Helen Keller was an American educator and journalist, who became one of the leading humanitarians in the history of the United States. Born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, a small town in Alabama, Keller was stricken with a childhood disease that left her deaf, and blind. The illness Keller suffered (遭受) is a mystery to this day. Unable to see, or hear, Keller became difficult to deal with as her behaviour was described as wild by her family and friends.

Soon Keller and her family developed their own type of sign language that allowed them to communicate with each other. Helen’s mother needed help for her anguished (痛苦的) child, which eventually led to Anne Sullivan, who was a recent graduate (毕业生) of the Perkins Institute for the Blind. The school had been successful in the past in educating blind students, and Sullivan was one of its star graduates. Once Sullivan and Keller got through the difficult beginnings, their friendship, and association (合作) lasted for 49 years.

Keller was determined to become educated, and to teach herself to communicate. After attending several schools, she became the first deaf and blind person to earn a college degree. She became very well-known, and began a lecture tour where she made speeches on social and political issues, including women’s suffrage (选举权), and birth control. Also she required the government to raise awareness to the situation of the blind. She devoted much of her later life to raising funds for the American Foundation for the Blind.

On September 14, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States’ two highest civilian honours. In 1999, Keller was listed in Gallup’s Most Widely Admired People of the 20th century.

Helen Keller—Overcoming Disability

Childhood

Keller was made deaf and blind by an 1. illness.

Her family and friends 2. her as wild because of her disabilities.

3.

The Keller family 4. their own type of sign language to make their communication possible.

Anne Sullivan 5. Keller’s life and gave her a lot of help.

Keller made up her 6. to teach herself to communicate.

Keller earned a college degree after 7. several schools.

Social Activities

While travelling around the country, Keller made a series of 8. on social and political issues.

Keller 9. much of her later life in raising funds for the American Foundation for the Blind.

Awards

In 1964, Keller was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 1999, her name was on the 10. in Gallup’s Most Widely Admired People of the 20th century.

On a plane for New York the flight attendant came to a blonde woman sitting in the first class section and asked her to move to the coach(经济舱) since she did not have a first class ticket.The blonde woman replied,“I’ m blonde. I’ m beautiful. I’ m going to New York and I’ m not moving. ’’ .Not wanting to argue with a customer the flight attendant asked the co – pilot to speak with her. He went to talk with the woman asking her to please move out of the first class section.Again, the blonde woman replied,“ I’m blonde. I’ m beautiful. I’ m going to New York and I’m not moving. “ The co – pilot returned to the cockpit(驾驶舱) and asked the captain what he should do. The captain said,“I’m married to a blonde, and I know how to deal with this. “ He went to the first class section and whispered(耳语)in the blonde’ s ear. She immediately jumped up and ran to the coach section saying to herself, “Why didn’ t anyone just say so?” Surprised, the flight attendant and the co – pilot asked what he said to her and how he finally convinced her to move from her seat. The captain replied, “I told her the first class section wasn’ t going to New York, “

Fill in the blanks according to the passage. Only one word for each blank.

On a plane for New York,a blonde woman sat in the first class section1.____ a first class ticket. The flight attendant tried to ask her to move to the coach, but she2.__.She thought she was blonde and she was going to New York,so she should sit there. Because the flight attendant didn’t want to have an3.___ with her,she asked the co – pilot for help.but the co-pilot got the4._____ answer and failed, too. 5.____, the captain made the woman move to the coach by telling her that the first class section wasn ’ t going to New York.

More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprising. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that’s why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighborhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can ride to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don’t even have to ride all the way. Folding (折叠) bikes work well for people who take the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travelers.

Health benefits of bicycling:

﹡It helps to prevent heart diseases.

﹡Bicycling helps to control your weight.

﹡A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.

﹡Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

﹡Bicycling is healthier than driving.

﹡Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident.

1. From the passage, we know that bicycling is becoming very ________.

A. surprising B. exciting C. expensive D. popular

2.When you are riding your bicycle around your neighborhood, you may ________.

A. pollute the environment around

B. find something you didn’t notice

C. go everywhere and use a little oil

D. get off your bike and begin to work

3. If you travel with a folding bike, you can fold it and ________.

A. get out of the car B. take it onto a train

C. put it in your purse D. go on airline websites

4.One of the benefits from bicycling is that ________.

A. you can fold the bicycle B. you will be friendly to others

C. you will be more relaxed D. you may get fatter and fatter

5.Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Bicycling is an enjoyable exercise for people.

B. Driving cars is healthier than riding bikes.

C. Riding a bike pollutes your neighborhood.

D. Common bikes are welcomed by all airlines.

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