In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 18. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day.
It’s a process. Remember: Little steps add up to big dreams..
【小题1】 When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be________
A.a writer | B.a teacher | C.a doctor | D.a judge |
A.She wanted to study by herself. |
B.She decided to look after her grandma. |
C.She suffered from a serious illness. |
D.She fell in love and got married. |
A.Failure is the mother of success. |
B.Every coin has two sides. |
C.Little by little, one goes far. |
D.Well begun, half done. |
A.Caring and determined. |
B.Honest and responsible. |
C.Ambitious and sensitive. |
D.Innocent and single-minded. |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】B
【小题4】C
【小题5】A
解析试题分析:本文讲述了作者从小充满梦想,并持之以恒付诸实践,将梦想变成现实,21年后拿下法律文凭。刚开始学习就要弃学照顾患癌症的姥姥。结婚后收养了三个儿子并自己生下一个孩子。从此既要照顾孩子但又不放弃学习,拿下学历,为孩子树立榜样。一个简单人很简单的思想。很大的困难融入以后一切都变得那么正常。很多事情都要从量变到质变,不能着急,要持之以恒。生命就是个过程,伟大的梦想需要一步一步脚踏实地的完成。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. 作者相当一名法官,故选D。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据I made the choice to leave college to care for her.作者辍学去照顾她的祖母,故选B。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo—a joyous zoo.作者忙但是很快乐,故选B。
【小题4】写作意图题。根据little steps add up to big dreams.可知作者认为每天一小步可以成就大梦想,故选C。
【小题5】细节理解题。根据她收养了三个男孩说明她有爱心,她很忙坚持21年拿下文凭说明她又有决心,故选A。
考点:故事类短文阅读。
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Richard Wagner was a German musician has been a very controversial(有争议的) person, but he has gained great fame by writing opera, a form of performance combining singing, music on instruments, and drama.
While he wrote excellent music, many people think his operas are too dark and serious, lacking the fun common in operas written before his time.
Wagner, on the other hand, thought the opera of his time was too simple.He wanted to make opera a serious form of art that combined drama and music to tell deep stories that would have a strong effect on the audience.
Some people thought Wagner’s new kind of music was too different from the operas they were used to hearing.Wagner agreed with them.In fact, he didn’t call his works “operas” at all, using instead a German word that means “Musical Festival” or “Musical play”.
While many people today still do not like Wagner’s operas, they cannot deny that Wagner has had a lot of influence on opera as a form of art.Wagner invented the tradition of turning off the lights before starting a play.He also was the first person to make the whole audience sit down for an entire play.Today, almost all operas are performed in this manner.
Wagner as a man was even more controversial than Wagner as a writer of music.He hated Jewish people, and made many people angry, which we would today think of as evil.Some would say he was a good musician, while others would say that he was a bad musician.But it would be difficult to say he was not an important person in music and in the world.
【小题1】Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A.Richard Wagner is not worth talking about |
B.Richard Wagner has made many people angry |
C.Richard Wagner has contributed much to opera. |
D.Richard Wagner is a very controversial man. |
A.He wanted to influence people with deep stories. |
B.He wanted to make his music simple to follow. |
C.He wanted to make it suitable for his deep voice. |
D.He was greatly influenced by previous musicians. |
A.he called his works “Musical Festivals” |
B.his drama, music and singing are combined |
C.the lights are off before starting a play |
D.the audience could sit down during his play |
A.His works are seldom accepted |
B.His works are known to be funny. |
C.His works started a new tradition. |
D.Most people are angry about his works. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
We often hear people talking about a generation gap (代沟). The name is new,but the idea is old. Young people and their parents don’t understand each other. The world has always kept changing. During the second century after Christ a wise man said, “Bury me on my face because in a little while everything will be turned upside down.” There has always been a gap between generations, but more people talk about it now. Old Mr. Ellis thinks he understands what has happened. “When I was a boy, I thought the world was a beautiful place. My life was very pleasant. But when I was older, I learned about people who were treated badly, people who didn’t have enough to eat. I wanted to help them, and I married a girl who wanted to help them, too. We went to meetings and talked a lot, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. ”“Our children grew up in a world at war. They didn’t know when the fighting would stop. They wanted their children to have nice clothes and toys. They didn’t want to think about the future. They thought nothing could be done about it.” “Now I have grandchildren, and they have their own ideas. They are trying to make the world better. They are trying to help other people. They’re making people listen to them. I am proud of their generation.”
【小题1】 The wise man mentioned in the text told people to bury him on his face so that when everything is turned upside down he will _____.
A.lie on his stomach | B.lie on his back |
C.stand quietly | D.sit in peace |
A.Mr. Ellis’ generation | B.His children’s generation |
C.His grandchildren’s generation | D.None of the above. |
A.Unacceptable. | B.Awful. | C.Funny. | D.Common. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
A cancer-stricken British teenage girl said Thursday she had been moved by messages of support from around the world after writing an online "Bucket List" of things she wanted to do before dying.
Alice Pyne, l5, created an Internet blog in which she described her fight against a cancer of the white blood cells. “I’ve been fighting cancer for almost four years and now l know that the cancer is gaining on me and it doesn't look like I'm going to win this one," she wrote.
For her list, the teenager took inspiration from the 2007 film “The Bucket List”, in which two terminally ill(患绝症的) men, played by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, draw up a list of things they wish to do before they die.
On her list, at the site www.alicepyne.blogspot.com, she has included making everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor(骨髓捐赠者), swimming with sharks, meeting boy band Take That and getting a purple iPad computer.
