A French father-of-two who swam across the Channel 16 years after losing all his limbs(四肢) in an electrical accident said Sunday that he was “the happiest man alive.”

Philippe Croizon, a 42-year-old former metalworker, said he had performed his feat(壮举)to inspire all those “who think life is nothing but suffering.”

He set off from Folkestone in southern England just before 8:00 am on Saturday, and arrived on the French coast near Wissant just before 9:30 pm, aided by his specially designed flipper-shaped prosthetic(假肢的)legs.

Steadying himself with his prosthetic arms, Croizon kept up a constant speed in good weather and was accompanied by wild dolphins for part of the 33-kilometre (20-mile) crossing. “For a while, I didn’t realize what I’d done. It was only that night, when I went to bed, that suddenly I burst out laughing, and told myself, ‘You did it!’,” he told AFP by telephone from his home in northern France.

In 1994 Croizon was hit by a 20,000-volt charge as he attempted to remove a television aerial from a house roof. “I was on my hospital bed; they’d just finished cutting off my last leg. You can imagine how that felt. And then I saw a television documentary on a female swimmer who crossed the Channel,” he explained.

“There and then, I asked myself: ‘Why not me one day?’” he said.

Croizon trained for two years and last month completed a 12-hour swim between the ports of Noirmoutier and Pornic on France’s Atlantic coast, but his final Channel crossing was much faster than he had expected. “I wanted to slow down, but I couldn’t. The motor was running,” he said, adding that he had expected to be at sea for 24 hours.

“It was huge. I was in the zone. I was inside my head. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone,” he said, declaring that his next long-distance challenge will be to swim between Europe and Africa.

60. What led to Philippe’s decision to swim across the English Channel?

A. The aim to inspire all those suffering from disabilities.

B. His strong will and determination.

C. The female swimmer who crossed the Channel.

D. His unfortunate experience.

61. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. Philippe’s success in crossing the Channel was incredible

B. the wild dolphins kept him company all the way

C. it took him 24 hours to cross the Channel

D. Philippe planned to travel to Africa

62. What does the underlined sentence mean in the last paragraph?

A. Philippe was swimming in his head.

B. Philippe filled his mind with determination to succeed.

C. Philippe was imagining his success.

D. Philippe was dreaming about his swimming across the Channel.

63. What can be the best title of the passage?

A. Limbless Man Crosses The English Channel

B. Crossing The Channel with Prosthetic Flippers.

C. Philippe’s Purpose of Crossing the Channel.

D. How Philippe Became Limbless.

阅读下面文章，回答问题。

(A)

  The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian architecture (建筑). It is at Agra in northern India. It lies beside the River Jumna in the middle of gardens with quiet pools.

　 　The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul emperor (皇帝) Shah Jehan, who ruled India in the seventeenth century. It is in memory of his favorite wife, Arjumand Banu Bagam, known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The building, which was completed between 1632 and 1638, was designed by a local Muslim architect (建筑师), Ustad Ahmad Lahori. The whole building, with gardens and gateway structures, was completed in 1643. The Taj Mahal stands at one end of the garden tomb with marble (大理石) path. The room is softly lighted by the light that passes through double screens of carved marble set high in the walls. The building now is kept in good condition.

　 　The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build. Shah Jehan planned a similar building, but in black instead of white, to lie on the other side of the river. But before it could be built, Shah Jehan was imprisoned (监禁) by his son and buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal. 

1. The Taj Mahal was built for____ .

A. Mumtaz                     　B. Shah

C. Either Mumtaz or Shah        　D. Both Mumtaz and Shah

2. The passage mainly tells us____ .

A. why the Taj Mahal was built

B. the love story between Shah and Mumtaz

C. some information about the Taj Mahal

D. the Taj Mahal—the pride of Indians

3. Form the passage we can learn that____ .

A. the Taj Mahal looks more beautiful than before.

B. the Taj Mahal doesn't exist now.

C. the Taj Mahal has completely changed.

D. the Taj Mahal has become a place of interest.

(B)

Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing. Three years ago, few people would go swimming in the icy waters. But now there is a Winter-swimming Enthusiasts’ Club（冬泳爱好者协会）and it has more than 2 000 members. The oldest is 84 years old and the youngest is only 7. The members are from all walks of life. They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, students…

Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city’s lakes is around 0℃, many winter-swimmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes.

Why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one’s health.

Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69, and he once suffered from heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health.

4. What does the underlined sentence “The members are from all walks of life” mean?  

A. The members do different jobs at different places.

B. They come from all parts of Beijing.

C. They are persons of different ages.

  D. They are men and women, old and young.

5. The winter-swimmers are able to swim in the icy waters, even on snowy days because       .

  A. they are not afraid of coldness

  B. they often swim in the icy waters

  C. they know that they can benefit（得益）from it

  D. winter-swimming can make people healthy

6. Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing because       .

