Helen Keller was born in America in June, 1880. Everything was all right when she was bom. But when she was nineteen months old, an attack of fever left her blind and deaf for the rest of her life. She became blind so young that as she grew older, she did not remember being able to see; and she became deaf before she had any idea of the importance of human speech. She lived in darkness and silence.
As she grew older, she, too, wanted to express her ideas and feelings. But she realized that she was cut off from others.
Her parents were greatly worried. How could anyone get in touch with Helen's mind and intelligence (智力) in darkness and silence without speech? Helen was nearly seven before a teacher was found. Her name was Miss Sullivan.
Miss Sullivan had a lot of difficulties in teaching Helen Keller. As the child could neither see nor hear, she had to use manual alphabet. But Hellen's energy and intelligence and strong spirit, combined (联合；组合 ) with Miss Sullivan's skill and patience, overcame all the difficulties. As Helen grew up, she became an able student, passed examinations and finally took a university degree in English literature (文学). She then devoted all herself to helping the blind and the deaf. Her personal success, together with the work she had done for others, made her one of the greatest women in modem times. She wrote many books and "The Story of My life is a remarkable one.
11. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Helen Keller was born blind and deaf.
B. She first became blind and then deaf.
C. She became blind and deaf in 1880.
D. She became blind and deaf sometime about January 1882.
12. Which of the following statements is not true?
A. Helen became blind and deaf because she suffered from a high fever.
B. Helen became blind before she could see anything.
C. Helen became deaf before she realized how important it was to be able to hear and speak.
D. Helen too, wanted to make contact with others with speech.
13. Helen Keller's parents were greatly worried because _________.
A. she was growing older
B. she was cut off from others
C. she, too, wanted to express her ideas and feelings but she could not
D. she was almost seven years old and yet they were not sure whether they could find a suitable teacher for her
14. Helen was finally successful mainly because of
A. her parents' help
B. the manual alphabet Miss Sullivan taught her
C. the help she got when she took a degree
D. her hard work, cleverness as well as Sullivan's great continuous efforts
15. Helen Keller finally became_________.
A. an able student
B. a writer
C. the greatest woman in modem times
D. a student who took a university degree in English literature