When Cathleen Gardiner’s twins were born 17 years ago, doctors told her that they were a pair in a million. One had Down syndrome(低能综合症), while the other did not. Here, Cathleen tells their touching story.
Since Sean was born 17 years ago, I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister. Though he had a disability(残疾), we have never viewed him as a burden. He has always been a blessing. The doctors explained that though they were twins, they came from two different eggs. Lisa could walk at 11 months old, while Sean didn’t take his first steps till he was three. By two, Lisa was talking a lot, but Sean wasn’t able to speak until he was nearly four.
For the first five years of his life, Sean needed a great deal of care. Looking after him was my full-time job, though I also worked as a technical adviser in a computing company. We never treated them differently. We gave them the same toys and spoke to them in the same way. We encouraged Sean to keep up with Lisa, even though he never could, and we would help him develop his abilities. We sent them to the same primary school even after doctors advised us that Sean should go to a school for the disabled.
We had to explain to Lisa that he wouldn’t learn as quickly as she would. She told us that she’d help him with his school work. Having a non-disabled twin has really helped Sean develop. The love they share has given him a great deal of support. Now Sean and Lisa are both about to finish high school. I don’t think he would have done nearly as well today without Lisa’s help.
小题1:At least how many children does Mrs. Gardiner have?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．One. |
小题2:Mrs. Gardiner and her husband regarded Sean as _______. | A．a boy making others touched | B．a normal child without disabilities | | C．a special gift | D．a burden of their family |
小题3:The third paragraph mainly tells us that _______. | A．the couple treated the twins equally | | B．Cathleen did all she could to look after Sean | | C．the couple didn’t follow the doctor’s advice | | D．the couple encouraged Sean to grow up |
小题4:This passage tells us that _________.| A．love can do wonders | B．nobody is foolish or clever | | C．being stupid doesn’t matter | D．all men are born equal |
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小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:A |
试题分析：本文叙述了Cathleen Gardiner家的一对双胞胎兄妹，弟弟Sean天生残疾，得了低能综合症，他都很晚才学会说话走路，但是他的家人没有把他看成残疾人，始终把他看成和其他的孩子一样，他在普通的学校上学而没有去残疾人的学校，在家人的帮助下他顺利读完了中学，创造了奇迹。
小题1:细节理解题。根据Since Sean was born 17 years ago, I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister. 至少有三个孩子，故选B。
小题2:细节理解题。根据I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister.故选C。
小题3:细节理解题。根据We never treated them differently. We gave them the same toys and spoke to them in the same way. We encouraged Sean to keep up with Lisa, even though he never could, and we would help him develop his abilities.故选A。
小题4:主旨大意题。根据第一段可以看出医生已经给出了Sean是低能儿，但在家人的帮助下，他奇迹般地在正常的学校完成了学业，故选A。
点评：主旨大意题是高考阅读理解中不可缺少的阅读题型之一，而且难度比较大。细分起来，主要考查学生对文章的中心思想、作者的态度以及写作意图等的理解能力。这类试题通常以概括文章中心大意、揭示主题、选择标题以及判断作者写作意图等形式出现。应该说，这种题型是属于能力型的题目。 |
核心考点
试题【When Cathleen Gardiner’s twins were born 17 years ago, doctors told her that the】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
When I was a boy, every holiday that I had seemed wonderful. My 16 took me by train or by car to a hotel by the 17 . All day, I seem to remember, I 18 on the sands with strange 19 children. We made houses and gardens, and 20 the tide（潮汐） destroy them. When the tide went out, we 21 over the rocks and looked down at the fish in the rock-pools.
In those days the 22 seemed to shine always brightly 23 the water was always warm. Sometimes we left beach and walked in the country, 24 ruined houses and dark woods and climbing trees. There were 25 in one’s pockets or good places where one could 26 ice creams. Each day seemed a lifetime.
Although I am now thirty-five years old, my idea of a good 27 is much the same as it was. I 28 like the sun and warm sand and the sound of 29 beating the rocks. I no longer wish to 30 any sand house or sand garden, and I dislike sweets. 31 , I love the sea and often feel sand running through my fingers.
