I had been a happy girl until one day when I was fifteen months old. One of my eyes was badly hurt in an accident. I lost the sight of the eye, with an ugly scar around it.
Children refused to play games with me. It made me very sad. I always walked, loo¬king at the floor, so that people would not see the ugly face. My mother encouraged me to
be brave. She told me, "Alice, hold your head up high and face the world. If you do, it will be OK, and people will see your beautiful soul . " Mom's words meant different
things to me over the years.
As a little child ， I thought Mom meant ， " Be careful or you will fall down. " When I grew up, I still wanted to look down to hide my shame. She repeated these words
whenever I wanted to hide. Mom's words helped me realize that I should look at people
in the eye and let them know me. When I tried, I found people were friendly to me.
In high school, I worked hard at my lessons and succee¬ded in my studies. Everybody began to like me and I had some friends. However, I still felt sorry about my scar, my
ugly face. Sometimes when things got really bad, I would cry to my mom. She was always there for me. She would look at me and said, "Hold your head up high and face the
world. Let them see the beauty that is inside. " I became confident.
At university, I took part in all kinds of activities. I joined a music club. Then John, a
popular musician, came in¬to my life. He didn' t mind the scar. We soon fell in love
with each other. Two years later, we got married.
My mother’s words have been encouraging me to face my problems bravely and believe
in myself.
1. What happened to Alice when she was fifteen months old?
A. She was badly ill.
B. She hurt one of her eyes badly.
C. Her mom left her.
D. She had a scar on one of her ears.
2. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A. Children refused to play with Alice.
B. Alice worked hard in high school.
C. Alice never worried about her problem.
D. Alice had lots of friends at university.
3. Why did John fall in love with Alice?
A. Because everyone liked her.
B. Because he enjoyed her beauty inside.
C. Because he wanted to help her.
D. Because Alice looked very beautiful.
4. What does the sentence " Hold your head up high" mean to Alice?
A. Walk carefully. B. Walk with your head up.
C. Be outgoing. D. Believe in yourself.