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     Taylor Bernard and her twin sister were born 12 weeks early. As a result, Taylor suffers from

cerebral palsy (CP). It is a condition that affects the brain. Kids who are born with CP have trouble

controlling the muscles in their body. Taylor is 8 years old now. She uses a powerwheelchair to get

around. Her twin sister Sydney participates in sports, but Taylor has a different interest: art.

     Taylor submitted(提交) a watercolor painting of a sunset in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, to an art

contest. Of the more than 5,500 students who took park in the contest, only 51 were selected. Taylor

was one of them. Her winning painting is now being displayed in Union Station, in Washington, D. C.

After leaving Union Station, the exhibit will tour the country.

     The contest was sponsored by VSA, the international organization on arts and disability. The

nonprofit group was started to give people with disabilities an opportunity to participate in the arts.

Submissions for the contest came from students with and without disabilities. The exhibition is part of

VSA's International Arts Festival and was also sponsored by CVS Caremark's All Kids Can program.

     Art Changed Her Life

     Amanda LaMunyon represented Oklahoma in the exhibition. She just finished her freshman year of

high school. When Amanda was in elementary school, she had problems focusing and following rules.

She has Asperger Syndrome, which is a form of autism.

     "People started looking at her differently," her mother, Sherry LaMunyon, said. "They stopped

looking at her as a girl who was struggling and started looking at her as an artist. It's changed her whole

life."

     The president of VSA, Soula Antoniou, said that the point of the exhibition is to focus on students'

abilities, rather than their disabilities. "What we're trying to do is make sure each student finds something

they're good at," she said.

     That's exactly what Taylor's done. While she has some difficulty with fine motor skills, she's found that

she's talented with wide brush strokes(笔画) in painting.

     Inspiring Others

     Before finding painting, Amanda said she had trouble fitting in. "I didn't have anything that I felt was my talent," she said. Now she's more focused on school and is interested in studying fashion design and

theater.

     Amanda hopes that the exhibition will show others that even if they have disabilities, they have abilities

they don't even know yet. You can see more of Amanda's artwork at amandalamunyon.com.

1. How could Amanda's mother feel when they learned Amanda could paint?

A. Disappointed.  

B. Surprised.

C. Doubt.  

D. Pleased.

2. What is the text mainly about?

A. Students with disabilities show their creativity at an international art festival in Washington, D. C.

B. Students with disabilities are more talented in art according to the result of an international art festival

in Washington, D. C.

C. An international art festival in Washington, D. C. gives people with disabilities an opportunity to

participate in the arts.

D. More than 5,500 students submitted their paintings at an international art festival in Washington, D. C.

3. We may infer from the passage that ________.

A. Amanda had Asperger Syndrome before she went to the elementary school

B. Some children who are disabled even don't know their situation

C. Taylor has trouble controlling the muscles, but her sister is healthy

D. Amanda is good at painting with wide brush strokes

4. Where could this passage come from?

A. In a newspaper.  

B. In a magazine.

C. On the Internet.  

D. In a report.