In 1930, a young African American, Vivien T. Thomas, a professional carpenter, was hired as a lab assistant by a famous white doctor named Dr. Alfred Blalock. Although he 36 went to college, he had an enormous 37 to learn and explore the power of knowledge. Whenever Dr. Blalock left his office, young Thomas used to 38 study the medical books on the shelves of the office.
Thomas 39 a great interest in learning more and more about 40 when he started to assist Blalock during his practice of surgeries on dogs. 41 Dr. Blalock understood Thomas’s ability to help him perform a complicated surgery; he still did not 42 Thomas as a smart person because of the social 43 of prejudice towards African Americans.
Dr. Blalock wanted to 44 to believe that Thomas was just a (n) 45 by profession and a lab assistant. Employees, white or black, at the hospital could not 46 that an African American, Thomas, could run the lab. He was the 47 and thus a history maker.
In those days, the society expected that black people were 48 to be janitors (管理员). Despite this reality, Thomas’ cleverness, perseverance, and passion had 49 a need in Dr. Blalock’s mind. Thomas ran John Hopkins Hospital’s surgical (外科的) lab 50 Dr. Blalock. At the time, all other 51 employees in the hospital were janitors. Dr. Blalock and Thomas became a 52 and conducted a joint research that 53 the first heart surgery performed at John Hopkins University Hospital in 1941.
Many years later, Thomas’s contribution was 54 and he was eventually awarded an honorary doctorate, for his creative work in the 55 procedures of modern cardiac(心脏病的) surgery. As he became Dr. Thomas, he also inspired and lifted the confidence of the future generation. He used his knowledge for the betterment of humankind.
36. A. always B. often C. occasionally D. never
37. A. chance B. desire C. income D. success
38. A. secretly B. publicly C. nervously D. proudly
39. A. discovered B. avoided C. developed D. protected
40. A. literature B. medicine C. politics D. history
41. A. While B. When C. As D. Because
42. A. praise B. reward C. criticize D. accept
43. A. benefit B. position C. pressure D. revolution
44. A. agree B. continue C. regret D. remember
45. A. carpenter B. professor C. engineer D. scientist
46. A. promise B. argue C. explain D. understand
47. A. next B. last C. first D. same
48. A. hardly B. merely C. luckily D. mostly
49. A. created B. searched C. built D. missed
50. A. over B. above C. without D. under
51. A. common B. noble C. black D. poor
52. A. unit B. team C. family D. system
53. A. led to B. resulted from C. accounted for D. gave up
54. A. changed B. followed C. exhibited D. recognized
55. A. pioneering B. surprising C. interesting D. worrying