My grandfather used to be the smartest person in the world. I am sure he was. There was nothing he could not explain or narrate to me. When I lost my sight being only six years old, he was the one who supported my connection with the whole world. He was doing it with his tales.
My grandfather was the one who did not allow me to give up. Grandfather supported my memory and boosted my imagination every day. He was narrating fairy stories about everything around us. He made me describe the things that I used to see previously in detail and then told something about them I could not believe.
I remember he gave me his knife. I was careful with it, as it was sharp — my grandfather carved figures and household items with it. I was holding it and trying to restore its look in my memory, and grandfather was telling a story of the knife. He told me that having this knife, he was never wounded in a battle, and he could carve any figure in detail with it. He promised that one day I would get it, and I would be able to carve anything. I touched the blade (刀刃) with my fingers, and I imagined how great I would be in carving. I wanted to make the magic creatures that were mentioned by my grandfather and present them to him.
He made me walk a lot, we were researching the hills and fields, and he taught me how to define the flowers and trees. Being blind, I could find any local plant by smelling and touching. Grandfather promised that one day we would hike together and find real highland edelweiss.
He died a month before I had my operation. When the bandage was taken off my eyes, I saw the faces of parents, sun, flowers and trees, and a knife left by my grandfather. Later, when my sight became stable and it became possible to read, my father gave me a book of tales written and illustrated by my grandfather. There were all the creatures he was talking about. He painted them for me, and I was spending the months looking at them and trying to recall their images in my own memory.
1. How did the author’s grandfather support him?| A．With the power of narration. | B．By treating the author’s disease. |
| C．With description of scientific stories. | D．By asking the author to memorize stories. |
| A．The author’s grandfather got it in a battle. |
| B．It was a sharp knife carved with many figures. |
| C．It served as a reminder of the time with grandfather. |
| D．It acted as a warning against taking any risks. |
| A．To plant trees and flowers. | B．To make the author get close to nature. |
| C．To carry out research. | D．To improve the author’s eyesight. |
| A．Carving the World | B．Miracles in My Life |
| C．Blind Memories | D．Restoring the Past |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad’s face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1. The author’s inspiration for the gift came from ________.| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
| A．the father | B．the author | C．William Blake | D．Edgar Allan Poe |
| A．searching for the poem online | B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colors | D．matching the words with pictures |
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts. |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |
【推荐2】One day Thomas Alva Edison was given a letter by his teacher. His teacher asked him to give it to his mother. Edison thought it was something nice. After he returned home, he proudly gave it to his mother, saying “My teacher let me give this letter to you.”
Not knowing what it was, Edison’s mother opened it, and then her eyes opened wide. With tears in her eyes, she looked at her son and read out the letter aloud, “Your child is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers to train him. Please teach him yourself.”
The fact was that Edison liked asking strange questions in class. His teachers thought he was addled (头脑糊涂的). They could no longer stand him and decided to stop him from going to school. However, Edison’s mother didn’t give up on her son. She taught him at home.
After many years Edison’s mother died and he was already one of the greatest inventors. One day he was looking through the old family things. Suddenly he saw a piece of folded paper in the corner of a drawer. He took it and opened it up. It read, “Your son is addled. We won’t let him come to school any more.”
Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary, “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child, but, because of his hero mother, he becomes the genius of the century.”
Having faith in those we love is very important. We should have faith in those around us. Even if others have given up on you, you should have faith in yourself.
1. How did Edison’s mother probably feel when reading the letter?| A．Relaxed. | B．Sad. |
| C．Proud. | D．Calm. |
| A．He wasn’t hard to train. | B．He was really a genius. |
| C．He was too weak to go to school. | D．He wasn’t a normal child. |
| A．She asked him to invent things. | B．She sent him to another school. |
| C．She let him get educated at home. | D．She asked him to study by himself. |
| A．Teachers should love their students. |
| B．Parents know their children the best. |
| C．We should have faith in others and ourselves. |
| D．Most children can be geniuses if encouraged. |
【推荐3】“If you don’t behave, we’ll call the police.” is a lie that parents generally use to get their young children to behave. Parents’ lies work in the short terms, but a new study led by NTU Singapore suggests that they’re associated with harmful effects when the child becomes an adult.
The research team asked 379 Singaporean young adults whether their parents lied to them when they were children, how much they lie to their parents now, and how well they adjust to adulthood challenges. Adults who reported being lied to more as children were more likely to report deceiving their parents in their adulthood. They also said they faced greater difficulty in meeting psychological and social challenges.