Sometimes I 32 what my ideal (理想的) holiday will be like when I am 33 . All I want to do then, perhaps, will be to lie in bed, reading books about 34 who make houses and gardens with sands, who watch the incoming tide, who make themselves 35 on too many ices…
| 小题1: | | A．teacher | B．parents | C．nurse | D．younger sister |
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| 小题2: | | A．sea | B．lake | C．mountain | D．river |
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| 小题3: | | A．played | B．slept | C．sat | D．stood |
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| 小题4: | | A．moving | B．exciting | C．anxious | D．nervous |
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| 小题5: | | A．made | B．brought | C．watched | D．heard |
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| 小题6: | | A．rolled | B．jumped | C．turned | D．climbed |
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| 小题9: | | A．exploring | B．examining | C．repairing | D．measuring |
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| 小题10: | | A．sweets | B．sand | C．ice-creams | D．money |
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| 小题12: | | A．house | B．holiday | C．garden | D．tide |
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| 小题13: | | A．hardly | B．almost | C．still | D．perhaps |
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| 小题14: | | A．waves | B．tides | C．hands | D．feet |
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| 小题15: | | A．destroy | B．fix | C．use | D．build |
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| 小题16: | | A．But | B．However | C．Otherwise | D．Besides |
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| 小题17: | | A．wonder | B．feel | C．understand | D．believe |
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| 小题18: | | A．strong | B．weak | C．young | D．old |
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| 小题19: | | A．children | B．boys | C．girls | D．grown-ups |
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| 小题20: | | A．happy | B．tired | C．sad | D．sick |
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In 1986, when Monty Reed was a member of the Army Rangers (黑鹰突击 队), he had an accident. "It was a night jump, and we were jumping low," he recalls. "We were training. Somebody got too close to my parachute (降落伞)."The parachute below blocked Reed’s air and his parachute failed to open. Reed crashed a hundred feet to the ground, breaking his back in five places.
The next morning, Reed could not move. "Doctors said it was likely that I would never walk again." Reed stared out of his hospital window, wondering what the future would be like. It was the saddest moment of his life. "The experts are telling me my body doesn’t work! What am I supposed to do?" he thought.
To distract (转移注意力) himself, he picked up a book: Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. The science-fiction describes a set of man-made muscles that would allow people to carry 2,000 pounds. He thought that if he could build something like that, it might be able to lift him out of his wheelchair. So he began his project and finally succeeded in building a set of robot legs. Several years later, he made an amazing recovery and was able to get up and walk away from his wheelchair. He even jumped out of an airplane again to celebrate.
Reed wanted to do something for others with the second chance that life had given him. He has now perfected the robot legs that can get the injured, the elderly and the paralyzed (瘫痪的) out of their wheelchairs. Now he has started his own company to make the legs. "I’ve seen them compete in marathons and go swimming and mountain climbing," he said. "So never give up!"
小题1:Monty had an accident in 1986 because_______. | A．his feet hit the ground too hard | | B．his parachute was under another person’s | | C．another person’s parachute stopped his from opening | | D．he was training to jump at night |
小题2:Monty started to read Starship Troopers to ______.| A．create a new kind of wheelchair for himself | | B．discover how to make man-made muscles | | C．learn how to jump out of an airplane | | D．stop himself from thinking about his pain |
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about Monty?| A．He didn’t lose heart in the face of difficulty. | | B．He is fond of reading science fiction. | | C．He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. | | D．He didn’t believe what the doctors said. |
小题4:We can learn from the passage that Monty’s goal is to ______. | A．become a famous writer like Robert Heinlein | | B．return to the Army Rangers and continue with his jumps | | C．compete in games and marathons and go swimming | | D．help more patients in wheelchairs to recover |
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When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.
When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡树) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.
I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.
The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could.
