Frida Kahlo

People Who Made History
blouses 34 that the traditional Mexican women wore. She wore
them partly to cover her crippled right leg. Kahlo looked like a
queen as she wore native 35 jewelry 36 and piled 37 her hair on top
of her head. Kahlo and Gómez were very much in love. Her life
was proceeding 38 smoothly until September of 1925, when she
was in a tragic accident that changed her life.
September 17, 1925 was a rainy day in Mexico City, so Kahlo
and Gómez ran from school to catch a bus that would take them
home. They had been studying a whole day and were ready for a
little relaxation. They were talking about school as they waited for
the bus. The pavement 39 was slippery, and shortly after they got
on the bus, a trolley 40 crashed into it. Many people were hurt, but
none more badly than Kahlo. A large metal rod went through her
abdomen 41 and her back. She broke her backbone, collarbone 42 ,
ribs 43 and pelvis 44 . Her right leg was broken in 11 places, her right
Frida Kahlo
34. blouse [ blZUz ] n. a woman's shirt
35. native [ `netIv ] a. relating to the first people to live in an area
36. jewelry [ `djuJlrI ] n. (U) small things that sb wears for decoration
37. pile [ pZIl ] v. to arrange objects one on top of another
38. proceed [ prJ`sid ] v. to continue
39. pavement [ `pevmJnt ] n. a hard smooth surface at the side of a road for
people to walk on
40. trolley [ `tralI ] n. a vehicle driven by electricity that runs on rails along the
streets
41. abdomen [ `AbdJmJn ] n. the part of the body between the chest and the legs
42. collarbone [ `kalK:bon ] n. a bone between your shoulder and neck
43. rib [ rIb ] n. a bone that curves around from your back to your chest
44. pelvis [ `pElvIs ] n. the bones which form a bowl-shaped structure in the area
below the waist at the top of the legs
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