Renata Di Pietro was studying to be an opera singer. But at 23, while on a music scholarship at the University of Iowa in 1976, her sight began to fail. Soon, it became increasingly difficult to read scores and pick up hand signals from conductors, and the gifted singer was forced to drop out.
After moving to Cleveland, Georgia in 2005, Di Pietro relied on guide dogs to get around. Over the years, she became depressed when she’d lose one of the dogs, who had become her best friend, to old age or death. “It’s very painful, because you love each one,” she says.
In 2009, Di Pietro was intrigued by information from a friend that miniature horses typically live for at least 30 years and make calm and strong guides. She started with a male horse, but he was too hard to control. Angel came next, a mini white female horse Di Pietro has mostly trained herself. “Horses have the ability to avoid the things in the way,” she says. “If I am about to run into something, she slides her body in front of me.”
Di Pietro, now 59, has taught her guide horse to make some sounds with her hoof (马蹄)when she comes to stairs. “Angel can find a chair and locate the nearest door for me,” Di Pietro says. Currently, she’s training Angel to pull her wheelchair and to fetch.
Despite her disability, Di Pietro still sings, performing with her husband, musician Carl Hummer, at special events. Angel is always by her side. “I fight a battle every day to take courage to engage the world,” Di Pietro says. “Angel is my warhorse. We fight that battle together.”
小题1:Why did Di Pietro have to give up her studying in the university?
A．She disliked her major in music.
B．She failed to get high scores.
C．She couldn’t understand hand signals from conductors.
D．She found it difficult to see things clearly.小题2:What does the underlined word “intrigued” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．Puzzled.
B．Interested.
C．Satisfied.
D．Frightened.小题3:Angel can do a lot of things for Di Pietro now EXCEPT_________.
A．supporting her in case of her falling
B．helping her find a chair to sit on
C．keeping her company every day
D．fighting with her against others小题4:Which of the following can best describe the author?
A．Caring and strong-minded.
B．Honest and responsible.
C．Kind and helpful.
D．Ambitious and sensitive.
