It’s a big change from homeless teen to Yale (耶鲁) medical school student, but perseverance paid off for Chelesa Fearce of Clayton County, Georgia.
Fearce was a fourth grader when her mom was diagnosed (诊断) with Lymphoma (淋巴瘤).That began a hard time for the family. They had to move in and out of shelters, hotels and even the family car.
“I know I have been made stronger. I was homeless. My family slept on the floor and we were lucky if we got more than one full meal a day. Getting a shower, food and clean clothes was an everyday struggle,” Fearce said in a speech she gave at her high school graduation ceremony. Fearce overcame her day-to-day struggles by focusing on a better day. “I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore. And that helped me get through,” she told WSBTV.
Fearce was determined to be a good role model for her younger sister. She found inspiration in her late grandmother, struggling with deadly diseases, who gave Fearce emotional support. In her junior and senior year, Fearce took both high school and college courses, missing out on the free meals she depended on so she could get to her college classes. Despite having to use her cellphone to study after the shelter lights were turned off at night, she not only graduated as valedictorian (毕业生代表) of her 2013 class with a 4.5 grade average, but was also given a ride scholarship—including a meal plan to Spelman College in Atlanta.
After graduation, she worked full time for two years at the National Institutes for Health in Bethesda, Maryland, doing research on drugs. Last fall, she entered Yale and set a course to earn both a PhD and medical degree.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “perseverance” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．instant passion. | B．continuous efforts. |
| C．great patience. | D．selfless ambitions. |
| A．Sad and disappointed. | B．Stressed and defeated. |
| C．Determined and confident. | D．Joyous and contented. |
| A．Her grandma encouraged her to study medicine. |
| B．Her high school offered her free meals and courses. |
| C．She failed to study late due to frequent power cut. |
| D．She gained remarkable high school achievement. |
| A．From Homeless to Yale | B．Meet American’s Top Girl |
| C．Disabled but not Defeated | D．Chelesa Fearce: A Girl of Many Talents |
