Oseola McCarty

LATE ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON in September 1999, Oseola McCarty, an elderly cleaning lady passed away in the little wooden frame house where she had lived and worked most of her life.  It may seem like an ordinary end to a humble life,  but there was something quite exceptional about this woman. ¹

In the summer of 1995, McCarty gave $150,000, most of the money she had saved throughout her life, to the UniversityofSouthern Mississippiin her hometown.  The money was tohelp other African Americans through university. She had started her savings habit as a young child when she would return from school to clean and iron for money which she would then save.

    She led a simple, frugal existence, never spending on anything but her most basic needs. ² Her bank also advised her on investing her hard-earned savings.

    When she retired, she decided that she wanted to use the money to give children of limited means the opportunity to go to university. ³ She had wanted to become a nurse, but had to leave school to look after ill relatives and work.  When asked why she had given her life savings away, she replied, "I"m giving it away so that children won"t have to work so hard, like I did.” After news of her donation hit the media, over 600 donations were made to the scholarship fund.  One was given by media executive, Ted Turner, who reputedly gave a billion dollars.

    She didn"t want any fuss made over her gift, but the news got out and she was invited all over theUnited Statesto talk to people. Wherever she went, people would come up to her to say a few words or to just touch her.  She met the ordinary and the famous, President Clinton included.  In the last few years of her life, before she died of cancer, McCarty was given over 300 awards: she was honoured by the United Nations and received the Presidential Citizen"s Medal. Despite having noreal education, she found herself with two honorary doctorates: one from theUniversityofSouthern Mississippiand the other fromHarvardUniversity. Her generosity was clearly an inspiration to many and proof that true selflessness does exist.

词汇:

frugal /"fru:gəl/ adj. 节约的，俭朴的，花钱少 的，物质的，廉价的 fuss /fʌs / n. 慌乱，小题大做，抱怨争吵 V. 忙

donation /dəv’neifə n/ n. 捐赠，捐款，捐赠的 乱，(为小事)烦恼抱怨

注释：

1. It mayseem like an ordinary end to a humble life, but there was something quite exceptionalabout this woman.这位老妇人看似平凡的一生却有着非同寻常的意义。

2.  She led a simple, frugal existence, never spending on anything but her most basic needs.她一生过着简单、节俭的生活，除了生活必需品外她从不在其他事情上花钱。

3. When she retired, she decided that she wanted to use the money to give children of limitedmeans the opportunity" to go to university.当她退休的时候，她决定用钱给那些条件有限的孩子提供上大学的机会。

She managed to save so much money because____.

A:she had ironed and washed clothes all her life B:she had worked hard, sed hard and invested carefully C:she had opened a good bank account D:she knew how to make money

Oseola McCarty

LATE ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON in September 1999, Oseola McCarty, an elderly cleaning lady passed away in the little wooden frame house where she had lived and worked most of her life.  It may seem like an ordinary end to a humble life,  but there was something quite exceptional about this woman. ¹

In the summer of 1995, McCarty gave $150,000, most of the money she had saved throughout her life, to the UniversityofSouthern Mississippiin her hometown.  The money was tohelp other African Americans through university. She had started her savings habit as a young child when she would return from school to clean and iron for money which she would then save.

    She led a simple, frugal existence, never spending on anything but her most basic needs. ² Her bank also advised her on investing her hard-earned savings.

    When she retired, she decided that she wanted to use the money to give children of limited means the opportunity to go to university. ³ She had wanted to become a nurse, but had to leave school to look after ill relatives and work.  When asked why she had given her life savings away, she replied, "I"m giving it away so that children won"t have to work so hard, like I did.” After news of her donation hit the media, over 600 donations were made to the scholarship fund.  One was given by media executive, Ted Turner, who reputedly gave a billion dollars.

    She didn"t want any fuss made over her gift, but the news got out and she was invited all over theUnited Statesto talk to people. Wherever she went, people would come up to her to say a few words or to just touch her.  She met the ordinary and the famous, President Clinton included.  In the last few years of her life, before she died of cancer, McCarty was given over 300 awards: she was honoured by the United Nations and received the Presidential Citizen"s Medal. Despite having noreal education, she found herself with two honorary doctorates: one from theUniversityofSouthern Mississippiand the other fromHarvardUniversity. Her generosity was clearly an inspiration to many and proof that true selflessness does exist.

词汇:

frugal /"fru:gəl/ adj. 节约的，俭朴的，花钱少 的，物质的，廉价的 fuss /fʌs / n. 慌乱，小题大做，抱怨争吵 V. 忙

donation /dəv’neifə n/ n. 捐赠，捐款，捐赠的 乱，(为小事)烦恼抱怨

注释：

1. It mayseem like an ordinary end to a humble life, but there was something quite exceptionalabout this woman.这位老妇人看似平凡的一生却有着非同寻常的意义。

2.  She led a simple, frugal existence, never spending on anything but her most basic needs.她一生过着简单、节俭的生活，除了生活必需品外她从不在其他事情上花钱。

3. When she retired, she decided that she wanted to use the money to give children of limitedmeans the opportunity" to go to university.当她退休的时候，她决定用钱给那些条件有限的孩子提供上大学的机会。

She gave her money away because____.

