Emma Gatewood — called “Grandma Gatewood” by the world — was one of the early thru-hikers of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the longest walking-only footpath in the world. She was not the first person — or even the first woman — to hike the trail (路线). Her hike was notable because she was the first woman ever to complete the trail alone at an advanced age.
When Gatewood did her first thru-hike in 1955, there were few hikers and it was hard to follow the trail. There were also many fewer resources for hikers — fewer stores near the trail and much less information available about the trail. But still, Gatewood hiked it alone, carrying only a bag and a hiking stick. She ate a lot of sausages and trail mix. Sometimes she ran out of food and ate berries she recognized in the forest.
After her hike, Gatewood had this to say about the trail in an interview: I thought it would be a nice lark. It wasn’t. There were terrible burnt-over areas and sand washouts, and most of the shelters were blown down, burned down or so dirty I chose to sleep out of doors. This was no trail. This was a nightmare. I would never have started this trip if I had known how tough it was, but I couldn’t and I wouldn’t quit.
All things considered, the only thing more improbable than Emma Gatewood’s completing the trail at the age of 67, is that she turned around and did it again. Twice — once in 1957 and again in 1964, at the age of 76, but this time in sections.
“Gatewood inspired many hikers over the years,” says Luxenberg, president of the Appalachian Trail Museum, “People think, ‘if this elderly woman could do the trail by herself, then I should be able to.’”
1. Which might be the title for Gatewood?| A．The first thru-hiker of A.T. | B．The first female to hike A.T. alone. |
| C．The only woman thru-hiker of A.T. | D．The oldest person to hike A.T. alone. |
| A．She met extreme weather. | B．There was various food. |
| C．She met many fellow travelers. | D．There was limited information. |
| A．Breaking news. | B．Great fun. |
| C．A big challenge. | D．An improbable task. |
| A．Well begun is half done. | B．Action speaks louder than words. |
| C．Success is failure turned inside out. | D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】I have a story about raising free-range (自由放养) kids. This past Columbus Day, my husband and I went fishing with some friends on their boat while our10 and 8-year-old kids were in school. We left the house all at the same time, about 7 a. m. My children walked to and from school every day and we knew they would be OK for a couple hours by themselves anyway. We told them to go home after school and we would be home around 4 p. m.
We live on the Gulf Coast, and since it was a beautiful day, all of the adults decided to go fishing off-shore. At around 2 p. m. after a good harvest from the sea, we started back to the shore and unfortunately after some time, we ran out of gas. We were out of cellphone service, and what was even worse was that 911 wasn’t working. We didn’t have a radio either. Therefore, we were stuck waiting for someone to pass by. We were out there until 10 p. m. All the while my children were at home, expecting us to return shortly after they got home. At about 7 p. m. , when it was getting dark, my 10-year-old daughter thought something might be wrong so she walked to each house on the street until someone answered the door and asked the person what they should do. This was how we were finally found by the game warden (管理员) on the coast and “rescued”.
Talking with that neighbor the next day, I was never so proud of my children. This neighbour explained to me, “What calmness both of your children showed when explaining the situation and how impressed I was with your children seeking help, even though they didn’t know me.” I never doubted him for a minute, though next time we go fishing we’ll monitor the gas more carefully.
1. What did the author probably feel at the very start of returning to the shore?| A．Anxious. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Pleased. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．They didn’t carry a radio. | B．Their boat was out of gas. |
| C．They believed in their children. | D．There was no phone signal there. |
| A．He thanked his neighbor. | B．He was not surprised. |
| C．He didn’t agree with his neighbor. | D．He needed to think for himself. |
| A．Stuck on the Sea | B．A Brave Girl |
| C．A Thrilling Experience | D．Lost at Sea |
【推荐2】A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups — porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive — telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the most of everything.”
