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. 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 she thought the boy’s words had hurt the author.
2.. When did the author realize that she was too short?
A. When she began to go to school. B. When she was 47 years old.
C. When she grew up. 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.
I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I felt blindly in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had 31 the search of jailers (people who guard prisoners). I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could 32 get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those.
I 33 through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. I called out to him, “Have you got a light?” He looked at me, 34 and came over to light my cigarette. As he came close and 35 the match, his eyes accidentally locked with mine. At that moment, I 36 . I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was 37 , perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very 38 not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a 39 jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn't want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and 40 a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but stayed 41 , looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.
I kept smiling at him, now 42 of him as a person and not just a jailer. “Do you have 43 ?” he asked. “Yes, here.” I took out my wallet and nervously felt for the 44 of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes were 45 with tears. I said that I 46 that I'd never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. 47 came to his eyes, too. 48 , without another word, he 49 my cell and silently led me out. There, at the edge of town, he 50 me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town.
My life was saved by a smile. Yes, the smile ― the unaffected, unplanned, natural connection between people.
1... A. caught B. broken C. met D. escaped
2.. A. barely B. consequently C. continuously D. constantly
3... A. saw B. looked C. went D. broke
4.. A. trembled B. ignored C. shrugged D. hesitated
5... A. struck B. seized C. counted D. found
6.. A. sobbed B. smelled C. sighed D. smiled
7.. A. defence B. delight C. nervousness D. despair
8... A. hard B. easy C. simple D. clear
9... A. humor B. spark C. hatred D. sense
10... A. spread B. generated C. brought D. Forced
11.. A. near B. distant C. away D. up
12.. A. afraid B. sure C. aware D. awake
13..A. enemies B. pets C. friends D. kids
14... A. photos B. drawings C. films D. outlines
15.. A. fixed B. blocked C. filled D. packed
16.. A. hoped B. feared C. wondered D. annoyed
17.. A. Anger B. Sadness C. Sympathy D. Tears
18.. A. Accidentally B. Instantly C. Suddenly D. Occasionally
19.. A. grasped B. unlocked C. shut D. fastened
20.. A. offended B. saved C. shot D. released
Several times he almost brought himself to the point of speaking to them but his courage ________ him.
A. slipped B. escaped C. failed D. lost
We have strong ________ for believing that the newly-invented material is not only popular but also a monument to the eco-friendly lifestyle.
A. grounds B. reasons C. causes D. purposes
A firm from New Zealand has revealed a set of robotic legs which they claim will soon allow ________ wheelchair-bound people to walk again.
A. extremely B. previously C. actually D. eventually
Although the situation was tough during the economic crisis now things are beginning to ________.
A. look up B. keep up C. set up D. build up
