Question

   Willie Stewart still remembers his first day of kayaking through the grand Canyon. He was getting bounced around in the roughest white water he had ever seen. There was nothing the river threw at him.

   There he was in a 40-pound boat, with only a few months of training and one arm. Tied to his left shoulder was a prosthetic limb(假肢)that he’d had for just about a week. The plan was to paddle(劃) for 20 days over 227 miles of the roughest white water in the United States. It was one of the most remarkable adventures that the Grand Canyon had ever seen.

  It started with a casual phone call in the spring of 2005. A good friend, Mike Crenshaw, finally got a permit from the National Park Service to lead a private party of 16 boaters down the Colorado River that coming August. He had a slot（位置） open for Willie, “Was he interested ?”

  “It was the chance of a lifetime,” Stewart said. He had been waiting years for this trip to happen. “How could I refuse ?”

   But before they set off, Stewart had a couple of things to take care of. He had to get a white-water kayak, learn how to use it, and get an arm.

   For most of his life, the rugged 45-year-old man has lived with only his right arm. He lost his left arm in a horrible accident when he was 18.Stewart was doing a summer construction job in Washington, D.C. The trailing end of rope he was carrying got twisted in an industrial fan. Before he could react, the fan reeled in the rope tight and cut his arm just above the elbow.

   He became a bitter young man, angry at the unfairness of what had happened ,and often got into fights. In time, he learned to channel his rage into sports. He joined a rugby team, established a reputation as a fearless player and eventually was elected captain. His days of rage long gone, he found peace and purpose in his life.

41. The underlined word “rugged ” in Paragraph 6 means “______”

   A. poor

   B. stubborn

   C. determined

   D. unfortunate

42. What had urged Willie Stewart to paddle down the Colorado River ?

   A.  His family’s support

   B.  His great determination

   C.  His curiosity

   D.  His dream

43.From the passage we can know that ______.

   A. Stewart was depressed at one time

   B. Stewart lost his left arm 22 years ago

 C. Stewart never complained about the unfairness of life

   D. Stewart was persuaded to kayak through the Grand Canyon

44. What can we learn form the story ?

  A.  An optimist sees the rose ; a pessimist sees the thorn

  B.  Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it

  C.  A change of self is needed more than a change of scene

 D.  If winter comes, can spring be far away ?

Answer 1

41C 42D 43A  44B