Gerty Cori, the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, was born Gerty Theresa Radnitz in Prague in 1896. Gerty decided at the age of sixteen to study medicine. She entered the Realgymnasium at Tetschen, from which she graduated in 1914, and then went to the Medical School of the German University of Prague. While in medical school, Gerty met Carl Cori, a classmate who shared both her love of skiing and mountain climbing and her interest in laboratory research. In 1920, the two published the results of their first joint research, received their medical degrees, and married each other.
Gerty’s first research position was as an assistant in the Karolinen Children’s Hospital in Vienna. In 1922, Carl Cori moved to the United States to join the staff of the New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases in Buffalo, New York. Gerty Cori moved a few months later, starting as an assistant pathologist ( 病理学家) at the Institute and later rising to an assistant biochemist. In 1928, the Coris became US citizens.
In 1931, Carl Cori accepted the position of chairman of the Department of Pharmacology of the Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), while Gerty Cori was hired as a research fellow. In the early 1940s the Coris moved to the Department of Biological Chemistry. Gerty Cori was made an associate ( 副) professor of Research Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology in 1943. She was elevated to the rank ( 级别) of professor of Biological Chemistry in July 1947, the same year she and her husband were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work on the metabolism of glycogen (糖代谢).
In 1947, Gerty Cori began showing the signs of myelofibrosis, an unusual blood disease. She fought the disease for ten years, refusing to give up her research until the last few months of her life. Gerty Cori died on October 26, 1957.
8. What can we learn about Gerty’s husband?
A.He shared the same interests with Gerty. |
B.He moved to the USA later than Gerty. |
C.He married Gerty while in medical school. |
D.He studied pathology under the influence of Gerty. |
9. Which of the following is the correct order of the events in Gerty’s life?
a. She moved to the USA.
b. She won the Nobel Prize.
c. She met her husband Carl.
d. She got a job in the WUSM.
e. She received her medical degree.
A.e, a, c, b, d | B.c, e, a, d, b |
C.e, c, a, d, b | D.c, a, e, b, d |
10. What does the underlined word “elevated” in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Adapted. | B.Defeated. | C.Promoted. | D.Committed. |
11. What can we infer about Gerty from the last paragraph?
A.She was satisfied with her later life. | B.She was in poor health all her life. |
C.She died of a common disease. | D.She was very mentally strong. |