  A. more and more people like to swim in Beijing

  B. it is more interesting than swimming in summer

  C. winter-swimmers are brave men

  D. winter-swimming does a lot of good to one’s health

7. What’s the best title for this passage?

  A. People in Beijing Like Swimming in Winter

  B. Winter-swimming—A Craze（狂热）in Beijing

  C. People Benefit from Winter-swimming

  D. Winter-swimmers Are Brave Men

Imagine someone has crossed the seas joining five continents by swimming. It is a major success for anyone. But it is an even greater success for Philippe Croizon, who has no arms, and no legs! His achievements show that we can all achieve great things—no matter who we are.

Philippe Croizon was 26 years old when he had an accident. The doctors had to remove both of his arms and legs. “When they cut off my last leg I wanted to die. I suffered great depression and my spirit was as low as you can get. But you have to choose—and I chose to live!” said Croizon.

While he was recovering in hospital, Croizon saw a television programme about a woman who had been swimming across the English Channel. After watching the programme Croizon decided to do it. He began to exercise every day to make him strong and it took him two years to prepare.

Finally in 2010, Croizon was ready. He entered the cold, grey sea of the English Channel. He was now 42 years old. It took him from early morning until night to swim the distance. He felt a lot of pain. But he had become the first person without arms and legs to swim between France and England. Croizon had achieved his dream, but he did not stop there. He looked for a new goal.

Early in 2012 he planned to swim across the seas that join five major continents. During the next few months he swam between the four continents of Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe and finally in the cold waters of the Bering Strait between the continents of Asia and the Americas.

“We want to show people something. If disabled people have courage and a lot of training they can do the same things as those who are not disabled,” said Croizon.

1.According to the passage, Philippe Croizon _____.

A. was born with disability                      

B. suffered a lot from the accident

C. chose to live because of a TV programme        

D. was fond of swimming since he was young

2.What do we know about Philippe Croizon’s swimming across the English Channel?

A. It took him two years to finish it.            

B. He was the first person to achieve it.

C. It was easy for him to finish the swim.        

D. He spent a lot of time preparing for it.

3.Philippe Croizon’s crossing the seas joining five continents______.

A. lasted a month                             

B. ended in the Bering Strait

C. happened when he was 42 years old       

D. was inspired by a television programme

4.Which of the following can best describe Philippe Croizon’s story?

A. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.           

B. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

C. Actions speak louder than words.          

D. The finest diamond must be cut.

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Hope in the corner                        

B. A disabled man’s dream

C. Challenges to Philippe Croizon              

D. Philippe Croizon’s amazing swim

 

（云南省玉溪一中2010届高三上学期期中考试）

A

I was watching Sportscenter last night when one of those “human interest” stories came on and really caught my attention.

The story was about a 27-year-old professional Bass Fisherman named Clay Dyer. At first, they played it off as another guy trying to make the cut on the Bassmaster tour until they showed a picture of him. No legs, no arm, or rather, he has only 1/3 of his right arm. That’s all that he has.

It was such an amazing story that I was wondering what this guy could do. Growing up, he learned to play baseball and basketball, but found that fishing was his true calling. And he does it all on his own. He holds the fishing pole under his chin and uses that and his stub (残端) arm to cast and reel in(收进) the fish. He uses his teeth to help him unhook fish. He ties his own hooks or lures on with his mouth, never really asking anyone else to help. Clay Dyer even knows how to swim. Since his body can’t produce enough sweat on its own, he has to take a dip in the lake every few hours to keep cool. He dives in just like anyone else, then somehow treads water(踩水) with his stub arm, then, with a little help, pulls himself back up into the boat and goes on fishing.

Clay Dyer has never looked for others’ pity, nor has he allowed his physical disabilities to prevent him from becoming a professional fisherman. His motto for life is "If I can, you can." He refuses to use special equipment, saying, "I want to do it with one hand the way they do it with two."

56. Why did the author become interested in Clay Dyer?

A. He assumed Dyer was living happily.        

B. He took great pity on this disabled man.

C. He wanted to know what Dyer could do.

D. He thought that Dyer could do nothing.

57. While fishing, Dyer dives into the lake from time to time _________.

A. to change the lures（鱼饵）                 B. to do some exercise

C. to cast a fishing line                        D. to cool himself down

58. We learn from the last paragraph that _________.

A. Dyer aims to behave like a normal person

B. physical disabilities fail to destroy his faith

C. special equipment is allowed when fishing

D. it seems easy for Clay Dyer to go fishing

59. Which word best describes Clay Dyer’s personality?

A. Diligent.      B. Inspiring.            C. Faithful.        D. Stubborn.