小题1:What was Dr. Gibbs’ life goal?| A．To build a forest. | B．To save more lives. | | C．To make a lot of money. | D．To study plants. |
小题2:One of Dr. Gibbs’ theories about planting was that ______.| A．he often talked to the trees | B．he kicked the trees heavily | | C．he never watered the trees | D．he buried the leaves around the roots |
小题3:What does the writer mainly want to tell us?| A．Trees are not as weak as we think. | | B．We should listen to others’ advice. | | C．Difficulty is necessary for growth. | | D．Planting trees is good for the environment. |
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We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had __36__ me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered __37__.
“Look __38__, Elsa,” Father said. I gathered all my __39__ and looked down. I saw the square in the centre of the village. And I saw the crisscross(十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the __40__. “See, my dear,” Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. __41__ is like that. If you can’t get to the place where you want to go __42__ one road, try another.”
Now I understood why I was there. __43__ that day I had begged my mother to do __44__ about the terrible lunches that were served at school. But she __45__ because she could not believe the lunches were as __46__ as I said.
When I __47__ my father for help, he would not help. __48__, he brought me to this high tower to __49__ me a lesson — the value of an open, searching mind. By the time we reached home, I had a __50__.
At school the next day, I __51__ poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to __52__ it to mother at dinner. The plan __53__ perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and said, “The cook must have gone mad!” Quickly I told what I had done, and mother said firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day.
In the years that followed I often remembered the lesson father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working __54__ I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always __55__ me that there is more than one way to the square.
| 小题1: | | A．taken | B．sent | C．brought | D．left |
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| 小题4: | | A．strength | B．courage | C．spirit | D．bravery |
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| 小题5: | | A．tower | B．church | C．square | D．village |
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| 小题6: | | A．School | B．Society | C．Family | D．Life |
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| 小题8: | | A．Earlier | B．Later | C．After | D．During |
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| 小题9: | | A．her best | B．a favor | C．something | D．everything |
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| 小题10: | | A．defended | B．refused | C．excused | D．agreed |
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| 小题12: | | A．belonged to | B．turned to | C．tried to | D．led to |
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| 小题13: | | A．Therefore | B．So | C．Instead | D．Anyway |
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| 小题14: | | A．show | B．make | C．prepare | D．give |
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| 小题15: | | A．plan | B．question | C．problem | D．suggestion |
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| 小题16: | | A．angrily | B．secretly | C．kindly | D．politely |
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| 小题17: | | A．cook | B．boil | C．make | D．serve |
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| 小题18: | | A．made | B．failed | C．worked | D．took |
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| 小题19: | | A．if | B．once | C．since | D．until |
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| 小题20: | | A．remind | B．approve | C．affect | D．limit |
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After Mom died, l began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading," Drink your juice." Such a gesture, l knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, l remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom "Why doesn"t Dad love me?" Mom frowned, "Who said he doesn’t love you?" "Well, he never tells me, "I complained." He never tells me either," she said, smiling. " But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That"s how your father tells us he loves us. "
I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. l still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap (片) metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad handled scrap steel into a device that chopped it as cleanly as a butcher chops a rack of ribs. The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors, with blades thicker than my father"s body. If he didn’t feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. "Why don" t you hire someone to do that for you?" Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment. "Why don’t you hire a cook?" Dad asked, giving her one of his rare smiles.
Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me. l walked over, hugged him and said, "I love you, Dad." From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.
小题1:What would be the best title for the passage?| A．My father never loved me | B．I just couldn"t understand my father | | C．My hard-working father | D．Silent fatherly love |
小题2:The author’s father always prepared a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for him because____.| A．that was the author"s favorite | | B．that was a gesture of love | | C．the author was always complaining | | D．he was sure the author would be thirsty |
小题3:The author’s father didn’t hire a helper because________. .| A．he wanted to save money | | B．his job required high skills | | C．his job was too dangerous | | D．he was not good at communicating with others |
小题4:We may infer from the passage that _______. | A．the author"s father lacked a sense of humor | | B．the author"s-father didn"t love him very much | | C．the author quite understood his father as time went on | | D．the author"s father was too strict with him |
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