Let me tell you about my relationship with the school desk. From my first day at Penny Camp Elementary School in 1982, it was terrible. This is how it went down: five seconds into class, the foot start bouncing;10 seconds in, both feet; 15 seconds, I burst out the drums! After a few minutes, it’s all over. I’m trying to put my leg behind my neck. No, that desk and I didn’t get along.
Sitting still was hard enough, but I also struggled with reading. Reading out loud in class was a special kind of hell(地狱). By the third grade I had progressed from being one of “those kids” to being the “special kid”. I was found to have multiple language-based learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder (A.D.D) (注意力缺陷障碍症). I was turned into a “patient” who needed treatment rather than a human being with differences. I struggled with severe anxiety and depression at age 10.
I survived this time in my life because of my mom. She knew in her heart that her child wasn’t broken and didn’t need to be fixed.My mom was right. When I think back on my school experience, I realize it wasn’t the A.D.D. that disabled me. What disabled me were limitations not in myself but in the environment. I’ve come to believe that I did not have a disability, as it is common to say, but experienced disability in environments that could not accommodate and accept my differences.
In the fall of 1977, after two years at Loyola Marymount University, where my learning differences were fully accommodated, I transferred to(转学) Brown University, where I graduated with an honors degree in English literature. I still can’t spell or sit still, but I now use support and technology to relieve my weakness and build a life on my strengths. I don’t feel stupid anymore and I know that I—and others like me—can live good lives despite these challenges.
1. What does the author want to tell us in the first paragraph?| A．He didn’t like to study. | B．He used to be active at school. |
| C．He suffered from a broken desk. | D．He had trouble sitting still in class. |
| A．Exited. | B．Uneasy. |
| C．Interested. | D．Bored. |
| A．He is living a good life with his weakness. |
| B．His disability has been cured by technology. |
| C．He got his honors degree in English literature in the fall of 1997. |
| D．He was transferred to Brown University because of his disability. |
| A．a disability is nothing but a difference |
| B．family’s support is the most important |
| C．disabled people can’t live well however hard they work |
| D．sometimes limitations of the environment disable a person |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】“I will think of it ”It is easy to say this ; but do you know what great things have come from thinking? We can not see our thoughts, or hear, or taste , or feel them; and yet what strong power they have！
Sir Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening, when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think, and, in trying to find out why the apple fell, discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.
A boy named James Watt quietly by the fireside, watching the lid (盖子) of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. He began to think; he wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the heavy lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking; and when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of many horses.
James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd (羊倌) boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he was filled with wonder. “Why should I not make a watch?" he thought. But how was he to get the materials out of which to make the wheels and the mainspring (钟表等的主发条)? He soon found how to get them: he made the mainspring out of a piece of whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and portraits (肖像) with oil colors. In a few yeas, while still a small boy, he earned money enough to support his father. When he became a man, he went to London to live. Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, used to attend his lectures. His motto was, “I will think of it ,”and he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.
When you have a difficult lesson to learn, don't feel discouraged or ask someone to help you before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.
1. What can we learn about James Ferguson?| A．He was born in a rich family | B．His wooden clock seldom worked well |
| C．He was a painter from England | D．His mind greatly influenced the world |
| A．crazy | B．impatient |
| C．curious | D．easy-going |
| A．Thoughts are not important since we can see or touch them. |
| B．It is important to try a challenge on our own. |
| C．Ask for help right away when things get hard. |
| D．Great people have great teachers. |
| A．I Will Think of It |
| B．Why Should Not I Have a Try? |
| C．Nothing is Impossible to a Willing Heart |
| D．Great Scientists Make a Great World |
【推荐2】In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animals. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others. Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At that moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1. The author feels sad sometimes because .| A．he has a soft heart | B．some people fail to see the kindness in others |
| C．some people pretend to be kind | D．he relies much on others |
| A．They waited with patience. | B．They speeded up to pass. |
| C．They tried their best to help. | D．They put on their flashlights too. |
| A．A Wheelchair Experience. | B．A Driving Experience |
| C．Weakness and Strength | D．Weakness and Kindness. |
Some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones．When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year．During the previous year Rita had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly．All the children knew Rita would be given the best job．
But there was a big surprise. Each child received a normal job．But Rita’s job was very different．She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant．Though the teacher insisted that this ant was very special, Rita felt disappointed．Most of her classmates felt sorry for her．Even her father became very angry with the teacher and he encouraged Rita to pay no attention to this insignificant pet．However, Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by doing something special with that job of little interest．
Rita started investigating all about her little ant and gave the ant the best food, and it grew quite a bit bigger．
One day, a man, who looked very important, came into their classroom and declared, “Your class has been chosen to accompany me, this summer, on a journey to the tropical rain forest, where we will investigate all kinds of insects．Among all the schools of this region, your class has best cared for the little ant．”
That day the school was filled with joy and celebration．Everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible．And many children learnt that to be given the most important task you have to know how to be responsible even in what are the smallest tasks．
