题目内容
I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice.
“Mom, come here! There’s this lady here my size!”
The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize.
I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then I talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darryl Kramer. How are you?”
He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?”
“Yes, I have a son,” I answered.
“Why are you so little?” he asked.
“It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand, and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf. Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids picked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have — a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.
1... Why did the mother apologize to the author?
A. Because the boy ran into the author.
B. Because the boy laughed at the author.
C. Because the boy said the author was fatter than him.
D. Because she thought the boy’s words had hurt the author.
2.. When did the author realize that she was too short?
A. When she began to go to school. B. When she was 47 years old.
C. When she grew up. D. When she met the boy in the supermarket.
3.. Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?
A. dismissed B. increased C. decreased D. discriminated
4.. How does the author feel about people’s stares?
A. Angry. B. Calm. C. Painful. D. Discouraged.
1.. D
2..A
3..C
4..B
【解析】 略
阅读快车系列答案Walking around the corner and into the hall at three in the morning, lost in thought and dragging a mop bucket, I raised my eyes to the front counter in indifference. A man, looking to be in his mid 40’s, stood in a pink dress. A wide-edged hat stuck out over his massive frame resembling an umbrella that was a little too shabby and worn-out, making him look like a woman. The shock at seeing such a strong proud man in a cheap disgusting dress broke my heart, as well as frightened me.
Dropping my mop on the floor in surprise and picking up my face that had temporarily fallen off, I 
confidently walked over to the desk.
“I’m sorry,” I began to say but was confused on whether sir or madam was appropriate. “Can I help you?”
“I need a room,” he said in a gruff (粗哑的) powerful voice.
“Sure thing,” I said bringing up the registry. “Can I get your last name?”
“Hurgan,” he said briefly.
“And your first name?”
“Amanda.”
Suddenly I had to direct all of my concentration on holding back a smile. A ten second pause of silence passed while I tried to stay calm.
“Okay,” I said getting back to the job, “can I get your phone number, Amanda?”
All of the information was acquired and stored and Amanda received her room key for the night. All was well as I returned to the neglected mop bucket. Suddenly a low throaty cough drew me out of my temporary mental disorder. Looking over at the desk where Amanda stood touching her thick biceps (二头肌) I once again dropped the mop in shock.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said coming around to the desk. Amanda stared with unease twisting her sleeve with her right index finger.
“I have a cat,” she said in a low voice.
“I’m sorry you what?” I asked leaning in closer. She drew back a bit as if I was some kind of threat.
“I have a cat.”
Looking up into her tall frame, I replied, “That’s fine. We just need to add an extra $10 fee.” She handed me her credit card once again. I swiped it, returned it, and grabbed the printing receipt.
“You just need to sign here,” I said handing over the pen. She hesitantly grabbed it from my hand and signed. As she began to return it, my hand came a bit too close to connecting with hers. Scared and possibly a little disgusted she dropped the pen, causing it to bounce off the counter and onto the floor.
“Sorry,” she said, looking down. “I have to go get my cat.”
While Amanda was getting her cat, an unpleasant thought was circling around my head. Here I was just doing my job a
nd this, this WO-MAN was acting as if I was the monster! He was wearing a pink dress! And I was the monster? Was he even still a man? The sliding doors opened and in came Amanda passing the front desk without even giving me a polite nod.
【小题1】 The story most probably happened at a ________.
| A．pub | B．hotel | C．hospital | D．shop |
| A．objective | B．indifferent | C．critical | D．considerate |
| A．The author was on the edge of smiling when he heard the man’s first name. |
| B．When the man checked in, he tipped the author $10. |
| C．After signing, the man grasped the author’s hand and thanked him. |
| D．The man gave the author a friendly nod while going toward his room. |
| A．A disgusting cat | B．A considerate waiter |
| C．A fierce monster | D．A strange-looking WO-MAN |
About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college. I was working as a practice student at my University's Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of set on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and main body. She was wearing a little white dress with red dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me, I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink(眨眼). As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest(可爱的), largest smile I have ever seen.
All of a sudden her handicap (残疾)was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world--- a world of smiles, love and warmth.
That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now and whenever I feel down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me.
【小题1】What do we know about the author?
| A．He graduated from Natural History University. |
| B．He majored in Natural History at university . |
| C．He ran a gift shop in the university |
| D．He is a successful businessman |
| A．was wearing a beautiful red dress |
| B．wasn’t able to move in the wheelchair |
| C．was badly injured |
| D．was only able to smile |
| A．she told everyone how to live a good life |
| B．she offered him suppport in his business |
| C．she could take good care of herself |
| D．she had a strong spirit |
| A．World of smiles | B．Love of a girl |
| C．A badly disabled girl | D．Secret of a businessman |
“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I was disappointed. “Don’t worry. One day your luck will change.”
I didn’t pay attention to her words. After finishing my college education, I decided to look for a job in a radio station. I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.
In one station, a kind lady said to me that I hadn’t got enough experience. “Get to a small station and work for some time,” she said.
When I went back home, my dad told me that a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn’t get the job.
I felt really down. “Your luck will change,” Mum said to me. Later, I tried another radio station in Iowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone to work for him. As I left his office, I asked, “How can someone be a sports announcer (播音员) if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”
I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call, “What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?” He let me sit in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, and finally I succeeded.
On my way home, Mum’s words came back to me, “One day your luck will change, Son.”
1.What was the writer’s ideal（理想的） job?
|
A．A sportsman. |
B．A shop assistant. |
|
C．A sports announcer. |
D．A businessman. |
2.Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?
|
A．Because he was too young. |
|
B．Because he didn’t get a college education. |
|
C．Because he was not a good-looking person. |
|
D．Because he hadn’t got enough experience. |
3.The sentence “I got turned down every time” means “ ”.
|
A．I was refused every time |
B．I was successful every time |
|
C．I lost my way every time |
D．The door of every station was closed |
4.The writer got a job in the end.
|
A．in Chicago |
B．in his home town |
|
C．in a college |
D．in Iowa |