History Has Arrived 

  Nine-year-old Barack Obama was looking through a magazine But the African-American boy was shocked by a series of photos. The pictures were of a black man who destroyed his skin with chemicals that promised to make him white.

For the first time, the boy began to doubt who he was. “I stood in front of the mirror and wondered if something was wrong with me,” Obama said.

However, now the boy who used to struggle with his identity doesn’t see it as a problem any more, but an advantage for his career. In January, 2009, Obama made history by being elected as the first black president of the US. He defeated John MaCain in a landslide(压倒性的) victory.

Obama’s story starts in opposite corners of the world. His white mother was born in the heartland of the US. His black father grew up in a tiny village in Kenya. They met in Hawaii, but his father left the family when Obama was just two years old and his mother moved to Indonesia.

At 10, Obama moved back to live with his white grandparents in Hawaii where his sense that he didn’t belong grew. At his class a white boy asked Obama if his father ate people. Out of embarrassment, Obama lied to his classmates that his father was prince. “I kept asking who I am and I ended up trying drugs and drinking,” Obama recalled.

Things came to change after the young man made friends with those with a similar background at college. Their experiences back in Africa helped Obama to finally face up to his African origin. He worked hard to become a star at Harvard Law School and the third black senator(参议员) in US history.

  At the beginning of his campaign for the White House, few people viewed Obama favorably(赞同地).Many doubted his unusual background, which left him neither “ black” enough nor white enough.

But Obama turned his pain of growing up into a tool to make Americans believe: “There is not a black America, an Asian America. There’s the United States of America.”

Barack Obama’s victory is “a historic victory that promised change and overcame centuries of prejudice(偏见)。 His success fulfilled Martin Luther King’s dream that a man be judged not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character,” wrote ABC news.

60. From the above passage we can know that Barack Obama was born in _____.

A. Kenya, Africa     B. Hawaii, the USA   C. Indonesia, Asia  D. an unknown city, in Latino America

61. He lied to his classmates that his father was prince because _______.

A. he felt ashamed of his African origin   B. he had unusual background—neither black nor white

C. his black father deserted him when he was very young

D. he didn’t have the sense of belonging

62. Put the following things in order of time.

a. Obama is the third black senator in US history  

b. Obama’s mother settled down in Indonesia with Barack Obama

c. Obama stood out among his classmates in Harvard Law School

d. Obama lived with his white grandparents in Hawaii.

e. Obama’s balck father left him and his mother.

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

63. What does the title “History has arrived” probably mean?

A. Barack Obama eventually defeated his white opponent, John MaCain in a landslide victory.

B. Barack Obama’s victory has given blacks and other minorities a true national role model.

C. Barack Obama has become the first African-American President, overcoming centuries of prejudice(偏见).

D. Through his great efforts, Barack Obama became the third black senator in the US history.