Lead author Assistant Professor Setoh Peipei from NTU Singapore’s School of Social Sciences said, “Parenting by lying can seem to save time especially when the real reasons behind why parents want children to do something is complicated to explain. When parents tell children that ‘honesty is the best policy’, but display dishonesty by lying, such behavior can send conflicting messages to their children. Parents’ dishonesty may eventually break trust and promote dishonesty in children. Our research suggests that parenting by lying is a practice that has bad consequences for children when they grow up. Parents should be aware of this and consider alternatives to lying, such as acknowledging children’s feelings, giving information so children know what to expect, offering choices and problem-solving together, to help children develop good behavior.”
The analysis found that parenting by lying could place children at a greater risk of developing problems that the society disapproves, such as aggression (侵害) and rule-breaking behavior. Some limitations of the study include relying on what young adults report about their past experience of parents’ lying. “Future research can explore using more information providers, such as parents, to report on the same topic,” suggested Asst Prof Setoh.
1. Why is a parental lie mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic for discussion. |
| B．To tell a popular way to educate children. |
| C．To prove the great influence of the police. |
| D．To show the harmful effects of parental lies. |
| A．worrying | B．abusing | C．disappointing | D．cheating |
| A．Their parents lied to them when they were young. |
| B．They think lying to their children can avoid wasting time. |
| C．They believe dishonesty can help solve adulthood challenges. |
| D．They are afraid their children will suffer more by telling truth. |
| A．Identify with the children’s emotions. |
| B．Force good behavior on their children. |
| C．Stop children knowing what to expect. |
| D．Let children solve problems independently. |
| A．It is quite controversial. |
| B．It is rather meaningless. |
| C．It needs to be perfected. |
| D．It demands honest responses. |
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.
1. The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes .
| A．when he was a little boy | B．while he was in Paris |
| C．because his parents told him so | D．from books |
| A．the President himself | B．a French cook |
| C．the President’s cook | D．the President’s wife |
| A．people from other countries | B．from France |
| C．men only | D．people of his own country |
| A．All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes. |
| B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice. |
| C．All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice. |
| D．None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. |
【推荐2】At Mrs. Jennings’ handsome house, in London.
While waiting for dinner, Marianne Dashwood wrote a letter very quickly. Elinoir Dashwood noticed a large “W” in the address. Marianne rang the bell to have someone post it immediately.
After dinner, there was a loud knock at the door. Marianne cried, “Oh, it’s Willoughby!” and seemed to throw herself into his arms when Colonel Brandon came in. She was so surprised that she immediately left the room.
Elinor made the tea for Colonel Brandon. He did not stay long.
The next morning, upon arriving at home after shopping, Marianne flew upstairs.
“No letter has been left here for me since we went out. How strange!” she said, in a low and disappointed voice.
About a week later, they saw Mr. Willoughby’s card on the table when they came in from morning’s drive. He had been there while the ladies were out.
“He will call again tomorrow,” said Elinor.
Marianne decided to stay behind the next morning，when the others went out. One look at her sister when they returned was enough to tell Elinor that Willoughby had not called.
Colonel Brandon came again to tea and had short private conversation with Elinor.
“Your sister’s engagement to Mr. Willoughby is very well known.”
“It cannot be well known,” returned Elinor, “for her own family does not know it.”
“I am sorry but I did not realize it was a secret. I came to ask，is everything decided？Is it possible to? Excuse me, Miss Dashwood. I believe I have been wrong in saying so much.”
From these words Elinor was sure of something, yet she knew he could never be successful with her.
Over the next three or four days, Willoughby neither came nor wrote.
One evening at a party, Marianne suddenly saw Willoughby standing in deep conversation with a young woman, whose name was Grey, a rich lady.
“He is there! Oh! Why does he not look at me? Why can’t I speak to him?”
“Marianne,” said Elinor, “perhaps he hasn’t seen you yet.”
At last he came to them.
“Willoughby, what’s wrong? Did you not get my letters? Won’t you look at me?”
After a moment’s pause, he spoke. “I came by last Tuesday but unfortunately did not see you. My card was not lost, I hope.”
“Have you not received my notes?” cried Marianne. “Tell me Willoughby; tell me, what’s the matter?”
Quiet and embarrassed, he said nothing more and turned quickly away to Miss Grey. Marianne, turning white and unable to stand, fell into her chair.
