题型:阅读选择 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
广东省深圳市罗湖区2019届九年级上学期英语期末统考试卷(含听力音频)
Pat McGee noticed her daughter hadn't returned to the dentist's waiting room just before her surgery (外科手术). She walked to the bathroom and found Jessica McDaniels, 32, in there, crying.
McGee took her daughter into her arms, "We're going to say 'goodbye' to the old Jessica," she said. "And 'hi' to the new Jessica."
McDaniels, from St. Louis, US, had been wishing for this day since high school, when the bullying (霸凌) about her teeth started. Now that it was finally happening, she was worried and afraid.
It was a social media post two months ago that got her there. Someone posted a photo of McDaniels with a comment about her overbite (龅牙). The post was shared many times, with many people making unkind comments on her appearance.
The bullies didn't know the road McDaniels had traveled. She had nine operations on her ears from age 2 to 12 years old. She was almost deaf in her right ear. Her adult teeth didn't start coming in until she was 11 or 12, and doctors couldn't figure out why they were pushed outward. It got worse as she got older. McDaniels had been trying for years to get her teeth fixed, but it was always too costly.
When her story got out, dentists wanted to help her. One of them, Maryann Udy, got in contact with McDaniels and offered her a new smile - free of charge. McDaniels wasn't sure at first, so she called her mother. The mother told her that Udy was her angel. "You need to do it," she told her daughter.
The surgery was long and complicated (复杂的). It took weeks for the swelling (肿块) to go down, and several more months before McDaniels' new smile was ready. Later that year, she looked at her old photos online and smiled. "I loved her," she said. "She's thankful to be in less pain, to be on the way to a new smile. Sometimes, though, it feels like something is missing from who she was." Still, she loves taking selfies and admiring her new appearance. "I looked good before," she said. "I look even better now."
Cordia Harrington owns three McDonald's restaurants in Illinois. Being a single mom, she is very successful. Now let's talk about her story.
Why did you become a businesswoman? | I had good roots of love and encouragement. When I got crazy ideas, my dad would say, “You can do that!” Even when I was 11, I had a nursery school (托儿所) in my backyard, and charged (收费) 25 cents for three hours. At the end of the summer, I saved $60. Businessmen always believe there's a better way to do things. |
What is the most important thing to be successful? | Doing what you say and never giving up. |
When was your darkest moment? | I had the hardest time when I started the business. I must get up at 3:00 a.m., drive 78 miles, work eight hours, drive home, pick up the kids, put them to bed, and study. I was always tired, and sometimes I felt hopeless. And yet somehow I kept going. |
You don't give up easily, do you? | Instead of complaining when problems come up, I take the energy and put it toward getting to the next level. |
Do you bake (烘烤)? | I love to cook, but I'm not a very good baker! I take our frozen dough (面团) home and bake that. But if I had to do the cooking, my guests would be in trouble |
Momotaro | One day, an old woman found a peach(桃子)in the river and took it home. She and her husband found a child in the peach when they were trying to eat it. They called him Momotaro. When Momotaro grew up, he started to fight bad men. With the help of a dog, a monkey and a bird, Momotaro beat them and went back home safely. |
Pinocchio | A kind old man created(创造)Pinocchio from wood and treated(对待)him as his son. Instead of doing right things like going to school, Pinocchio liked hanging out. One day, a whale(鲸)ate the old man. Pinocchio went into the sea and risked his life to save his father. The brave act made him become a real man. |
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