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
1. Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?| A．To give his students many more choices. |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee. |
| C．To show the students his collection of cups. |
| D．To tell his students the right attitude to life. |
| A．get the best type of coffee cups | B．make the best of what they have |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups | D．care about social status and wealth |
| A．God’s Coffee | B．The Pressure of Life |
| C．The Happiest People | D．Professor's Coffee Cups |
【推荐3】As mountains go, 1,642-foot Squaw Peak isn’t quite impressive. But its inviting views of western Massachusetts have misled hikers into becoming relaxed among its steep, slippery cliffs (悬 崖),resulting in countless injuries and even deaths.
Henry Grant, aged 18, a freshman at Ithaca College, respected Squaw Peak’s record. Because of this, he stayed a good ten feet from the edge. He watched 15 or so other hikers enjoying the view; one hiker, around 60 and dressed in pink, was looking over the edge of the cliff with her husband.
After having a rest, Grant turned to continue on his way. Suddenly, a man yelled anxiously, “Paula! Paula!” Grant turned around. The woman in pink had fallen off the side of the mountain.
Several hikers immediately started looking for her. Grant decided to lend a hand, so he travelled off the trail alone. After 15 minutes of climbing over stones and pushing through the bushes, Grant spotted a figure about 25 feet above him. She was trapped in a kneeling position on a small rocky extension. The woman had fallen about 75 feet. Amazingly, she was alive.
Grant called 911. He waited where he was for a while, but she kept trying to move, and every time she moved, she slipped a little more. Afraid that she might fall off the extension to her death, Grant crawled on all fours until he reached Paula.
Securing himself against a tree, Grant gently put her hand in his and tried to keep her mind off the pain by asking her some questions: “Where are you from? What do you do for a living? Do you have kids?”
About 45 minutes later, first rescuers arrived. Eventually, Paula and her husband were flown by helicopter to a hospital.
Paula, who has fully recovered, said, “At 18, Henry has already been involved in building the rest of my life.”
1. What record does Squaw Peak have?| A．Its height looks very forbidding. | B．It attracts the most tourists. |
| C．It has the view of western America. | D．Many hikers dropped or died there. |
| A．Her serious injuries. | B．Her constant movement. |
| C．Her loss of various senses. | D．Her response to nothing. |
| A．To reduce her feeling of pain. | B．To remove her sense of fear. |
| C．To keep her awake all the time. | D．To get her detailed information. |
| A．Satisfaction. | B．Gratitude. |
| C．Curiosity. | D．Surprise. |
【推荐1】One beautiful day, I showed up for work, where I had just been promoted. I was right in the middle of training a new girl, when my boss asked to talk to me for a second. After that conversation, you can effectively cross “had a good job" off my comfortable living checklist. No warning. In fact, just the month before I had received my fifth Employee of the Month award. I was speechless and so was everyone else. Seven of us were cut from my department that day. Later, I would discover that there were thousands of cuts companywide. I worked at a bank. A failing one.
When something like this happens to you, it's natural to ask why. I reviewed all my work accomplishments. I thought about how I had been a top performer every month since I was hired and about how they gave me the highest rating on my review. What had I done wrong? What could I have done better?
The truth is that sometimes we search for a logical explanation in a situation that can’t be understood. The only way to move past it is to have confidence in the job you did as an employee and understand that you are a victim of an unfortunate circumstance.
Speaking of writing, with all of the extra time on my hands, I reunited with the long lost love of my life: writing.
I decided to pursue writing as an actual job. I designed a website and applied for writing jobs. I started getting more and more clients. It occurred to me that with some hard work I might be able to make a living doing what I love. So there I was, three months after the sky fell, thinking about how incredibly blessed I was. And this would never have happened had I not lost something in the first place.
1. What happened to the author that day according to paragraph 1?| A．She was fired. | B．She was scolded. |
| C．She got a promotion. | D．She received an award. |
| A．Her performance was great. |
| B．Her colleagues weren't friendly. |
| C．She was misunderstood by her boss |
| D．She always failed to finish her tasks on time. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Interest Will Help Us to Find a Way |
| B．If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It. |
| C．Nothing Is Impossible to a Willing Heart |
| D．When One Door Closes, Another Opens |
【推荐2】My first memory of academic anxiety was when I was in second grade. I had nightmares about forgetting to do worksheets.
