I am my mother’s third child. When I was born, the doctor gently explained to my mother that my left arm was __36__, below the elbow(肘). Then he gave her some __37__, “Don’t treat her any __38__ from the other girls. Demand more.” And she did!
My mother had to work to __39__ my family. There were five girls in our family and we all had to __40__. Once when I was about seven, I came out of the __41__, “Mom, I can’t peel(削……皮) potatoes. I only have one hand.”
“You get back to peel those potatoes, and don’t ever use that as a(n) __42__ for anything again!”
Of course I could peel potatoes—with my good hand, while holding them down with my __43__ arm. There was always a way, and Mom knew it. “If you try hard __44__,” she said, “you can do anything.”
Once in the second grade, our teacher had each of us race across the monkey bars(攀爬架). When it was my turn, I __45__ my head. Some kids laughed. I went home crying.
After work the next afternoon, Mom took me back to the school playground.
“Now, __46__ up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by __47__ I practiced, and she __48__ me when I made progress.
I’ll never forget the next time I was crossing the bars. The kids were standing there with their mouths open.
It was the way with everything. When I __49__ I can’t handle things, I see Mom’s smile again. She had the heart to __50__ anything. And she taught me I could, too.
36. A. missing B. broken C. cut D. short
37. A. warning B. medicine C. help D. advice
38. A. badly B. differently C. well D. normally
39. A. care B. help C. support D. feed
40. A. find out B. work out C. carry out D. help out
41. A. kitchen B. bedroom C. house D. school
42. A. idea B. change C. excuse D. tool
43. A. lost B. other C. next D. longer
44. A. enough B. too C. again D. often
45. A. hurt B. nodded C. shook D. turned
46. A. pull B. jump C. stand D. rise
47. A. before B. as C. after D. Until
48. A. helped B. raised C. praised D. protected
49. A. admit B. fear C. find D. realize
50. A. face B. teach C. learn D. solve