| 阅读理解。 |
| I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had. My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (体操运动员). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her. I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners' class. If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn't have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it. During this time, drawing and painting-which had been my two favorites-all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up. At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. "Alice, you won the contest!" she said loudly. "Really?" was all I could reply. "Yes," Ms. White said. "They're going to give you a prize. And that's not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale's Summer Fine Arts Institute." I couldn't believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer. That night I didn't go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria's gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own. |
| 1. Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________. |
| A. she had been good at sports B. her sister's show was perfect C. she hated drawing and painting D. her parents wanted her to do so |
| 2. How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last? |
| A. Satisfied. B. Worried. C. Hopeful. D. Regretful. |
| 3. From the story, we can infer that ________. |
| A. Alice's parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics B. Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first C. Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town D. Alice couldn't believe the news that she got the prize for painting |
| 4. What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage? |
| A. We should value our own gifts. B. It takes time to find one's gifts. C. We could develop different gifts. D. It's never too late to show our gifts. |