In 1883, an imaginative engineer named John Roebling decided to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was a pipe dream. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

But Roebling refused to listen to them. He thought about the bridge day and night and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. After much discussion and persuasion he convinced his son Washington, who was a promising engineer himself, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished. With great excitement, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but several months after it began, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was so seriously injured that he was never able to walk, talk or even move again.

"We told them so", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams", "It's foolish to chase wild visions", the critics said and most thought the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

Washington's wife tried to inspire and pass on her husband's enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay in his hospital room, an idea suddenly hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger and tapping it on his wife's arm, he slowly developed a code to communicate with her. Then he used this method to tell his wife what the engineers should do. It seemed crazy but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.

_ What did most people think about Roebling's idea to build the bridge?

A. It would never become a reality.                    B. Washington was not experienced enough.

C. It would take a lot of time.                            D. Finding the money would be impossible. 

_The underlined word `daunted' (para. 6) is closest in meaning to '______'.

  A. unpleasant    B. scared    C. amazed    D. determined

_ Which of the following shows the correct order of the events that happened in the story?

   a. Roebling convinced his son.

   b. Washington found a new way to communicate.

   c. They hired the crew.

d. The bridge was completed.

   e. Roebling wanted to build a bridge.

   f. There was a tragic accident.

A. e, a, c, f, d, b     B. e, a, f, b, c, d    C. e, f, a, b, c, d    D. e, a, c, f, b, d  

_ What can we learn about Washington's wife?

A. She knew sign language very well.

B. She was devoted to her husband.

C. She developed a code to communicate with her husband.

D. She helped her husband design the plan.

_ What does the story tell us?

  A. Success will come with the passing of time.

  B. Struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.

  C. Even the most distant dream can be realised with a never-say-die attitude.

  D. The people who make a difference in our life should be remembered forever.

Jack went to a barber's shop and had his hair cut, but when he came out, he was not happy with the result(结果). When his friend Bob saw him, he laughed and said, "What has happened to your hair, Jack?"
Jack said, "I tried a new barber's shop today, because I wasn't quite satisfied with my old one, but this one seems even worse."
Bob agreed(同意). "Yes, I think you're right, Jack. Now I'll tell you what to do when you go into a barber's shop next time: look at all the barber's hair, find out whose hair looks worst, and then go straight to him."
"Why shall I go to him?" Jack asked. "But that would be foolish!"
"Oh, no, it wouldn't," answered Bob. "Who cut that man's hair? Just think it. He couldn't cut it himself, could he? Another of the barbers cut it. So you know he can't be the worst barber."
【小题1】 When Jack went out of the barber's shop, he was not happy because ____.

A.nobody had cut his hair
B.the barber hadn't cut his hair well
C.the barber had cut his hair carefully
D.he was not satisfied with his old barber
【小题2】"I tried a new barber's shop today." means ____.
A.this barber's shop was a new one
B.this was the only barber's shop in this town
C.Jack often went to this barber's shop
D.Jack had not been to this barber's shop before
【小题3】After Jack had his hair cut, he thought ____.
A.the new barber's shop was the best one
B.the old barber's shop wasn't so good as the new one
C.the new barber's shop was worse than the old one
D.the old barber's shop was the worst one
【小题4】Bob told Jack to find out which barber's hair looked the worst and then go straight to him. Why?
A.Because he was certainly the best barber.
B.Because he was free all the time.
C.Because he was the worst barber.
D.Because he wasn't the worst barber.
【小题5】From the story we know that ____.
A.it's foolish to have one's hair cut at a barber's shop
B.barbers cut each other's hair
C.barbers never have their hair cut
D.a barber always cuts his hair by himself

In 1883. John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought this was an impossible mission and told Roebling to forget the idea, but Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

    The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

    "We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.'' "It's foolish to chase wild visions." Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged.

    One day he was lying on his bed in hospital, seeing the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment with the sunlight streaming through the windows, and a gentle breeze bowing the  flimsy white curtains apart when an idea hit him. He decided to make the best use of the only finger  he could move. Thus, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

    He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

    For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm until the bridge was finally completed.

1.Which of the following is true of Washington and his father?

A. They are hardworking and courageous.

B. They are stubborn and bold.

C. They are creative and persistent.

D. They are curious and modest.

2.In the third paragraph, the underlined phrase ''wild vision" refers to______.

