Did you know that Albert Einstein could not speak until he was four years old,and could not read until he was seven?His parents and teachers worried about his mental ability.
Beethoven’s music teacher said about him,“As a composer(作曲家) he is hopeless.”What if this young boy had believed it?
When Thomas Edison was a young boy,his teachers said he was so stupid that he could never learn anything.He once said,“I remember I used to never be able to get along at school.I was always at the foot of my class...My father thought I was stupid,and I almost decided that I was a stupid person.”What if young Thomas had believed what they said about him?
When the sculptor(雕刻家) Auguste Rodin was young,he had difficulty learning to read and write.Today,we may say he had a learning disability.His father said of him,“I have an idiot(白痴) for a son.”His uncle agreed.“He’s uneducable,”he said.What if Rodin had doubted his ability?
Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have no “good ideas”.Enrico Caruso was told by one music teacher,“You can’t sing.You have no voice at all.”And an editor told Louisa May Alcott that she was unable to write anything that would have popular appeal.
What if these people had listened and become discouraged?Where would our world be without the music of Beethoven,the art of Rodin or the ideas of Albert Einstein and Walt Disney?As Oscar Levant once said,“It’s not what you are but what you
don’t become that hurts.”
You have great potential.When you believe in all you can be,rather than all you cannot become,you will find your place on earth.
1.How many successful people are mentioned as examples in the passage?
A.Six. B.Seven. C.Eight. D.Nine.
2.Which of the following statements is RIGHT?
A.When he was young,Thomas Edison always got good grades at school.
B.Levant thought Louisa May Alcott couldn’t write any popular works.
C.Only Auguste Rodin’s uncle regarded him as a boy of learning ability.
D.Both Enrico Caruso and Beethoven achieved their dreams in music.
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence “He’s uneducable”?
A.He can’t be taught. B.He is very clever.
C.He is different. D.He is a late success.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.Working Hard for Success B.Having Dreams
C.Believing in Yourself D.Self-challenging
语篇解读:本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章列举了爱因斯坦、贝多芬、爱迪生等七个名人成功的故事,他们都曾得到别人较低的评价,但最终成功地实现了自己的梦想;“相信自己”是他们成功的关键。
答案及剖析:
1.B 细节理解题。文章第一段列举了爱因斯坦的故事,第二段讲述了贝多芬的故事,第三段提到了爱迪生的故事,第四段讲述了奥古斯特·罗丹的故事,第五段提及了沃特·迪士尼、恩里科·卡鲁索、路易莎·梅·阿尔科特的故事,共列举了七个著名人物,故B项正确。
2.D 细节理解题。根据第二段的第一句、第五段的第二句及第六段的第二句可推知,贝多芬和恩里科·卡鲁索都实现了他们的音乐梦想,故D项正确。
3.A 句意理解题。根据第四段他的父亲和他的叔叔对他的评价“I have an idiot(白痴) for a son.”His uncle agreed.可知,他们都认为他是白痴;据此可以推断,该句意为“他是教不会的”,故A项正确。
4.C 标题归纳题。通读全文可知,本文前五段列举了七个名人,他们的共同点是都曾得到别人较低的评价,后来却成功地实现了自己的梦想;本文的最后一句“When you believe in all you can be,rather than all you cannot become,you will find your place on earth.”为本文的主题句,据此可以判断,C项“相信自己”最适合作为本文标题。
