第二篇

19、

第二篇

Going Her Own Way

When she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education, Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school，though some attended private Catholic "finishing" schools. There they learned a little about music，art，needlework，and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria —or her mother. By this time，she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark.

Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school，something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time，there were two types of high schools: the "classical" schools and the "technical" schools. In the classical schools，the students followed a very traditional program of studies，with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature，and Italian literature and history. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.

Maria，however，wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modern than the classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages，mathematics，science，and accounting.Most people — including Maria's father — believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore，they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.

Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school，she had to win her father' s approval. She finally did，with her mother's help，though for many years after，there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to oppose her plans，while her mother helped her.

In 1883，at age thirteen，Maria entered the "Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti" in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modern subjects，the teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding，discipline in the classroom was strict，and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.

36  Maria wanted to attend _____.

A  a private“finishing" school

B   a school teaching Latin

C  a technical high school

D  a school for art and music

37  In those days, most Italian girls_____.

A  did not go to primary school

B  went to“finishing" schools

C  did not go to high school

D  went to technical schools

38   Maria's father probably_____.

A  had a modern view about women

B   had a traditional view about women

C  was interested in women's education

D  thought Latin was easy for women

39   High school teachers in Italy in those days were very_____.

A  flexible

B intelligent

C kind

D strict

40  We can infer from this passage that_____.

A  Maria's parents liked her personality

B   Maria was a girl of strong will

C  Maria's mother paid for her education

D  Maria  gave in under her father's pressure

本題分數（15）

36  C  第三段的第一句話講得很清楚Maria想上的是哪一類學校：Maria,however,wanted to attend a technical school.

37  C  第一段里有這樣一句話：Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic“finishing"schools．可見大多數中產階級家庭的女孩讀完小學后選擇待在家里，有些則上私立的天主教的“finishing schools”，但并不屬于中學。所以實際上當時大多數意大利的女孩子是不讀中學的。

38  B  在第三段里講到技術中學比經典的中學更現代化，教授現代語言、數學、科學、會計等科目。大多數人，包括Maria的父親認為女孩子學不了這些科目，甚至認為女孩子不該學這些東西?？梢娝麑ε缘挠^點是很傳統的。

39  D  這可以從最后一段，尤其是最后一句話看到：Teachers were very demanding，discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.

40  B  縱觀全文，不難看出Maria是個個性很強的女孩，有自己的想法，而且頂住種種壓力達到自己的目標。文章的標題Going Her Own Way實際上也已經點明了她的個性。

（責任編輯：vstara）

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