In high school, test anxiety ruled my world. Small quizzes would have me ready to throw up; big exams made me extremely tired.
When the pandemic (流行病) forced school to move online, school became more flexible and it was a lot less serious. Assignments and tests were structured differently and things began to gently shift for me.
We should not wait for help.
| A．I couldn’t imagine another way. |
| B．This anxiousness comes from my family. |
| C．These thoughts would awake me at night. |
| D．Open-note tests helped me relieve my anxiety. |
| E．Although anxiety is still here, it’s not my “normal”. |
| F．It was a struggling way to pull myself through exams. |
| G．Instead, we should work on ourselves, and change for better ourselves. |
【推荐3】He was born in Germany in 1818, and German was his native language. He stayed in Belgium for a few years; then he went to France. In 1849, he went to England and made London the base for his revolutionary（革命的）work.
The first time I saw him was in February 1865. I was twenty-four years old. Never in my life shall I forget the impression made on me by my first visit. Marx was in poor health then, but was hard at work on the first volume of Capital.
Marx could read all the leading European languages and write in three：German, French and English. He was fond of saying, “A foreign language is a weapon in the struggle of life.”
At fifty he took up the study of Russian. Although the language had no close relation to any of the modern or ancient languages he knew, he made such progress in six months that he was able to enjoy reading Russian poetry and works.
Although he went to bed very late, he always got up between eight and nine in the morning. Having drunk a cup of black coffee and read through his newspapers, he would go to his study and work there till two or three next morning — breaking off only for meals, and when the weather allowed, for a walk on Hampstead Heath, London. In the course of the day he slept for an hour or two on the sofa. For Marx, work had become a passion, and he was so absorbed in it that he often forgot his meals. Frequently, he had to be called again and again before he came down to the dining room. But hardly had he eaten the last mouthful when he was back in his study again.
1. Where did the author probably see Marx for the first time?| A．In Germany. | B．In Belgium. |
| C．In France. | D．In England. |
| A．In 1818. | B．In 1841. |
| C．In 1849. | D．In 1865. |
| A．One. | B．Two. |
| C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Marx was addicted to his work. | B．Marx often forgot his meals. |
| C．Marx was in poor health. | D．Marx developed aninterestin reading. |
【推荐1】I was born missing my left arm. In 1986, at 18 months, I was fitted with a prosthetic (义肢) device, a decision made by my parents and doctors so that I would develop “normally”.
I spent my entire childhood and adolescence trying to fit in. I did just about anything to ease the pains of the stares and pointing fingers from my classmates. By the time I was 8, I had no self-confidence, and the hand I was wearing was making it harder for me to fit in. So I decided I was better off without one. I didn’t need anyone to fix me.
To prove that I wasn’t limited by my disability, I developed a love for all sports, in particular swimming. I was selected to my first Australian women’s swimming team at age 13 and successfully represented my country for eight years. I realized I’d made a name for myself because of my disability.
I taught myself how to be comfortable in a society filled with insecurities. So when I was first contacted in 2021 by Covvi, a company trying to create the world’s most advanced bionic (仿生的) hand, I was a bit surprised. They asked me to trial the hand and, if possible, to become a patient advocate. Initially, I said no. Then, curiosity got the better of me.
While I was busy advocating for disability rights, a new generation of leaders, like Amy Purdy and Nick Vujicic, used the power of technology and social media to display wheelchairs or artificial limbs without explanation. People feared disability less. Society was beginning to see a person first, and their disability second.
Viewing disability through a social lens also meant acknowledging that a person is more disabled by their environment and the discrimination of others than by their actual disability. As those conversations shifted, I realized that there was an opportunity to use technology to steer the narrative for future generations. In July 2022, I decided to trial the hand.
The role of patient advocate is an enormous privilege. Through sharing my journey, I’m able to reach thousands of other people who would benefit from its extraordinary capabilities. That’s why I wear a bionic hand—not because I’m broken, but because I have an opportunity to enhance the human capabilities that already exist.
