Grandma on a mission

河南郑州市第十一中学 谷战峰

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难词探意

1.tuition/tju'ɪʃn/n.学费

2.boost/buːst/v.促进；提高

3.implementation/,ɪmplɪmen'teɪʃn/n.履行；落实

4.enrolment/ɪn'rəʊlmənt/n.登记；入学

Jiang Lijuan,a woman who has helped girls from families living in poverty to return to classrooms,sits in her chair and slowly goes through a photo album,page by page.The 88-year-old knows the stories behind the pictures—stories of several thousand girls from remote areas of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region whom she once helped to return to school after they had dropped out because they couldn't afford the 80 yuantuitionfee.

Over the past 25 years,she has raised 5 million yuan to help girls from poor families,but she doesn't focus on the money.She's more interested in the people.

Jiang's story started in 1994,when she learned from TV news that 17,000 girls in Guyuan had lost their chance for an education because their families couldn't pay tuition.She was shocked. “It's only 80 yuan,which isn't much,” she said.“But it's a big deal for girls to be educated.Girls today are the mothers of the future,and their educational levels will directly affect the lives of their kids.They have a great responsibility to change the backwardness in remote areas,and we have to help them.”

In 2007,a Chinese person living in the United States contacted Jiang and donated more than 1.4 million yuan after reading a media report about her.Jiang has been awarded as a“charity leader” in China.“Her work hasboostedthe developmentofeducation in Ningxia,”observers said. “Our family doesn't care too much about the awards,”said Cui Wei,Jiang's daughter. “My mother is just doing what she likes.More people are now doing charity work.”Jiang shared her motivation for helping others,“I'm an orphan.I know the feeling of loneliness and what it means to need help.”She was 13 when both of her parents died,and she had to live with her relatives.

In recent years,with theimplementationof the compulsory nine-year education in the country,theenrolmentrate of primary and secondary school students has risen,so Jiang has shifted her focus to supporting students in high schools and colleges.

Reading Check

1.Why did girls in remote areas drop out according to paragraph 1?

A.They weren't interested in learning.

B.They didn't have enough money.

C.They lived far away from the local school.

D.They were born to help their parents with housework.

2.Which of the following may Jiang agree with?

A.Girls should be well educated.

B.Girls should be treated equally as boys.

C.Children should be independent at a young age.

D.Children should go to school as early as possible.

3.Why did Jiang choose to help others?

A.She did it to realize her dream.

B.She did it to make up for her mistakes.

C.She wanted to draw people's attention.

D.She was an orphan and knew the feeling of needing help.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

Over the past 25 years,she has raised 5 million yuan to help girls from poor families,but she doesn't focus on the money.在过去的25年里，她募集了500万人民币去帮助来自贫困家庭的女孩子，但是她的目标不是钱。

【信息提取】over+时间段，句子的时态一般为现在完成时，意为“在过去的……时间里”。

【句式仿写】这些年来她没发生多大变化。