By the time she turned 18, Khadijah Williams had attended twelve schools. She had lived in shelters, in parks, and in motels, never in a permanent residence for more than a few months. She had been laughed at and looked down upon by students at a dozen schools who thought of her as “different”.
Homeless since early childhood, Khadijah struggled all her life to hide her circumstances from teachers and fellow students. However, academic achievement proved to be a way for her to find confidence in herself again. For instance, at the age of 9, she placed in the 99th percentile on a state exam, and her teacher told her she was “gifted”. From that moment forward, Khadijah decided to do whatever it took to keep herself in that category. “I was so proud of being smart. I often heard my fellow students say, ‘You got the easy way out because you're homeless,’” she told The LA Times. “But I never saw it as an excuse about living a less successful life.”
By the second year of high school, she realized that she could not succeed in getting the education she dreamed of without getting help to go beyond what her current school could offer. She talked to teachers and advisers who helped her apply for summer community college classes, scholarships, and enrichment programs. And in the 11th grade, when she enrolled at Jefferson High School, she decided to complete the rest of her school career there—a decision that meant taking a bus each morning at 4 a.m. and not getting home until 11 p.m.
Here's the end of the story—when Khadijah poured the story of her life into her Harvard University college application, she was accepted.
【小题1】What makes Khadijah confident in herself?| A．Her different personality. | B．Her ability to live well alone. |
| C．Her excellent performance in study. | D．Her fellow students' encouragement. |
| A．It's a really pitiful circumstance. | B．It makes her more strong-minded. |
| C．It offers her more ways to succeed. | D．It's an excuse about working less hard. |
| A．Pass a college entrance exam. | B．Apply for more advanced education. |
| C．Make a decision to complete high school. | D．Become a top student in her current school. |
| A．Twelve Schools Make a Successful Student |
| B．Being Different Means Having More Chances |
| C．Khadijah Williams: From Shelters to Harvard |
| D．Khadijah Williams: Inspiration to Homeless People |
