A year ago Michelle was looking forward to all the joys—and challenges—that being a young mother can bring. Instead the 26-year-old victim of a stroke (中风), was left trapped in her own body—able to see, think and hear perfectly but unable to speak or move a muscle. She was a victim of the devastating “locked-in syndrome”, －sometimes described as “like being buried alive”－a type of brain damage usually caused by a stroke, a bleed or a tumour. This means the only way she could communicate with her husband Rick and their two young children was through moving and blinking (眨眼) her eyes.

Before the tragedy, Michelle was an active mother. She suffered the stroke while bathing her baby daughter, Holly. The only warning Michelle had of the stroke was a series of splitting headache in the months before.

Following the attack, the only part of her body she could move was her eyes, meaning all she could do was look up to say ‘yes’ or close an eyelid for ‘no’. Her family have a board with the alphabet (字母表) arranged on different colored backgrounds. They painstakingly work out which letter she wants by indicating each letter on the board. It allows Michelle to explain how she is feeling and whether she is cold or warm. She sends messages to her family and even tells if her son Ryan has been naughty, giving instructions about which toys he can play with.

Rick, 24, has given up his job as a mechanic to look after their children Ryan, three, and Holly, one, and is now training to be Michelle’s full-time carer. Ryan was old enough to know his mummy was unwell but Holly was too young to understand. But she responds really well to Michelle.

To keep her involved in family life, when one of the children needs new clothes Rick will ask for her opinion using the alphabet board. Although it can take minutes to spell out each word the family and nurses wait patiently as it is her only means of communication.

Last month her best friends organized a sponsored running, which raised almost £17,000.

She has been in hospital for almost a year and has left twice, once for her brother’s wedding and once for a fund-raising event. 

Doctors say it is hard to predict her future but she is showing slight signs of improvement. She has started to gain control of her mouth and tongue and can now move her head slightly.

 

1.The devastating “locked-in syndrome” must be a disease caused by _________.

   A. being buried alive           B. a kind of cancer

   C. sudden brain damage        D. the problem of blood

2.It is true that Michelle ________.

   A. can no longer express herself     B. used to be a woman in poor health

   C. can manage her own message    D. is good at talking with her eyes

3.Arrange the time order of the following events.

   a. Rick gave up his job as a mechanic.

   b. Michelle suffered a series of splitting headache.

   c. Michelle’s best friends organized a running.

   d. The tragedy happened while bathing Holly.

   e. Michelle showed her yes and no by blinking

   A. a-b-c-d-e       B. b-e-c-a-d     C. d-b-e-a-c    D. b-d-e-a-c

4.The author tells the story of Michelle in order to ______.

   A. inform of a rare disease and draw attention to its victim

B. describe the terrible life condition of a patient’s family

C. show the wonderful results of family love to a patient

D. tell about the ever-lasting truth: health is above wealth 

 

Richard Rice, a fast-talking man paced up and down in front of the freshmen debate class, telling us about his high expectations. We were special, he declared on our first day at Oak Park High School. But there would be no   21   to success. Only those who worked hard would shine.

Suddenly Mr. Rice   22   in mid-sentence and looked at me. “You know,” he said “you’re black!” Somehow, I knew he wasn’t trying to hurt me.

Mr. Rice was no   23   teacher. I entered high school not even quite sure what debate was. I left his class four years later as an outstanding debater. Even today, I am not sure what   24   such a great teacher of him. He always said whatever he was thinking. And he was   25  . He would march out of the classroom   26   if he thought a student was giving less than his effort. The worse thing with us was to be taken no notice of. Instead, being torn apart by Mr. Rice in the middle of a practice debate meant you were one of his favorites.

He wasn’t always   27   on us. I’ll never forget the National Student Debate, at which my calm delivery and my firm grasp of the problems disappeared. The only face I could make out in the audience was Mr. Rice’ s face. I could   28   I was doing terrible just by looking at him. After it was over, he came over to me. “Not my best   29  ,” I said. He shook his head, “No.” Then, to my surprise, he gave me a hug.

Mr. Rice’s style didn’t make him a great teacher for everyone. Many kids   30    out of the debate class after the first year. But for me four years with him was my unforgettable experience.

21. A. manners              B. methods                   C. shortcuts                  D. steps

22. A. rose                    B. paused                            C. shook                       D. turned

23. A. average               B. excellent                  C. special                            D. usual

24. A. developed           B. made                       C. got                          D. became

25. A. demanding          B. careful                            C. easygoing                 D. gentle

26. A. hopelessly           B. surprisingly                     C. angrily                            D. vitally

27. A. strict                  B. cruel                        C. impatient                  D. hard

28. A. speak                  B. tell                          C. talk                          D. recognize

29. A. speech             B. argument                  C. performance             D. behavior

30. A. got                            B. ran                          C. turned                      D. dropped

I was born in Mississippi in the 1960s. My disabilities were caused by lack of oxygen to my brain when I was a five-year-old boy. I grew up knowing I was different. The first time I felt hurt and left out was in Grade Five. The other fourth and fifth graders played together in gym class, while I was put in the second grade gym class. One day, a famous football player visited the fourth and fifth grade P.E. class. All the kids got his autograph except me because I was with the second graders playing games. Mom called the school to tell them it wasn’t fair, but the school scolded me for complaining too much.