1. What did the teacher base his decision on when giving out jobs to the children?
| A．Their characters and interests． |
| B．Their class performance during the previous year． |
| C．Their working performance during the previous year． |
| D．Their ability of managing their accounts during the previous year． |
| A．Each child got an important job. |
| B．Each child got an interesting job. |
| C．The perfect student got the job of everyone’s preference. |
| D．The most responsible student got the job of least interest. |
| A．Negative． | B．Uncertain． |
| C．Totally positive． | D．Acceptable |
| A．hunter | B．director |
| C．biologist | D．principal |
| A．Never complain about life． |
| B．Small tasks can lead to fortunes． |
| C．Men are best known by their friends． |
| D．Responsibility and intelligence bring good luck． |
【推荐1】Living with aphasia (失语症) has been compared to living in a country where you don’t speak the language. All of a sudden, you can’t express thoughts and feelings as you once could, and if it is progressive, you are feeling it slip away gradually.
A famous actor, Bruce Willis, retired from a four-decade acting career after an aphasia diagnosis (诊断), which has put the disorder in the spotlight. People living with aphasia say they hope his diagnosis will lead to better understanding of a frustrating, isolating condition that affects about 2 million Americans. “How many people have ever heard of aphasia? Pitifully few. Willis’ diagnosis has already sparked a surge of interest in the condition,” said Darlene Williamson, president of the National Aphasia Association.
Aphasia is not a cognitive (认知的) disorder and doesn’t affect intelligence. Most frequently triggered by strokes or other brain injuries, the condition makes it hard to speak or find the proper words and understand what is said or written, leading to shame, embarrassment and frustration.
For patients whose aphasia is brought on by slow progression rather than a stroke, an early warning sign is often having trouble finding a word. They are forced to stop mid-sentence and search for what should come next. That type of aphasia, called primary progressive, is understudied, in part because people are afraid to go to the doctor when they start experiencing warning signs.
“Early diagnosis and intervention are key so patients can start language therapy and develop a system of communication for when speech eventually fails.” Williamson said. With good medical care and speech therapy, most patients should see some improvement. However, “No matter what the cause of aphasia, there is no cure. We never talk in terms of a cure. We talk in terms of living successfully and returning to participation in life. Finding out how to keep an individual with aphasia supported in the community in which they have always lived is essential,” Williamson added.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning Bruce Willis?| A．Bruce had a successful acting career. | B．People pay little attention to aphasia. |
| C．Too many people are leading a frustrating life. | D．Bruce has a good understanding of the disorder. |
| A．Aphasia’s diagnosis and treatment. | B．Aphasia’s triggers and prevention. |
| C．Aphasia’s definition and origin. | D．Aphasia’s causes and effects. |
| A．Fearing to see a doctor. | B．Taking the disease lightly. |
| C．Failing to notice its early signs. | D．Having trouble communicating. |
| A．Early diagnosis contributes a lot to its cure. | B．Community’s support is the key to the patients. |
| C．A full recovery is possible with medical support. | D．People with aphasia will never live successfully. |
【推荐2】At first, I didn’t recognize the symptoms that we all had in common. Friends mentioned that they were having trouble concentrating. It wasn’t burnout — we still had energy. It wasn’t depression — we didn’t feel hopeless. We just felt somewhat joyless and aimless.
It turns out there’s a name for that: languishing.
Languishing is a sense of inactivity and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling (应付) through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield (挡风玻璃).
