Nodira, 18, lives in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan. She was born with a rare disease and is now paralyzed(瘫痪) from the waist down. Her life is confined to a wheelchair but her dreams know no such boundaries. Her hopes for the future include attending university, riding in her father’s car and being able to walk like other children.
Nodira, which means ‘unique’ in Uzbek, is one of five children in a poor family. Every morning, after reciting her prayers, Nodira feeds the hens and goats from her wheelchair. The rest of her day is spent knitting for other people and helping her mother with the household chores.
Nodira has never been to school because it is too far from her home and inaccessible for her wheelchair. A local teacher used to come and tutor her at home and, as a result, she was able to finish third grade. After that, her parents moved to another town and the tutor could not visit as much.
Despite the many difficulties in Nodira’s life she is lucky to be living with her family. The stigma(羞辱) attached to the children living with disabilities, combined with the lack of wheelchair access in schools and the economic difficulties faced by many Uzbek families, have led many parents to place children with disabilities in special institutions.
These days, Nodira does homework exercises at home and reads as much as she can. Still, it is unlikely that she will be able to finish her primary education, much less attend university. While missing out on an education is a great disappointment to Nodira, her greatest wish, for a true friend, can still come true. “What I want more than anything is a friend who also has a disability,” she says. “Somebody will not feel sorry for me or make fun of me, and will understand what my life is like.”
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means “_____”.
A.her dreams will help her desert her wheel chair |
B.her dreams are never limited by her disability |
C.she often dreams of moving freely without a wheel chair |
D.she never dreams of recovering from her disability |
Nodira does all the following every day EXCEPT _____.
A.give food to some animals |
B.to make clothes from woolen or cotton thread |
C.drive cars designed for the disabled |
D.help with the housework |
The underlined word “tutor” in the 3rd paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.
A.educate | B.visit | C.treat | D.comfort |
What Nodira wants most is ______.
A.to go to university | B.to walk on her own feet |
C.to finish her primary education | D.to find a true friend |