1. The author developed a love for all sports because ________.| A．she was longing for fame | B．sports gave her self-confidence |
| C．she wanted to defeat her disability | D．her prosthetic device empowered her |
| A．more people acknowledged their limits |
| B．the disabled needed a friendlier environment |
| C．social media allowed the disabled opportunities |
| D．technology shifted people’s attitudes to disability |
| A．Intelligent and brave. |
| B．Warm-hearted and patient. |
| C．Responsible and strong-willed. |
| D．Independent and innovative. |
| A．maximize one’s abilities by embracing reality |
| B．build one’s social circle with optimism |
| C．stick to one’s goal to achieve success |
| D．take it easy in difficult situations |
【推荐2】Once, I was invited to see a performance by my friends. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.
After 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. He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason, however, I knew that I was seeing something special. About ten minutes into Patrick’s performance, someone came on the stage and said, “I’d like to share a seven-minute video.” Then the lights went dim.
Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes and a tightening of the joints, which left him disabled for life. However, as a child, 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 could play simple songs as requested. His father was excited. “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 the marching band. He and his father do it together. They attend all the band practices and performances. His father rolls his son around the field to the cheers of Patrick’s fans.
But it was Patrick’s “attitude of gratitude” that touched my soul deeper. On stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, “God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability, the musical gifts I have… the great opportunity to meet new people.”
When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes.
1. What can we know from the text?| A．Patrick is now in charge of a marching band. |
| B．My friends told me the performance would be very special. |
| C．Patrick showed a gift of music at an early age. |
| D．Patrick played the piano much better than he sang. |
| A．taught Patrick to sing and play the piano |
| B．accompanied him to attend classes and practices |
| C．expected his son to be a great musician and singer |
| D．has become the leader of the marching band |
| A．His attitude of gratitude. | B．His working hard. |
| C．His wonderful performance. | D．His unlucky fate. |
| A．unfortunate | B．hopeful | C．talkative | D．lucky |
| A．share our kindness with others | B．develop an interest in music |
| C．study hard and realize our dream | D．value what we have had |
【推荐3】Former Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz grew up in a New York City housing project. His early options were limited and he could hardly dream about starting an international business. In 1961, the whole family was left with no income because his father broke an ankle working as a truck driver. Watching his father lying on the bed with his leg in a cast, Schultz decided to do something different in life. Schultz played football in high school and managed to get an athletic scholarship to Northern Michigan University. He became the first college graduate in his family.
Schultz’s first job after finishing school was in sales at Xerox, where he was supposed to sell word processors. Then he took another job in sales at Hammarplast, a housewares (家居用品) business. However, he grew impatient with these two jobs soon. Schultz first came across Starbucks while still working for Hammarplast. He was struck by the passion (热情) of the founders Gerald Baldwin and Gordon Bowker and their courage in selling the product that would appeal only to a specific niche (市场定位) of coffee enthusiasts. It took a whole year for Schultz to persuade Baldwin and Bowker to hire him as the head of marketing. The new position meant that Schultz was going to travel around the world and represent Starbucks.
His fate changed when the company sent him to an international housewares exhibition in Milan. Schultz had an epiphany (顿悟) when he saw the Italian espresso tradition. The people in Italy had a personal relationship with coffee.
Schultz came back to America with new ideas. He wanted to replicate the Italian tradition in Starbucks. The founders felt differently. He then decided to leave Starbucks to start his own coffee company. The new company caught on quickly. Eventually, it managed to buy Starbucks. Schultz became the CEO of Starbucks Corporation and he is one of the wealthiest people on the planet.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?| A．Schultz wasn’t well paid at Xerox. |
| B．Schultz himself is a coffee enthusiast. |
| C．Schultz wasn’t satisfied with his first two jobs. |
| D．Schultz had made a success of his housewares business. |
| A．Starting his own coffee company. |
| B．Meeting the founders of Starbucks. |
| C．Going to an international exhibition in Milan. |
| D．Becoming the head of marketing of Starbuck. |
| A．Appreciate. | B．Copy. | C．Observe. | D．Record. |
| A．Every coin has two sides. |
| B．Life is just the luck of the draw. |
| C．Nothing succeeds like success. |
| D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