1. Before the party, Marianne badly desired ________.| A．to write a letter to Willoughby | B．to receive Willoughby’s card |
| C．to be visited by Willoughby | D．to be invited by Willoughby |
| A．Elinor knew that Marianne loved Brandon. | B．Elinor knew that the Dashwoods love money. |
| C．Elinor knew that Willoughby loved Marianne. | D．Elinor knew that Brandon loved Marianne. |
| A．He didn’t call Marianne until the party to give her a surprise. |
| B．He was already on the side of another woman with more money. |
| C．He was too shy to declare in public his deep love for Marianne. |
| D．He felt disappointed that Brandon was between him and Marianne. |
| A．Marianne received a letter from Willoughby saying he would be engaged. |
| B．Marianne was visited by Willoughby to dance together. |
| C．Marianne was told that Willoughby loved Elinor. |
| D．Marianne was visited by Willoughby. |
【推荐3】Ed Jackson’s team were trying to climb to the top of a Himalayan mountain. However, weeks after they set off, they were stranded there overnight without water, food or tents at a temperature of about －30℃. They took turns to keep each other awake in case they fell asleep and did not wake up again.
Actually, that night on the mountain top was not the first time that Jackson had been close to death.
Five years ago, while still a professional rugby player, Jackson broke his neck in a challenge, which nearly killed him. Jackson was told by doctors that he was likely to face life in a wheelchair. He was forced to retire from playing rugby.
Luckily, Jackson managed to discard his wheelchair six months after the accident. To mark the first anniversary of his accident, Jackson set himself the goal of climbing Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, even though he was still using two crutches then. He tried to climb many higher mountains after that. Four years later, he found himself in the Himalayas.
The challenges that Jackson faced in the mountains have had a great impact on his recovery both physically and mentally. Jackson realized that others might benefit, too. So he started the charity Millimeters to Mountains (M2M) with his wife Lois and his friend Oily Barkley. It takes beneficiaries who have suffered physical or psychological injuries in challenges around the world, allowing them to access the healing power of nature.
Jackson says, “I once lost hope in life because of my bad condition, thinking there was nothing I could do. But hopefully what I’m doing, what we’re doing with the charity and what our beneficiaries are proving can give anyone the hope that they can turn their life around, no matter how discouraging it might seem at that moment.”
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?| A．Jackson was tired of ball games. |
| B．Jackson was no stranger to suffering in life. |
| C．Jackson was well respected for his survival skills. |
| D．Jackson was advised to do exercise by his doctors. |
| A．Give up. | B．Figure out. | C．Move on. | D．Look through. |
| A．To educate sports lovers. | B．To raise money for the disabled. |
| C．To encourage safe mountain climbing. | D．To help people with similar experiences. |
| A．Enthusiastic but impolite. | B．Creative but impatient. |
| C．Adventurous and inspiring. | D．Responsible and humorous. |
【推荐1】I started in the profession of journalism in an age of typewriters and telex machines. The technology is totally different now but the principles of honest journalism remain the same.
My first job was at the Bradford Telegraph and Argus (T&A). The news editor, Don retaught me how to get the balance between information and entertainment and to respect the readers, who could always write in to complain.
Later, I went to London Reuters as a trainee, where we had a slang expression — GSIT — which meant “good story, if true”. And it was our job to make sure the stories were true. At Reuters, four senior editor s drilled into us that we were the witnesses of the world. Accuracy and balance were to journalists what basic hygiene was to medics. So as one of very few women in the newsroom, I never felt that my gender held me back. Instead, I realised that competence “being a good operator” — was all that mattered.
I increasingly learnt subtle things about the craft of journalism. As essential as it was to be prepared, it was vital to keep an open mind because you never knew what you would find when you went out into the field. What you found was what you had to report, not what you imagined or wanted to be true. Once, I went to Stavanger in Norway with a fixed idea in my head: American oil workers had come to the city to take advantage of the North Sea oil boom. I was convinced that they would end up raising hell in the area, and, before leaving, sold the story to my editors with that angle. In reality, it turned out to be the other way round. I had to recast my planned story. It was a good lesson for me.
In journalism, you never know who your readers are going to be, and you cannot guess their response. How they respond is their right. You state the facts and leave them to draw their own conclusions. Truth can be bitter. But truth can’t be replaced. “Beauty is truth, truth beauty that is all you know on earth, and all you need to know,” as the poet Keats put it, so beautifully truthfully.
1. What do we know about the author’s work experience?| A．She stood out at T&A for her wonderful performance. |
| B．She respected the readers despite their dissatisfaction. |
| C．She learned most of her professional skills from Don Alred. |
| D．She received many complaints from the readers at Reuters. |
| A．She should improve her competence. | B．She was not treated as equally as men. |
| C．She was quite confused as a trainee. | D．She would have a promising career. |
| A．be very sensitive to unexpected events | B．be prepared before covering an event |
| C．maintain communication with the editors | D．not judge before actually looking into it |
| A．Balance. | B．Independence. | C．Truthfulness. | D．Responsibility. |
【推荐2】I’m running some 3,550 kilometers. To be more exact, this jog is mostly around my neighborhood in Ottawa. It is the distance by air to Vancouver that my friend Louise and I are doing. If we make it, Louise and I will get on a plane to Vancouver and compete in one of the BMO Vancouver Marathon weekend races. We may not win medals, but for certain we’ll have cake for my seventy-fifth birthday at the finish line.
