Question

 

I stood outside New York’s Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.

From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.

Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. I rarely, left the farmhouse---and then only in someone’s arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.

“The world will see him when he can walk,” she told Dad. “And he will walk.”

Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.

A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.

“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”

The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. “Hold your head up high, now, Ronan,” she said.

We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I’d walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.

That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I’d done on my walk.

Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam’s words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.

I’ve sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world’s finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.

1.What was the problem with the author as a baby?

A. He was expected unable to walk.

B. He was born outward in character.

C. He had a problem with listening.

D. He was shorter than a normal baby.

2.The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means _______.

A. shortcoming        B. disadvantage        C. disability              D. delay

3.Why did Mam dress him and herself in finest clothes?

A. To hide their depressed feeling.

B. To indicate it an unusual day.

C. To show off their clothes.

D. To celebrate his successful operation.

4.From the story we may conclude that his mother was _______.

A. determined         B. stubborn       C. generous           D. distinguished

5.According to the writer, what mattered most in his success?

A. His consistent effort.                         B. His talent for music.

C. His countless failures.                      D. His mother’s promise.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.A

5.D

【解析】

試題分析：

1.細節題，由第一段a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.可知小時候作者不能走路。故選A。

2.推理題，由第二段ffected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes可推出作者的腿是殘疾的，故選C。

3.細節題，“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”可知母親為他和她自己穿上最好的衣服是因為那一天對他來說是不平常的。故選B。

4.推理題，文章講述了母親如何幫助有殘疾的兒子建立自信心，故可推出母親是堅定的。故選A。

5.細節題，And at every step Mam’s words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.可知是母親的話激勵了他。故選D .

 

考點：記敘文的閱讀。

點評：文章記敘了一位母親幫助殘疾兒子建立自信心，并取得成功的故事。閱讀此類文章要注意對文章細節的理解，根據提問選擇合適的答案。考查考生的細致閱讀能力。