When Louis Braille was three years old, he became blind in both eyes as the result of an accident in his father's harness shop. His father, determined that Louis should not suffer the usual fate of blind persons at that time and become a beggar, kept him in the village school until he was ten and then entered him in the institution des Jeunes Aveugles in Paris. Louis learned to read from the three books engraved in large raised letters in the Institution library. He did exceptionally well both in academic work and at the piano and the organ, and was soon helping to teach the younger children. In 1819, the same year that Louis entered the Institution, Charles Barbier, an army captain, reported to the Academy of Sciences on a system of raised dots and dashes which enabled soldiers to read messages in the dark. Later, Barbier brought his invention to the Institution. After experimenting with it, young Braille produced a writing system using only dots, from which he gradually devised 63 separate combinations representing the letters in the French alphabet. At the request of an Englishman, he later added the letter "w", accents and punctuation marks, and mathematical signs. Although government bureaucracy prevented immediate official adoption, his system was used at the Institution as long as the director, Dr. Pignier, was in office. Pignier's successor insisted on returning to the officially approved former system, but students continued to use Braille's method secretly. Eventually, its superiority was established and it was adopted throughout France. Louis Braille first learned to read with the aid of _______. A. his fatherB. special books at the InstitutionC. the village school teacherD. Captain Barbier's system of dots and dashes Louis's father kept him at the village school until he was ten because his father _______. A. wanted Louis to help him in the harness shopB. thought it was not worthwhile to have Louis work when he was youngC. did not want Louis to live the same sort of life as that of other blind peopleD. wanted Louis to remain with the family as long as possible
When Louis Braille was three years old, he became blind in both eyes as the result of an accident in his father's harness shop. His father, determined that Louis should not suffer the usual fate of blind persons at that time and become a beggar, kept him in the village school until he was ten and then entered him in the institution des Jeunes Aveugles in Paris. Louis learned to read from the three books engraved in large raised letters in the Institution library. He did exceptionally well both in academic work and at the piano and the organ, and was soon helping to teach the younger children.
In 1819, the same year that Louis entered the Institution, Charles Barbier, an army captain, reported to the Academy of Sciences on a system of raised dots and dashes which enabled soldiers to read messages in the dark. Later, Barbier brought his invention to the Institution. After experimenting with it, young Braille produced a writing system using only dots, from which he gradually devised 63 separate combinations representing the letters in the French alphabet. At the request of an Englishman, he later added the letter "w", accents and punctuation marks, and mathematical signs. Although government bureaucracy prevented immediate official adoption, his system was used at the Institution as long as the director, Dr. Pignier, was in office. Pignier's successor insisted on returning to the officially approved former system, but students continued to use Braille's method secretly. Eventually, its superiority was established and it was adopted throughout France.
Louis Braille first learned to read with the aid of _______.
- A. his father
- B. special books at the Institution
- C. the village school teacher
- D. Captain Barbier's system of dots and dashes
Louis's father kept him at the village school until he was ten because his father _______.
- A. wanted Louis to help him in the harness shop
- B. thought it was not worthwhile to have Louis work when he was young
- C. did not want Louis to live the same sort of life as that of other blind people
- D. wanted Louis to remain with the family as long as possible