阅读理解。
When I was fifteen months old, I fell on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it. And
as I grew, this sightless eye, in so many ways controlled me that I walked with my face looking at the floor so people would not see the ugly me.
Yet Mama would hold me in her arms, feel my hair gently and say, "If you hold your head up high, it
will be OK. And people will see your beautiful soul." She continued this message whenever I wanted to
hide.
As a little child, I thought Mama meant, "Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something
because you are not looking." As a teenager, I found that my mama's words helped me begin to realize
that by letting people look at my face, I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind my eyes.
In high school I was successful both academically and socially. I was even elected class president, but
inside me I still felt like a freak (畸形人). When things got really bad, I would cry to my mama and she
would look at me with loving eyes and say, "Hold your head up high and face the world. Let them see the beauty that is inside."
When I met the man who became my partner for life, we looked each other straight in the eye, and he
told me I was beautiful inside and out. Mama's love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the
confidence to overcome my own doubt.
"Hold your head up high" has been heard many times in my home. Now, I'm a mother, too. Each of my children has felt its invitation. The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation.
1. What is TRUE of the writer's eyes?
A. She was blind in one eye when she was born.
B. Her blindness was caused by a traffic accident.
C. She became blind in one eye because of a fall.
D. She lives unhappily because of her blindness.
2. When the writer was a high school student, she ______.
A. was proud of her beauty that was inside
B. was active in taking part in social activities
C. was filled with doubts and worries about her sightless eye
D. was good at her study but sometimes lacked confidence
3. What does the underlined word "invitation" mean?
A. encouragement
B. advantage
C. warmth
D. weight
4. What's the author's purpose in writing the passage?
A. To show the power of confidence.
B. To express her gratitude (感激之情) to her mom.
C. To explain how to build confidence.
D. To inspire people to face difficulties
