A South-African female engineer has become an inspiration for other women looking to succeed in fields led by men, after photos of her constructing an extension to her house went so popular on social media.
Last month, South Africa celebrated Women's Month and a 26-year-old woman from Pietermaritzburg became the unlikely poster girl for this year's celebration, after photos of her single-handedly working on an extension to her house went popular on Facebook and other social networks. The pictures showed the woman preparing the cement, making all the measurements and piling the building blocks all by herself, which not only won her a lot of praise, but also empowered other women to follow their dreams even if the difficulties are against them.
South African website Briefly managed to track down the woman of the photos, who turned out to be a trained civil engineer named Zama Philisiwe Zungu. She inherited the passion for construction from her father, who is also a builder, and made the decision to become an engineer in 2014, getting into the Umgungundlovu TVET College in her home city.
Zama said that she had never worked in construction before, but that the practical exams she had passed during college gave her the confidence that she could build the extension to her house by herself. “This is what I am good at,” the 26-year-old said. “Renovating my home is very fun and exciting at the same time; practices are more fun than theory.”
Zama dreams of one day running her own construction company and plans to empower more women in the engineering industry. “Always put your best in everything that you do and never underestimate the power of pouring your heart in what you do. Always seek to improve and empower yourself.” Zama advised other women.
4. Why has the female engineer become an inspiration for other women?
A.Because she is popular on social media. |
B.Because she goes to college in a poor country. |
C.Because women finally control the main fields. |
D.Because women seldom succeed in the construction industry. |
5. What do we know about Zama?
A.She chose the best location for her house. | B.She made a lot of preparations on her own. |
C.She praised other women following their dreams. | D.She made a lot of building blocks and cement. |
6. What does the underlined word “Renovating” mean in paragraph 4?
A.Making the room better and larger. | B.Painting the walls of a new house. |
C.Tearing an old house into pieces. | D.Drawing a new room in the paper. |
7. Which of the following best describes Zama?
A.Inspiring and persevering. | B.Romantic and hardworking. |
C.Creative and sympathetic. | D.Cooperative and reliable. |