C
I entered high school having read hundreds of books. But I was not a good reader.Merely bookish, I lacked a point of view when I read. Rather, I read in order to get a point of view. I searched books for good expressions and sayings, pieces of information, ideas, themes-anything to enrich my thought and make me feel educated. When one of my teachers suggested to his sleepy tenth-grade English class that a person could not have a "complicated idea" until he had read at least two thousand books, I heard the words without recognizing either its irony (嘲讽) or its very complicated truth. I merely determined to make a list of all the books I had ever
read. Strict with myself, I included only once a title I might have read several times.(How, after all, could one read a book more than once?) And I included only those books over a hundred pages in length. (Could anything shorter be a book?)
There was yet another high school list I made. One day I came across a newspaper article about an English professor at a nearby state college. The article had
a list of the "hundred most important books of Western Civilization." "More than
anything else in my life," the professor told the reporter with finality, "these books have made me all that I am." That was the kind of words I couldn't ignore. I kept the list for the several months it took me to read all of the titles. Most books, of course, I hardly understood. While reading Plato's The Republic, for example, I needed to keep looking at the introduction of the book to remind myself what the text was about.However, with the special patience and superstition (迷信) of a schoolboy, I looked at every word of the text. And by the time I reached the last word, pleased, I persuaded myself that I had read The Republic,and seriously crossed Plato off my list.
51.On heating the teacher's suggestion of reading, the writer thought______.
A. one must read as many books as possible.
B. a student should not have a complicated idea.
C. it was impossible for one to read two thousand books.
D. students ought to make a list of the books they had read
52. While at high school, the writer_________.
A. had plans for reading                B. learned to educate himself
C. only read books over 100 pages       D. read only one book several times
53. The underlined phrase "with finality" in the second paragraph probably means_________.
A. firmly         B. clearly        C. proudly        D. pleasantly
54. The writer's purpose in mentioning "The Republic" is to________.
A. explain why it was included in the list.
B. describe why he seriously crossed it offthe list.
C. show that he read the books blindly though they were hard to understand
D. prove that he understood most of it because he had looked at every word
55. The writer provides two book lists to________.
A. show how he developed his point of view.
B. tell his reading experience at high school.
C. introduce the two persons' reading methods.
D. explain that he read many books at high school.

Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget at the Kentucky Association of School Administrators.

They introduced the young musician---Mr Patrick Henry Hughes. He was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music.

About ten minutes into Patrick’s performance, someone came on the stage and said, “I’d like to share a seven-minute video about Patrick Hughes.” Then the lights were turned down.

Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes and a tightening of the joints(关节), which left him disabled for life. However, he was fitted with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. His mom said, “I could hit any note on the piano, and within one or two tries, he’d get it.” By his second birthday, he was playing records people asked for. His father was ecstatic. “We might not play baseball, but we can play music together.”

Today, Patrick is a junior. His father attends classes with him and he’s made nearly all A’s. He’s also a part of a 214-member marching band(游乐乐队). He’s a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; he and his father do it together. In order to attend Patrick’s classes and every band practice, his father works the night shift(夜班) at United Parcel Service. Patrick says, “My dad’s my hero.”

On stage, between songs, Patrick talked to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was, “God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me musical gifts and the great opportunity to meet new people.”

When his performance was over, the crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes.

1.The underlined word “ecstatic” could be replaced by “_________”.

A. relaxed    B. disappointed    C. anxious    D. delighted

2.What do we know about Patrick’s father?

A. He taught Patrick to play the piano.

B. He does part-time jobs in the daytime.

C. He accompanies Patrick in class and practice.

D. He expects Patrick to become a famous musician.

3.We know from the text that Patrick Henry Hughes ______________.

A. began to play the piano at age two

B. is in charge of a marching band

C. is now a high school student

D. admires his father greatly.

4.The story of Patrick Henry Hughes mainly teaches us to _______________.

A. develop an interest in music

B. be grateful for what we have

C. be ready to help people in trouble

D. work hard to achieve great success