In the 1980s, when my mom was giving birth to my sister, she had made a major stroke（中风）and died. My dad became even more distant. I was very sad and began using alcohol to ease the pain.

Dad got remarried in 1985. Everyone went to his wedding except me; he told me to stay at home and watch the house. When my high school ball came around, I wanted to go but wasn’t allowed. When I graduated, my dad and step-mom refused to hold a party for me. They put me in a group home after graduation.

My life changed when I became a local leader of the National Self-advocacy（自我辩护）Group. At first, I thought the group wasn’t for me, until I found out it was all about empowerment（授权）! My goal is to be the voice for people who haven’t been heard and to empower them. Many families, like mine, don’t believe their disabled families have a voice or mind of their own.

Looking back over my 16 years of leadership experience, I ’m proud that I ’ve helped disabled people. They should be encouraged to never give up and to follow their own path.

56. When the writer was in the fifth grade, he   .

A. was hurt by his classmates in school

B. felt left out for the first time in his life

C. studied with the second graders

D. often complained about the school

57. According to the passage, the writer     .

A. was born disabled           B. didn’t study well at school

C. was happy in his childhood   D. didn’t get along well with his father

58. From the passage we can know that the National Self-advocacy Group is     .

A. an organization that gives disabled people help

B. a club organized completely by disabled people

C. a hospital which only treats people with disabilities

D. a school that teaches parents how to deal with their disabled kids

 

 

I was born in Mississippi in the 1960s. My disabilities were caused by lack of oxygen to my brain when I was a five-year-old boy. I grew up knowing I was different. The first time I felt hurt and left out was in Grade Five. The other fourth and fifth graders played together in gym class, while I was put in the second grade gym class. One day, a famous football player visited the fourth and fifth grade P.E. class. All the kids got his autograph except me because I was with the second graders playing games. Mom called the school to tell them it wasn’t fair, but the school scolded me for complaining too much.

In the 1980s, when my mom was giving birth to my sister, she had made a major stroke（中风）and died. My dad became even more distant. I was very sad and began using alcohol to ease the pain.

Dad got remarried in 1985. Everyone went to his wedding except me; he told me to stay at home and watch the house. When my high school ball came around, I wanted to go but wasn’t allowed. When I graduated, my dad and step-mom refused to hold a party for me. They put me in a group home after graduation.

My life changed when I became a local leader of the National Self-advocacy（自我辩护）Group. At first, I thought the group wasn’t for me, until I found out it was all about empowerment（授权）! My goal is to be the voice for people who haven’t been heard and to empower them. Many families, like mine, don’t believe their disabled families have a voice or mind of their own.

Looking back over my 16 years of leadership experience, I ’m proud that I ’ve helped disabled people. They should be encouraged to never give up and to follow their own path.

1.When the writer was in the fifth grade, he    .

A. was hurt by his classmates in school

B. felt left out for the first time in his life

C. studied with the second graders

D. often complained about the school

2.According to the passage, the writer     .

A. was born disabled           B. didn’t study well at school

C. was happy in his childhood   D. didn’t get along well with his father

3.From the passage we can know that the National Self-advocacy Group is     .

A. an organization that gives disabled people help

B. a club organized completely by disabled people

C. a hospital which only treats people with disabilities

D. a school that teaches parents how to deal with their disabled kids

 

I was born in Mississippi in the 1960s. My disabilities were caused by lack of oxygen to my brain when I was a five-year-old boy. I grew up knowing I was different. The first time I felt hurt and left out was in Grade Five. The other fourth and fifth graders played together in gym class, while I was put in the second grade gym class. One day, a famous football player visited the fourth and fifth grade P.E. class. All the kids got his autograph except me because I was with the second graders playing games. Mom called the school to tell them it wasn’t fair, but the school scolded me for complaining too much.

In the 1980s, when my mom was giving birth to my sister, she had made a major stroke（中风）and died. My dad became even more distant. I was very sad and began using alcohol to ease the pain.

Dad got remarried in 1985. Everyone went to his wedding except me; he told me to stay at home and watch the house. When my high school ball came around, I wanted to go but wasn’t allowed. When I graduated, my dad and step-mom refused to hold a party for me. They put me in a group home after graduation.

My life changed when I became a local leader of the National Self-advocacy（自我辩护）Group. At first, I thought the group wasn’t for me, until I found out it was all about empowerment（授权）! My goal is to be the voice for people who haven’t been heard and to empower them. Many families, like mine, don’t believe their disabled families have a voice or mind of their own.

Looking back over my 16 years of leadership experience, I ’m proud that I ’ve helped disabled people. They should be encouraged to never give up and to follow their own path.

56. When the writer was in the fifth grade, he    .

A. was hurt by his classmates in school

B. felt left out for the first time in his life

C. studied with the second graders

D. often complained about the school

57. According to the passage, the writer     .

A. was born disabled           B. didn’t study well at school

C. was happy in his childhood   D. didn’t get along well with his father

58. From the passage we can know that the National Self-advocacy Group is     .

A. an organization that gives disabled people help

B. a club organized completely by disabled people

C. a hospital which only treats people with disabilities

D. a school that teaches parents how to deal with their disabled kids