I Was Forced to Find My Gifts
I was a pretty typical 17-year-old with a strong interest in painting when something happened. One Sunday, I went to an old swimming hole and dove in. I something under the water head-on and broke a couple of vertebrae（椎骨）of my neck.
For five months I stayed at the hospital, feeling like a to my family. My self-image was instantly . I was described with terms like “disabled” or “crippled.” I was angry and
after I failed so many times at some task---dropping something on the floor and trying to get it back up again.
Near the end of my stay in the hospital, my doctor almost forcibly tied a to my hand. He had seen my paintings I’d done before and me to paint. Fortunately, I found that I
had this artistic ability left. It was like a big weight had been . At least I could do something worthwhile again, and it became a part of my recovery.
After I left the hospital, I stayed at home, feeling desperately . It seemed like I was cut off from . No one can get along love and acceptance. So that fall, I started at the University of Texas, majoring in graphic design.
One day a man happened to see one of my paintings. He had a great for it and asked if I ever did art shows. So I was given a(n) . Much to my surprise, I found that people liked my paintings and would pay for them. That was about 11 years ago. Today, 1,500 have carried my work.
It was the art that provided the for me to get up every morning and do something,
sitting in front of the television. Society has such expectations of the disabled person, so it’s very easy to get sucked into a dependency routine --- you know, the “give me” kind of attitude. And that’s what I take the most in --- the fact that what I’m doing today is well received all over.
1.A. saw B. hit C. touched D. picked
2.A. burden B. failure C. joke D. patient
3.A. improved B. created C. changed D. judged
4.A. helpless B. careless C. nervous D. tired
5.A. difficult B. special C. simple D. important
6.A. bandage B. towel C. rope D. paintbrush
7.A. allowed B. taught C. ordered D. encouraged
8.A. already B. still C. even D. always
9.A. gained B. carried C. lifted D. measured
10.A. vital B. strange C. boring D. different
11.A. lonely B. weak C. frightened D. guilty
12.A. success B. classmates C. society D. treatment
13.A. in B. for C. behind D. without
14.A. sympathy B. fondness C. talent D. responsibility
15.A. exhibition B. challenge C. permission D. message
16.A. hospitals B. galleries C. schools D. families
17.A. imagination B. chance C. motivation D. curiosity
18.A. instead of B. apart from C. due to D. but for
19.A. high B. low C. enough D. unrealistic
20.A. power B. pride C. comfort D. advantage
I will never forget my experience in Africa, _______ has a great effect on my life.
A. where B. which C. when D. that
--- Sorry indeed, I ________ to your wedding if I had been in Beijing.
--- Forget it. I know you were out on business.
A. attended B. had attended
C. would attend D. would have attended
I was not sure _______ I had the qualification for the job, but I applied for it anyway.
A. that B. whether C. what D. how
Mo Yan grew up _________ folk tales that had been told for centuries in his hometown.
A. listening to B. listened to
C. listen to D. to listen to
The children are dirty from head to foot because they ________ in the mud all morning.
A. play B. had played
C. will play D. have been playing
