Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on 8th January, 1942. He went to school in St Albans-a small
city near London. Although he did well, he was never top of his class. After leaving school, Hawking went first
to Oxford University where he studied physics, then he went to Cambridge University where he studied
cosmology. As he himself admits (承认), he didn't work hard. He was a very lazy student, and did very little
work. However, he still got good marks.
    It was at the age of 20 that Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him. He started to bump
(撞上) into things. When he visited his family at Christmas time, his mother was so worried that she made him
see a doctor. Hawking was sent to hospital for tests. Finally, the result came back. Hawking had motor neurone
disease, an incurable illness which would make him unable to speak, breathe or move without the help of a
machine. Doctors said they had no way to help him. He would die before he was 23.
    At first, Hawking became very sad. After a while, though, he began to see his life in a different way. As he
later write, "Before my illness was diagnosed (诊断), I had been very bored with life. There bad not seemed to
be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of hospital, I suddenly realized that there were a lot of
worth while things I could do." Hawking married, found a job at Cambridge University, and had three children.
He also went on to do some of the most important scientific research.
    Today, Hawking still works at Cambridge University as a professor. He strongly believes that his story shows
that nobody, however bad their situation (处境) is, should lose hope. "Life is not fair, "he once said. "You just
have to do the best you can in your own situation."

1. As a university student, Stephen Hawking _______.

A. worked very hard
B. studied maths and physics
C. was the best student in his class
D. was lazy and did very little work

2. Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him when ______.

A. he was sent to hospital for tests
B. his mother made him, see a doctor
C. he was twenty years old
D. he visited his family at Christmas time one year

3. In this passage the word "incurable" means ______.

A. 无法治愈的
B. 难以确诊的
C. 常见的
D. 可以治愈的

4. When Hawking was first diagnosed with motor neurone disease, he            .

A. made up his mind to get married
B. began to see his life in a different way
C. thought that nothing in life was worth doing
D. became very unhappy

5. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Motor Neurone Disease
B. Life is Fair
C. Professor Stephen Hawking
D. A Lazy Boy