The workout for big birthdays represents a big change for me. I used to hate birthdays, especially those milestone ones. No longer feeling young is horrible. As I approached my sixtieth birthday, Louise suggested setting targets to mark milestone birthdays. “That way you are looking forward to something, not dreading it,” she pointed out.
By doing those expanding my world or requiring new skills, I feel myself growing, rather than shrinking. For my sixtieth, I got it into my head that I should do an Olympic distance triathlon(铁人三项赛), which turned out to be a real milestone. After over four hours on the course, I was last among the 95 competitors. But I was the oldest woman competing, so that made me first in my age group. Since then, I’ve looked on the special days as a call for trying something different. For my sixty-fifth birthday, I went to run a half marathon. And I finished seven activities that took me out of my “comfort zone” at seventy.
I’m fortunate to have celebrated so many birthdays in sound health and spirits, so whether I succeed in running to Vancouver or not, I’m grateful for the opportunity. One thing I’ve learned in taking up these challenges is that there are many possibilities for new adventures and achievements, even as we grow older. So do spend every day of every year with a definite end in view, which will release your energy and brighten your day.
1. How does the author plan to observe her 75th birthday?| A．Running 3,550 km around her neighborhood. | B．Going jogging in Ottawa. |
| C．Flying to Vancouver with a friend. | D．Joining in a marathon race. |
| A．Calm. | B．Fearful. | C．Positive. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．It made her feel much younger. | B．It changed her attitude to birthdays. |
| C．It proved she was in good condition. | D．It made her step outside her comfort zone. |
| A．Living with a clear goal. |
| B．Appreciating new challenges. |
| C．Remaining energetic by exercising regularly. |
| D．Celebrating birthdays by running marathons. |
【推荐3】At the age of 9, my father passed away. I often helped mum with the housework and changing the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器) bag and picking up things the machine did not suck up always drove me crazy. One day 20 years later, in 1978, I was doing chores at home alongside my wife. The vacuum cleaner was screaming, and worse still, I had to empty the bag several times. But for my wife’s comfort, I would have lost it just as I did many years ago. It was at that time that I decided to make a bagless vacuum cleaner. And I even imagined myself using it for the next weekend cleaning.
Easier said than done, of course. I didn’t realize that I would spend the next five years perfecting my design, a process that resulted in 5,127 different prototypes (设计原型). By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash, and we were getting further and further into debt. These were tough times, but with my family, I pulled through and each failure brought me closer to solving the problem.
I just had a passion for the vacuum cleaner as a product, but I never thought of going into a business with it. In the early 1980s, I started trying to get licensing agreements (许可协议) for my technology. The reality was very different, however. The major vacuum makers had built a business model based on the profits from bags and filters (滤网). No one would license my idea, not because it was a bad one, but because it was bad for business.
That gave me the courage to keep going, but soon after, the companies that I had talked with started making machines like mine. I had to fight legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic to protect the patents on my vacuum cleaner. However, I was still in financial difficulties until 1993, when my bank manager personally persuaded Lloyds Bank to lend me $1 million. Then my bagless vacuum cleaner was produced in large numbers. Within two years, the Dyson vacuum cleaner became a best-seller in Britain.
Today, I still embrace risk and the potential for failure as part of my life. “Go out and brainstorm new ideas.” I often tell myself.
1. From the first paragraph, we know that _____.| A．Dyson resolved to make a vacuum cleaner in memory of his father. |
| B．Dyson decided to develop an innovative vacuum cleaner for his wife while in his thirties. |
| C．Dyson was not a little annoyed when the vacuum cleaner went wrong. |
| D．Dyson didn’t lose the vacuum cleaner he used because his wife comforted him. |
| A．In the early 1980s. |
| B．After his bank manager agreed to lend him $1 million. |
| C．After he was given a $1 million loan. |
| D．Before he obtained a patent on the product. |
| A．Dyson dreamed of making a fortune when he began his invention |
| B．Dyson might owe his success to his family |
| C．Dyson had no confidence in his vacuum cleaner initially |
| D．Dyson’s vacuum cleaner was not licensed in the early 1980’s for its poor quality |
| A．More haste, less speed. |
| B．Silence is gold. |
| C．Without adventure, one can not know himself. |
| D．He who never failed might never succeed. |
