D
Nannie Helen Burroughs tried to be a teacher at a Washington D.C. public school in the 1890s,but was refused. The hiring(招聘)people did not care that she graduated with good grades from high school. Burroughs was refused because of her skin colour. Put simply,historians say,people doing the hiring believed her to be "too black".
Burroughs decided that if she could not get a job as a teacher,she would start her own school. That school was only the beginning of a long career(事业)as an educator,speaker,businesswoman,and activist.
Many people today might not know her name,but Burroughs fought tirelessly throughout her 82 years so that black women might have the right to education,fair(公平的)wages(工资)and positions of leadership.
Kelisha Graves,writer of a biography(传记)on Burroughs,said that Burroughs' calling was to "let women know that they have the ability to think loudly".
After she was refused,Burroughs tried her best to make money. She had grown up working-class(工人阶级)— her mother was a laundress(洗衣女工)— and throughout her life,Burroughs thought the spirit of hard work was great. With limited chances,she took all kinds of jobs as a book keeper,a secretary and a cleaner.
Soon she began raising money for the school. Refusing to depend on white people's donation,she collected small donations from local community members. She also had help from a few famous black leaders. Maggie Walker,the first black woman to run a bank in the United States,donated 500.
Burroughs bought a plot of land for the school on her own. When there was work to be done,Burroughs often did it herself. In 1909,Burroughs opened the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington D.C.
Black women and girls from across the country came to study in her school. Burroughs was forward-thinking in her understanding of what women could or should learn. She taught skills that helped students to get jobs,but her school also paid more attention to subjects such as literature(文学)and Latin.
"She was a person who was a leading voice for racial(种族的)pride," said Sharon Harley,a professor of African American Studies. "Burroughs believed in 'a narrative(叙述)in which people would realize that black people contributed(贡献)to the spiritual well-being of America'," Harley said.
(
D
)11. What can readers know about Burroughs according to the article?
A. She was born in a poor but happy family.
B. She once worked as a book keeper,a secretary and a laundress to make money.
C. She was the first black woman to run a bank in the United States.
D. She believed that black people had made great spiritual contributions to America.
(
B
)12. Which sentence from the article best shows that Burroughs was an excellent teacher?
A. She was a person who was a leading voice for racial pride.
B. Burroughs was forward-thinking in her understanding of what women could or should learn.
C. Throughout her life,Burroughs thought the spirit of hard work was great.
D. After she was refused,Burroughs tried her best to make money.
(
A
)13. What is the main idea of this article?
A. Burroughs' fighting for black people's rights after being refused to be a teacher.
B. Nannie Helen Burroughs' whole life.
C. Discussion on racial problems in the United States.
D. People's remarks(评论)on the great woman — Nannie Helen Burroughs.
(
D
)14. This article may be used for a student research on ______.
A. American's education system B. the job market in the US
C. charity system of America D. African American studies