A. the tragic accident

B. the building of the bridge

C. the brain damage

D. the discussion and persuasion

3.From the passage, we know that _______ when Roebling proposed building the bridge.

A. people all over America supported him

B. almost no bridge experts in the world supported him

C. his friends were strongly in favor of his idea

D. many people considered it would be a great project

4.The passage suggests that______.

A.NO pains, no gains.

B. Many hands make light work.

C. A lighted heart is a good medicine.

D. Passion creates wonder.

 

In 1883. John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea, but Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

    The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

    "We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.'' "It's foolish to chase wild visions." Evcryone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged.

    One day he was lying on his bed in hospital, seeing the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment with the sunlight streaming through the windows, and a gentle breeze bowing the  flimsy white curtains apart when an idea hit him. He decided to make the best use of the only finger  he could move. Thus, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

    He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

    For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm until the bridge was finally completed.

1.Which of the following is true of Washington and his father?

A. They are hardworking and courageous.

B. They are stubborn and bold.

C. They are creative and persistent.

D. They are curious and modest.

2. In the third paragraph, the underlined phrase''wild vision" refers to______.

A. the tragic accident               B. the building of the bridge

C. the brain damage                D. the discussion and persuasion

3. What can we learn about Washington's wife?

A. She could understand Washington and helped him a lot.

B. She cnuldn't understand him but took good care of him.

C. She didn't like Washington's idea about building the bridge.

D. She took the responsibility to continue building the bridge.

4.From the passage, we know that_______when Roebling proposed building the bridge.

A. people all over America supported him

B. almost no bridge experts in the world supported him

C. his friends were strongly in favor of his idea

D. many people considered it would be a great fe

5. The passage suggests that______.

A.NO pains, no gains.

B.Many hands make light work.

C. A lighted heart is a good medicine.

D. Passion creates wonder.

 

Years after throwing a bottle-up note into a lake for a class project and just one year after his death, a man’s childhood message was found and returned to his mother.

Eleven years ago, a then 10-year-old boy, Joshua Baker, wrote the message, folded and put it in an empty container, his mother, Maggie Holbrook said. He died last February in a motor vehicle accident in California. He had recently returned after a serving in the Middle East as a US marine.

“ I think he was just letting us know he was OK and keep doing what we are doing ,” Holbrook said.

The message surfaced in White Lake in late April, just days after the 11th anniversary of its being thrown into the lake. It was found by one of Baker’s closest friends, Steve Lieder, she said. Lieder and two friends were chatting near the lake when Lieder looked down and saw the bottle. He broke it open and found the note inside.

“My name is Joshua Baker. I am 10. If you find this, put it on the news. The date is 4/16/95.”

They immediately took it to Holbrook, who said she is now having the note preserved and will display it in her home.

She can remember when her son wrote the message for the school project. She said she always wondered why he didn’t put it in the nearby Wolf River, which has a much stronger current(水流).

“I still remember the day he wrote it,” Holbrook said. “ I couldn’t understand why he threw it in the lake. No one would never see it again. Now I know.”

1. What was Joshua Baker when he died in motor vehicle accident in California?

A.An official

B.A soldier

C.A worker

D.A teacher

2. Who found the bottle according to the passage?

A.Joshua Baker’s mother

B.A fisherman

C.Joshua Baker’s friend

D.Joshua Baker’s mother’s friend

3.What does the underlined sentence mean?

A.The mother believes his son is still living with her in the house.

B.The mother thinks his son will come to see her one day

C.The mother thinks it’s foolish to throw the note in the lake

D.The mother thinks the bottle is her son’s gift only left to her after his death

4.Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?

A.The man threw the bottle into the lake without any purpose.

B.The man didn’t put the bottle into the nearby river because it had a strong current.

C.Not until recently did his mother understand why he put the bottle into the lake instead of the nearby river.

D.The man made the bottle-up note so as to let his parents know he was OK.

5.The best title for this passage would be ____.

A.A man’s Bottle Message Found After His Death

B.A Ridiculous and Unbelivable Bottle Message

C.A Strange Bottle-up Note Appearing In a Lake

D.An Important Childhood Message 11 Years After His Death

 

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