About 20 years ago, while on the way to visit a student s house, Zhang Guimei, then a rural teacher in Huaping county, Lijiang, Yunnan province, noticed a girl siting on the hillside. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married though she wanted to go to school. It was arranged by her parents.
Zhang went to her house and tried to persuade her parents to let the girl return to school and promised to pay for her tuition herself. However, they didn't agree. Zhang feels sorry not being able to help, "We always say, each child should stand on the same starting line, but these girls didn't even have a chance to get on the track."
It persuaded Zhang to build a free high school for girls, aiming to help break the cycle that saw women drop out of education, marry early and spend their whole life in the remote mountain. After years trying to raise funds, in 2008, Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school, was founded, where Zhang is the principal. Over the decades, Zhang walked thousands of kilometers, visiting students' families in the deep mountain, talking to villagers, persuading girls to go back to school. It has been worth it. More than 1,800 graduates have been admitted to college, which is regarded as a "miracle" in the remote area, as most students didn't perform well in academic study before the school was established.
Though lacking full health, Zhang, now 63, insists on a daily routine-get up at around 5 a. m. to call students to get up with a loudspeaker, accompany students to classes and sleep after senior students' study ends at midnight. Zhang' husband died in the 1990s. She doesn't have children or a house, so she lives at the student dormitory. Besides girls in her school, Zhang also donates all her income to help rural education and poor people.
In early December, she was given the honor of the country's "role model for teachers" and "outstanding woman". Her moving stories inspire thousands of people.
4. Why did Zhang feel sorry when the girl's parents refused to let the girl return to school?
A.The girl's family was too poor to pay for her tuition fee. |
B.The girl had to marry a man who was much older than her. |
C.The girl didn't even have the chance to complete her education. |
D.The girl was unable to find a high school nearby to continue her education. |
5. Why did it take Zhang many years to found the new high school for girls in Huaping?
A.Not many girls want to attend this school. |
B.Few parents support their girls' going to school. |
C.The local government didn't offer the land for the school. |
D.It was not easy for Zhang to get enough finance to build the school. |
6. What do the underlined words "
rural education" in the last but one paragraph mean?
A.Education for girls. | B.Education for the remote areas. |
C.Education for those poor people. | D.Education for the unloved children. |
7. What is the best title of this passage?
A.Teacher shows girls how to reach the top | B.Let girls stand on the same starting line |
C.Inspiring stories of girls' education | D.Huaping High School for Girls |