In psychology, we think about mental health on a spectrum (范围) from depression to flourishing (精力旺盛). Flourishing is the peak of well-being. Depression is the valley of ill-being. Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the emptiness between depression and flourishing — the absence of well-being. You’re not functioning at full capacity. Languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and greatly increases the possibility that you’ll cut back on work.
Part of the danger is that when you’re languishing, you might not notice the dulling of delight or the decreasing of drive. You don’t catch yourself slipping slowly into aloneness; you’re indifferent to your indifference. When you can’t see your own suffering, you don’t seek help or even do much to help yourself.
So what can we do about it? People who became more focused on their work managed to avoid languishing. Interrupted attention is an enemy of engagement and excellence. To go beyond languishing, give yourself some uninterrupted time. It clears out constant distractions (分心) and gives us the freedom to focus. And try starting with small wins by focusing on a challenge that matters to you – an interesting project, a worthwhile goal, or a meaningful conversation.
We still have a lot to learn about what causes languishing and how to cure it, but naming it might be a first step. It could help to defog our vision, giving us a clearer window into what had been an unclear experience. It could remind us that we weren’t alone: languishing is common and shared.
By acknowledging that so many of us are languishing, we can start giving voice to quiet despair and lighting a path out of the emptiness.
1. Which definition best suits the word “languishing”?| A．Feeling exhausted and without hope. |
| B．Becoming weaker or failing to improve. |
| C．Making someone want to achieve something. |
| D．Going beyond the usual limits of something. |
| A．Seeking help when you are suffering. |
| B．Realizing that you are not alone in despair. |
| C．Giving yourself some uninterrupted time. |
| D．Being indifferent to your lack of enthusiasm. |
| A．Give people more freedom. |
| B．See it as depression. |
| C．Name it clearly. |
| D．Remove it from a spectrum. |
| A．We can let the silent despair speak up and find a way out. |
| B．We can continue to learn more about languishing. |
| C．We can see it as basically the same as depression. |
| D．We can study it as the complete opposite of flourishing. |
【推荐3】Bryan started snapping pictures of his son, Noah, from the moment he was born. When Noah was about three months old, Bryan noticed something odd. The flash on the digital camera created the typical red dot in the center of Noah's left eye, but the right eye had a white spot at the center, almost as if the flash was being reflected back at the camera by something.
A white reflection instead of a red one is a telltale sign of retinal cancer, and that is exactly what Noah had. He endured months of chemotherapy and radiation, but doctors ultimately could not save his eyes. Retinoblastoma, the scientific name of Noah's tumor, is treatable if caught early.
Bryan couldn't help but wonder whether there were signs he'd missed. He went back over every baby picture of Noah he could find and discovered the first white spot in a photo taken when Noah was 12 days old. As time went on, it appeared more frequently. By the time he was four months old, it was showing up in 25 percent of the pictures taken of him per month.
It was too late for Noah's eyes, but Bryan was determined to put his hard-won insights to good use. He created a database that charted the cancer's appearance in every photo. He also collected photos and compiled the data from eight other children with retinoblastoma. Armed with that data, he began to work with his colleagues to develop a smartphone app that can scan the photos in the user's camera roll to search for white eye and can be used as a kind of ophthalmoscope.
Called White Eye Detector, it is now available for free on Google Play and in Apple's App Store, “I just kept telling myself, I really need to do this,” Bryan told People. “This disease is tough to detect. Not only could this software save vision, but it can save lives.”
1. Why did the flash on the digital camera create a white spot in the center of Noah's right eye?| A．He had a red dot in his left eye. | B．He was suffering from retinoblastoma. |
| C．He experienced chemotherapy and radiation. | D．He had his eyes shone into by white light. |
| A．When he was born. | B．When he was 3 months old. |
| C．When he was 12 days old. | D．When he was 4 months old. |
| A．He delivered them to hospitals. | B．He looked back at them to discover the first spot. |
| C．He took advantage of them to invent a software. | D．He put them away for commercial use. |
| A．The symptoms of retinoblastoma | B．The misfortune of a boy |
| C．The treatment of a tumor | D．The birth of an app |
【推荐1】My First Marathon
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic”.
The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s，I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted! At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!” By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again. By mile 21, I was starving！As I got close to mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running. I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself and free of worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.
1. Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?| A．To appreciate the support of his teacher. | B．To show he was not talented in sports. |
| C．To amuse the readers with a funny story. | D．To share a precious memory. |
| A．He walked to the end. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He got the first place. | D．He made it. |
| A．A man owes his success to his family support. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．A true winner is one with a great effort of will. | D．Well begun is half done. |
【推荐2】There’re always some stories in life that can hardly be forgotten and will restore our hope for holidays every time we recollect (回忆起).
Johnny and I, along with our two young sons, Barry and Doyle, lived in a village in southern Alabama in 1979. We had bought the boys a bicycle for the New Year, and had hidden it in the garage, where Johnny would assemble (组装) it on New Year’s Eve after the kids fell asleep. But that day, Johnny had to go to Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, an hour away, to repair a jet. I had my hands busy with baking, preparing for holiday dinner and caring for two energetic boys.
Just as I was making the chocolate cake, a neighbor knocked on the door. Beatrice was the only person on our road with a telephone. The base had called to say that a heavy tool had come apart suddenly, hitting Johnny’s arm and breaking the bone. My brother Oto took me to the base hospital while my mother stayed with the children.
We got there to find Johnny with a cast on his arm, anxious to get home regardless of the doctor’s orders. It was New Year’s Eve, Johnny argued, and he had the bike to assemble for his boys. The doctor said he’d consider dismissing him the next morning if Johnny could find someone to drive him home. On New Year’s morning, Johnny called the base and was told everyone was off duty; there was no one to drive him home. Then he tried the motor pool. They said orders would have to come from someone higher up, so Johnny kept making calls. At last, a big blue car with the Air Force sign rolled up.
I was putting dinner on the table when hearing the car. We were thrilled to see Johnny assisted by a uniformed Air Force officer. With Otto’s help, Johnny assembled the boys’ gift, and they all had a good time that afternoon. Our hearts were full of gratitude to the people who had gone the extra mile to bring us together.
1. What had Johnny planned to do on New Year’s Eve?| A．Repair a jet. | B．Prepare a surprise gift. |
| C．Buy his sons a bike. | D．Assemble a bike with his sons. |
| A．To relay a message. | B．To lend out her telephone. |
| C．To make a phone call. | D．To take the author to the hospital. |
| A．Hardworking. | B．Stubborn. | C．Supportive. | D．Affectionate. |
| A．An Unexpected New Year Dinner | B．A Hard-Won New Year Present |
| C．A Treasured New Year Memory | D．A Life-Changing New Year Experience |
“I come out here to tell them that God loves them and I love them and that someone is concerned about them,” Chase said．
Chase has given away cash and blessings every Sunday at the same corner for 24 years. Several hundred people wait for him every week．
He makes a point of coming on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, but this is the first year he spent his birthday in the downtown neighborhood where people live mainly in shelters and on dirty sidewalks．
“It’s the place that makes me the happiest．I just love it,” said Chase. “I look forward to coming here.”
The money comes from donations he receives from rich and famous people he met during his work as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．
The crowd broke into choruses of “Happy Birthday” several times. Some people presented him birthday cards, to his delight．
Travis Kemp, a 51–year–old disabled man with long black hair, was one of the lucky 20 to receive $ 100. He said he had no special plans for spending the money. “He has a lot of respect from me,” Kemp said. “I know I couldn’t do it.”
1. Which of the following makes Chase feel the happiest?
| A．Celebrating his birthday with his neighbours. |
| B．Working in Loyola Marymount University. |
| C．Celebrating Christmas with the people he has helped. |
| D．Going to Los Angeles’ gutter to help people there. |
| A．All his savings. |
| B．His earnings as a Catholic priest. |
| C．Donations from the wealthy and celebrities. |
| D．Donations from Loyola Marymount University. |
| A．he was the luckiest person on that day. |
| B．the disabled need to be taken care of. |
| C．Chase is greatly appreciated by the needy. |
| D．even old people came to celebrate Chase’s birthday. |
| A．Every recipient could get $100 in cash from Father Maurice Chase. |
| B．Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away not only on his birthday but also on other occasions. |
| C．Although Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away on his birthday, he didn’t receive anything in return. |
| D．Father Maurice Chase earned a lot of money as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University. |
