Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin Grace,shows off a few of her tricks,turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her,however,is that she's even swimming

at all. She doesn't have a tail.

 Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005,she was fighting for her life. "Is she going to make it?" her trainer,Abbey Stone,feared the worst. Grace did make it―but her tail didn't. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.

  Over the past six years,she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way―like a fish!She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.

  The movements put harmful pressure on Grace's backbone. So a company of?fered to create a man-made tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn't hurt her.

  The first time Grace wore the artificial tail,she soon shook it off and let it sink in the bottom of the pool. Now,she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time,others not at all. "The tail isn't necessary for her to feel comfortable," says Stone, "but it helps to keep that range of motion (动作) and build muscles (肌肉) .”

  Now,the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month,Grace will star in Dolphin Tale,a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery. Her pro?gress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her man-made tail gives people so much courage.

5. When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park,her trainer worried about her        .

   A. physical build

   B. potential ability

   C. chance of survival

   D. adaptation to the surroundings

6. A man-made tail is created for Grace to        .

   A. let her recover faster

   B. make her comfortable

   C. adjust her way of swimming

   D. help her perform better tricks

7. The story of Grace inspires people to        .

   A. stick to their dreams

   B. treat animals friendly

   C. treasure what they have

   D. face difficulties bravely

  When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London,a poet described her paintings as "ribbons (丝带) around a bomb". Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly,she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.

  Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City,Kahlo suffered from polio (脊髓灰质炎) at the age of seven. Her spine (脊柱) became bent as she grew older. Then,in 1925,her back was broken in several places in a school bus acci?dent. Throughout the rest of her life,the artist had many operations,but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However,the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering,Kahlo taught herself to paint.

  In 1929,she got married to Diego Rivera,another famous Mexican artist. Rivera's strong influences on Kahlo's style can be seen in her early works,but her later works from the 1940s,known today as her best works,show less influence from her husband.

Unfortunately,her works did -not attract much attention in the 1930s and 1940s,even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953. For more than a decade after her death in 1954,Kahlo's works re?mained largely unnoticed by the world,but in the 1970s her works began to gain in?ternational fame at last.

1. What does the underlined phrase " a much bigger name" in Paragraph 1 most nearly mean?

   A. A far better artist.

   B. A far more gifted artist.

   C. A much stronger person.

   D. A much more famous person.

2. The terrible pain Kahlo suffered from was caused by      .

   A. polio

   B. her bent spine

   C. back injuries

   D. the operations she had

3. Kahlo's style had become increasingly independent since the      .

   A. 1930s   B. 1940s

   C. 1950s   D. 1970s

4. What is the author's attitude towards Kahlo?

   A. Devoted.

   B. Sympathetic.

   C. Worried.

   D. Encouraged.

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