Rising above the names

　　 I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice.

　 “Mom，come here！There's this lady here my size！”

　　 The mother rushed to her son；then she turned to me to apologize.

　　 I smiled and told her，“It's okay.”Then I talked to the boy，“Hi，I'm Darryl Kramer.How are you？”

　　 He studied me from head to toe，and asked，“Are you a little mommy？”

　 “Yes，I have a son，”I answered.

　 “Why are you so little？”he asked.

　 “It's the way I was born，”I said.“Some people are little.Some are tall.I'm just not going to grow any bigger.”After I answered his other questions，I shook the boy's hand and left.

　　 My life as a little person is filled with stories like that.I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.

　　 It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness.I stand three feet nine inches tall.I was born an achondroplasia dwarf(侏儒)．Despite this，I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.

　　 I didn't realize how short I was until I started school.Some kids picked on me，calling me names.Then I knew.I began to hate the first day of school each year.New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.

　　 But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life.I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage.What I lacked in height，I made up for in personality.

　　 I'm 47 now，and the stares have not diminished as I've grown older.People are amazed when they see me driving.I try to keep a good attitude.When people are rude，I remind myself，“Look what else I have－a great family，nice friends.”

　　 It's the children's questions that make my life special.I enjoy answering their questions.My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers(a person of the same age，class，position，etc.)，whatever size and shape they come in，and treat them with respect.

1．Why did the mother apologize to the author?

A．Because the boy ran into the author.

B．Because the boy laughed at the author.

C．Because the boy said the author was fatter than him.

D．Because the mother thought the boy's words had hurt the author.

2．When did the author realize that she was too short?

A．When she grew up.

B．When she was 47 years old.

C．When she began to go to school.

D．When she met the boy in the supermarket.

3．Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word“diminished”？

A．Dismissed. 　　　　 B．Increased.

C．Decreased. 　　　　 D．Discriminated.

4．How does the author feel about people's stares?

A．Angry. 　　　　　　 B．Calm.

C．Painful. 　　　　　 D．Discouraged.

The most important thing to_______ in mind when dealing with an emergency is to stay_______.

A. make; calm　　　　　　    B. keep; calm

C. make; calmly　　　　　　 D. keep; calmly

A. make; calm　　　　　　    B. keep; calm

C. make; calmly　　　　　　 D. keep; calmly

Lightning flashed through the darkness over Donald Lubeck’s bedroom skylight.The 80-year-old retired worker was shaken by a blast of thunder.It was 11 p.m. The storm had moved directly over his two-story wood home in the rural town of Belchertown,Massachusetts.Then he heard the smoke alarm beeping.Lubeck padded down the stairs barefoot and opened the door to the basement,and flames exploded out.

Lubeck fled back upstairs to call 911 from his bedroom,but the phone didn’t work.Lubeck realized he was trapped.“I started panicking,”he says.

His daughter and young granddaughters,who lived with him,were away for the night.No one will even know I’m home,he thought.His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by pines that Lubeck knew calling for help would be fruitless.

Up a hill about a third of a mile away lived Lubeck’s closest neighbors,Jeremie Wentworth and his wife. Wentworth had been lying down,listening to the radio when it occurred to him that the sound was more like a smoke detector.He jumped out of bed,grabbed a cordless phone and a flashlight,and headed down the hillside toward the noise.

He dialed 911 “Is anyone there?”he called out as he approached the house.Wentworth knew that Lubeck lived in the house.

Then he heard,“Help me!I’m trapped!”coming from the balcony off Lubeck’s bedroom.

“I ran in and yelled,‘Don,where are you?’Then I had to run outside to catch my breath.”

After one more attempt inside the house,he gave up and circled around back.But there was no way to get to him.“I shined the flashlight into the woods next to an old shed and noticed a adder,”says Wentworth.He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Lubeck down just as the second floor of the house collapsed.

Wentworth and Lubeck don’t run into each other regularly,but Lubeck now knows that if he ever needs help,Wentworth will be there.

Lubeck still chokes up when he tells the story.“I was alone,”he says.“Then I heard the most beautiful sound in my life.It was Jeremie.”

61.According to the text,Lubeck　　　 .

A.stayed calm in the fire　　　　　　 B.couldn’t find a safe way out

C.lived on the first floor　　　　　 D.called for help in the fire

62.How did Wentworth help Lubeck escape?

A.He called 911.　　　　　　 B.He went upstairs and took Lubeck out.

C.He put out the fire　　　　 D.He used a ladder and pulled lubeck down.

63.Which of the following factors was not mentioned in the text that almost caused Lubeck’s life?

A.He was living in his wood home alone that night.

B.The storm was too heavy and the fire was too fierce.

C.He lived far from the main road and was surrounded by pines.

D.He was too frightened to escape from the danger.

64.What does the text mainly talk about?

A.A near neighbour is better than a distant cousin.　　

B.A good way to get a narrow escape.

C.God helps those who help themselves.　　　　　

D.Blood is thicker than water.

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave  

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals  

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes （糖尿病） . Believing my career （职业生涯）was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”  

Karen Pickering  

Swimming World Champion  

“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success―you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”  

Kirsten Best  

Poet ＆ Writer  

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological （心理的） tool.”  

 　　60. What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

　　A. Difficulties influenced his career.

　　B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

　　C. Training helped him defeat his disease.

　　D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

　　61. What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

　　A. Her training schedule.

　　B. Her daily happenings.

　　C. Her achievements.

　　D. Her sports career.

　　62.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

　　A. Ways that help one to focus.

　　B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

　　C. Activities that turn one's attention away.

　　D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

　　63. According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

　　A. Courage.

　　B. Devotion.

　　C. Hard work.

　　D. Self-confidence.