Question

As Rosalie Warren stood at the mailbox in the lobby of her apartment building in May 1980, she shared the anxiety of many other college seniors. In her hand was an envelope containing her final grades. As she nervously opened it, Warren wondered whether her hundreds of hours of studying had paid off.

They had.

“I got five A’s,” she still recalls with elation. “I almost fell on the floor!”

Warren would graduate from Suffolk University with a Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy and history at age 80. Three years later, at age 83; she would receive her second degree from Suffolk, a master’s in education.

Now, with both diplomas proudly displayed in her apartment, Warren is not finished with learning. Now 93, she continues for her 18th year at Suffolk under a program that allows persons 65 and over to attend classes tuition free. “It’s my life to go to school, to enjoy being in an academic atmosphere,” she says. “That’s what I love.”

Warren was born Rosalie Levey on Aug.29, 1900. Two years after she entered high school, her father died. Warren had to leave school for factory work to help support her family’s 10 children. Warren describes herself as a “person who always liked school,” and she says the move “broke my heart completely because I couldn’t finish high school.”

In the end, however, “I went to school nights,” she recalls. “Any place I could find an outlet of learning and teaching, I was there.”

A short time later, her mother became ill, and Warren had to care for her, once again putting her education on hold.

Finally, in 1921, her mother, now recovered, drew from her saving to send Warren to Boston University for two years to study typing, stenography, and office procedures.

Those courses helped Warren gain several long-term office positions over the next 60 years, but her great desire “to be in the academic field” continued.

In 1924, she married Eugene Warren, and seven years later, her daughter, Corinne, was born. In 1955, by then a widow and a grandmother, Warren took a bus tour across the United States that was to last nine months. She said she wanted to see “things you never see in the West End.”

When she returned home, she took a bookkeeping position and also enrolled in courses in philosophy, sociology and Chinese history.

In 1975, when she was 75, Warren learned from a neighbor about Suffolk University’s tuition-free program for senior citizens.” I was at the registrar’s office the very next day,” she recalls. At first, she took one or two courses at a time, but encouraged by her professors, she enrolled as a degree candidate.

“I had not studied for so many years,” she says, “but I was determined.” For the next four years, Warren, who calls herself a “student of philosophy,” worked toward her degree.

Nancy Stoll, dean of students at Suffolk, says Warren is “an interesting role model for our younger students—that learning is a lifetime activity...She is genuinely enthusiastic about being here, and that permeates (散发) her activities and is contagious (传染的) to students and faculty.”

1.What does the word elation mean in the sentence “I got fives A’s”, she still recalls with elation”?

A. Great happiness.B. Great surprise.

C. Great pride.D. Great honor.

2.Which statement can be inferred from the underlined sentences?

A. Because Warren needn’t pay her tuition; she went to study at Suffolk University.

B. At first Warren had to pay for her courses at Suffolk University.

C. Most of the students at Suffolk University are older than 65.

D. Suffolk University encourages older people to take courses.

3.It can be inferred from this passage that Rosalie Warren _______.

A. came from a wealthy family

B. didn’t like working in an office

C. put her family before her education

D. didn’t like her family very much

4.What is the main topic of this passage?

A. Rosalie Warren’s family

B. Rosalie Warren’s life

C. Rosalie Warren’s education

D. Rosalie Warren’s studying at Suffolk University

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本人讲述了一位名叫Rosalie Warren的老人上大学的事情。她在年幼时期因为家庭缘故而被迫辍学照顾家人，但是心中上学的梦想一直都在，直到她75岁的时候才重新回到校园，并且四年后她以优异的成绩从大学毕业。她的这种学习热情与精神值得年轻人学习。

1. 词义猜测题。从上下文可知，Rosalie Warren在80岁的时候拿到全优的毕业成绩，所以从情理推测，任何人在这种情况下都会是高兴的，兴高采烈的，所以A选项正确。

2. 推理判断题。根据划线句中under a program that allows persons 65 and over to attend classes tuition free.可知，Suffolk University鼓励老人上学，所以提供免费的课程，故D选项正确。

3. 推理判断题。文中讲述Rosalie Warren在父亲去世后辍学回家帮助母亲维持生计，在母亲生病后再次放弃夜校课程照顾母亲等等情况，从这些经历的叙述可知她是把家人放在首要位置的，故C选项正确。

4. 主旨大意题。文章采用倒序手法，讲述了Rosalie Warren的经历，尽管历经很多波折，但她终于实现了自己上大学的梦想。故C选项是文章的主题。

【名师点睛】

抓住文章主线和关键词语，归纳文章中心

要注意不是所有的段落都有主题句，有时主题句暗含在句中。阅读这样的文章，就需要自己根据文章的细节来分析，概括出段落的主题，从而推导出文章的主旨。分析的方法是：先弄清该段落主要讲了哪几方面的内容，这些内容在逻辑上有什么联系，然后加以归纳形成主题。5.主旨大意题。文章采用倒序手法，讲述了Rosalie Warren的经历，尽管历经很多波折，但她终于实现了自己上大学的梦想。故C选项是文章的主题。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读。