovica Gaudio,14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf.   75  “ I don’t really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans,” said Sarah Lattanzi, “In winter , when dressed like that ,it’s quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache.”

A.But recently this trend has been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools.

B.A parents’ group praised the move in favor of good taste, while others advised schools to stop worry about fashion and fix up old school buildings.

C.He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school.

D.Most students have simply ignored the request.

E.Another 14-year-old girl said she would probably respect the request, simply for practical reasons.

F.Let us see that Italian students react differently to schools’ requests.

G.Schools should pay attention to things more important than students’ clothes.

 

 

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 knee, 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. Mam 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.”

Mam 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 (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.

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

The next day Mam 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. Mam 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, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.

That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted 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 Mam’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 Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.

1.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.

2.The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means _______.

A. shortcoming        B. disadvantage        C. disability              D. delay

3.Why did Mam dress him and herself in finest clothes?

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.

4.From the story we may conclude that his mother was _______.

A. determined         B. stubborn       C. generous           D. distinguished

5.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.

 

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