Messages of support and offers of help quickly flooded her webpage and it became one of the most talked about subjects on Twitter.
"Oh dear and I thought that I was just doing a little blog for a few friends!" she wrote after her site attracted huge attention. "Thank you so much for all your lovely messages to me."
Pyne, who lives with her family in the northwest English town of Ulverston, revealed (透露) the management of Take That had arranged for her to see the band after reading her blog. A group of local lawmakers have also joined forces with the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity to encourage people to join its stem cell register.
【小题1】What happened after Alice Pyne wrote her "Bucket List"?
A.The media called on people to help her. |
B.People sent gifts to her from all over the world. |
C.A lot of people offered to donate bone marrow to her. |
D.People around the world sent messages to support her. |
A.express her last few wishes |
B.say goodbye to a few friends |
C.give comfort to two terminally ill men |
D.catch people's attention |
A.is unaware of her own conditions |
B.is calm to know that death is approaching |
C.is very sad to know that she will die |
D.is still quite confident in fighting against cancer |
A.To meet a boy. | B.To get a cool computer. |
C.To swim with sharks. | D.To ask people to donate bone marrow. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Moving can bring out the best and the worst in people, I’m finding. And I’ve discovered where a very generous spirit lives: Defiance, Ohio.
After suffering through many months of unemployment, my wife and I had to move this week from Colorado to Ohio, where she would work as a sales assistant. Not knowing a person there, we were pretty concerned about all the work, including how we’d get all the things unloaded without killing ourselves.
We decided to pay a couple of college students to help with all the heavy lifting once we got there. But one neighbor after another stopped by and joined in. “What? Have we moved to some other country? Maybe we’ve died and gone to heaven!” I thought.
Unloading actually became fun as we connected with so many wonderful new friends as we worked. The more people that helped, the easier the work became. A job we were afraid might take days for the two of us alone was done in just a few hours. Many total strangers would either walk by or drive by to ask us if we were moving in. Many were delighted that this fine old house that had sat empty for so long was coming to life again. We were invited to an outdoor meal yesterday by neighbors on the same street.
All the while, my brain was on this new sense of hope that people could be outgoing and kind to strangers. Among all the conversations were lots of offers to be of help to one another in a variety of ways. It’s wonderful to live in such a kind little town. I feel so grateful to be here, and wish the rest of the world could see how an entire society can be a model for what it’s like to look out for one another. I used to stay away from friendships with strangers, but now I live in Defiance!
【小题1】The author and his wife moved to Defiance because ________.
A.they thought moving often brought out the best |
B.a couple of students had promised to help them |
C.they liked this little town |
D.his wife had found a job |
A.grateful | B.surprised | C.embarrassed | D.excited |
A.help them unload | B.invite them to a dinner |
C.offer to drive them around | D.welcome their coming |
A.He hated to live in a little town. |
B.He liked to make friends with strangers. |
C.He usually offered some help to others. |
D.He refused to make friends with strangers. |
A.we don’t know what is good until we have lost it |
B.kindness is the sunshine of social life |
C.where there is a will, there is a way |
D.there is no place like home |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
As one comes to some crossroads, he or she sees a sign which says that drivers have to stop when they come to the main road ahead. At other crossroads, drivers have to go slow, but they do not actually have to stop unless, of course, there is something coming along the main road; and at still others, they do not have either to stop or to go slow, because they are themselves on the main road.
Mr Williams, who was always a very careful driver, was driving home from work one evening when he came to a crossroad. It had a “SLOW” sign. He slowed down when he came to the main road, looked both ways to see that nothing was coming, and then drove across without stopping completely.
At once he heard a police whistle(口哨声), so he pulled into the side of the road and stopped. A policeman walked over to him with a notebook and a pen in his hand and said, “You didn’t stop at that crossing.”
“But the sign there doesn’t say ‘STOP’,” answered Mr Williams, “ It just says ‘SLOW’, and I did go slow.”
The policeman looked around him, and a look of surprise came over his face. Then he put his notebook and pen away, scratched(抓) his head and said, “Well, I’m in the wrong street !”
【小题1】Mr Williams was driving ____ one evening.
A.to a party | B.to his office |
C.home after work | D.to work from home |
A.was driving at a high speed | B.was driving onto the main road |
C.was going to stop his car | D.was driving slowly |
A.he didn't see any “STOP” sign there |
B.he paid no attention to the traffic rules |
C.he didn't have to stop |
D.he was eager to get home |
A.he met a mad man |
B.he realized that he himself was mistaken |
C.Mr Williams dared to speak to him like that |
D.Mr Williams would not apologize to him |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”
【小题1】Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?
A.He was worried he would lose the match. |
B.He thought it was unfair for Charlie. |
C.He didn’t care about money. |
D.He preferred chicken to money. |
A.Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf |
B.Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf |
C.Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play |
D.Charlie Boswell was born blind |
A.Competitive and generous | B.Energetic and reliable |
C.Careful and considerate | D.Confident and smart |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered.
“It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.”
“No,” the woman still refused.
“OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill.
“What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.
【小题1】Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?
A.He wanted to show his kindness. |
B.He wanted to have a pleasant journey. |
C.He wanted to earn some money from it. |
D.He wanted to make friends with the woman. |
A.$ 500. | B.$ 5. | C.$ 10. | D.$ 490. |
A.The woman told the man the answer to her question. |
B.The woman gave the man’s money back to him. |
C.The woman asked the man another question. |
D.The woman didn’t know the answer, either. |
A.clever | B.friendly | C.polite | D.honest |
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