A:she wanted to help the university B:she wanted others to have the chance to become nurses C:she wanted others to have the opportunity to escape a hard life D:she want to be remembered after her death

Knitting My mother knew how to knit (编织), but she never taught me. She assumed, as did many women of her generation, that knitting was no longer a skill worth passing down from mother to daughter. A combination of feminism (女权主义) and consumerism (浪费主义) made many women feel that such homely accomplishments were now out of date. My Grandmother still knitted, though, and every Christmas she made a pair of socks for my brother and me, of red wool. They were the ones we wore under our ice skates (冰鞋) , when it was really important to have warm feet. Knitting is a nervous habit that happens to be productive. It helped me quit smoking by giving my hands something else to do. It is wonderful for depression because no matter what else happens, you are creating something beautiful. Time spent in front of the television or just sitting is no longer time wasted. I love breathing life into the patterns. It’’s true magic, finding a neglected, dog-eared old book with the perfect snowflake design, buying the same Germantown wool my grandmother used, in the exact blue to match my daughter’’s eyes, taking it on the train with me every day for two months, working enthusiastically to get it done by Christmas, staying up late after the stockings are filled to sew in the sleeves and weave in the ends. Knitting has taught me patience. I know that if I just keep going, even if it takes months, there will be a reward. When I make a mistake, I know that anger will not fix it, that I just have to go back and take out the stitches (针脚) between and start over again. People often ask if I would do it for money, and the answer is always a definite no. In the first place, you could not pay me enough for the hours I put into a sweater. But more important, this is an activity I keep separate from such considerations. I knit to cover my children and other people I love in warmth and color. I knit to give them something earthly that money could never buy. Knitting gives my life an alternative rhythm to the daily deadline. By day I can write about Northern Ireland or the New York City Police Department and get paid for it, but on the train home, surrounded by people with laptops, I stage my little rebellion. I take out my old knitting bag and join the centuries of women who have knitted for love. The author wore the red socks her grandmother had knitted for her______.

A:when she went skating B:when she went sightseeing C:when she celebrated Christmas D:when she went to school

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A:when she went skating B:when she went sightseeing C:when she celebrated Christmas D:when she went to school

Knitting My mother knew how to knit (编织), but she never taught me. She assumed, as did many women of her generation, that knitting was no longer a skill worth passing down from mother to daughter. A combination of feminism (女权主义) and consumerism (浪费主义) made many women feel that such homely accomplishments were now out of date. My Grandmother still knitted, though, and every Christmas she made a pair of socks for my brother and me, of red wool. They were the ones we wore under our ice skates (冰鞋) , when it was really important to have warm feet. Knitting is a nervous habit that happens to be productive. It helped me quit smoking by giving my hands something else to do. It is wonderful for depression because no matter what else happens, you are creating something beautiful. Time spent in front of the television or just sitting is no longer time wasted. I love breathing life into the patterns. It’’s true magic, finding a neglected, dog-eared old book with the perfect snowflake design, buying the same Germantown wool my grandmother used, in the exact blue to match my daughter’’s eyes, taking it on the train with me every day for two months, working enthusiastically to get it done by Christmas, staying up late after the stockings are filled to sew in the sleeves and weave in the ends. Knitting has taught me patience. I know that if I just keep going, even if it takes months, there will be a reward. When I make a mistake, I know that anger will not fix it, that I just have to go back and take out the stitches (针脚) between and start over again. People often ask if I would do it for money, and the answer is always a definite no. In the first place, you could not pay me enough for the hours I put into a sweater. But more important, this is an activity I keep separate from such considerations. I knit to cover my children and other people I love in warmth and color. I knit to give them something earthly that money could never buy. Knitting gives my life an alternative rhythm to the daily deadline. By day I can write about Northern Ireland or the New York City Police Department and get paid for it, but on the train home, surrounded by people with laptops, I stage my little rebellion. I take out my old knitting bag and join the centuries of women who have knitted for love. The author wore the red socks her grandmother had knitted for her______.

A:when she went skating B:when she went sightseeing C:when she celebrated Christmas D:when she went to school

Knitting My mother knew how to knit (编织), but she never taught me. She assumed, as did many women of her generation, that knitting was no longer a skill worth passing down from mother to daughter. A combination of feminism (女权主义) and consumerism (浪费主义) made many women feel that such homely accomplishments were now out of date. My Grandmother still knitted, though, and every Christmas she made a pair of socks for my brother and me, of red wool. They were the ones we wore under our ice skates (冰鞋) , when it was really important to have warm feet. Knitting is a nervous habit that happens to be productive. It helped me quit smoking by giving my hands something else to do. It is wonderful for depression because no matter what else happens, you are creating something beautiful. Time spent in front of the television or just sitting is no longer time wasted. I love breathing life into the patterns. It’’s true magic, finding a neglected, dog-eared old book with the perfect snowflake design, buying the same Germantown wool my grandmother used, in the exact blue to match my daughter’’s eyes, taking it on the train with me every day for two months, working enthusiastically to get it done by Christmas, staying up late after the stockings are filled to sew in the sleeves and weave in the ends. Knitting has taught me patience. I know that if I just keep going, even if it takes months, there will be a reward. When I make a mistake, I know that anger will not fix it, that I just have to go back and take out the stitches (针脚) between and start over again. People often ask if I would do it for money, and the answer is always a definite no. In the first place, you could not pay me enough for the hours I put into a sweater. But more important, this is an activity I keep separate from such considerations. I knit to cover my children and other people I love in warmth and color. I knit to give them something earthly that money could never buy. Knitting gives my life an alternative rhythm to the daily deadline. By day I can write about Northern Ireland or the New York City Police Department and get paid for it, but on the train home, surrounded by people with laptops, I stage my little rebellion. I take out my old knitting bag and join the centuries of women who have knitted for love. The author wore the red socks her grandmother had knitted for her______.

A:when she went skating B:when she went sightseeing C:when she celebrated Christmas D:when she went to school