In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to leave college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a bination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic—and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed Son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a plete zoo—a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each term.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to give up, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.
【小题1】When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be . A．a writerB．a teacherC．a judgeD．a doctor【小题2】The author quit school in her second year of college because she .A．wanted to study by herselfB．fell in love and got marriedC．suffered from a serious illness D．decided to look after her grandma【小题3】What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?A．She was busy yet happy with her family life.B．She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.C．She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.D．She was too confused to make a correct choice.【小题4】What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?A．Failure is the mother of success.B．Little by little, one goes far.C．Every coin has two sides.D．Well begun is half done.【小题5】Which of the following can best describe the author ?A．Caring and determined.B．Honest and responsible.C．Ambitious and sensitive.D．Innocent and single-minded.C
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(答案→)C
解析：本文讲述了作者从小充满梦想，并持之以恒付诸实践，将梦想变成现实，21年后拿下法律文凭。刚开始学习就要弃学照顾患癌症的姥姥。结婚后收养了三个儿子并自己生下一个孩子。从此既要照顾孩子但又不放弃学习，拿下学历，为孩子树立榜样。一个简单人很简单的思想。很大的困难融入以后一切都变得那么正常。很多事情都要从量变到质变，不能着急，要持之以恒。生命就是个过程，伟大的梦想需要一步一步脚踏实地的完成。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. 作者相当一名法官，故选C。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据I made the choice to leave college to care for her.作者辍学去照顾她的祖母，故选D。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a plete zoo—a joyous zoo.作者忙但是很快乐，故选A。
【小题4】写作意图题。根据little steps add up to big dreams.故选B。
【小题5】细节理解题。根据她收养了三个男孩说明她有爱心，她很忙坚持21年拿下文凭说明她又有决心，故选A。