Joyce is a 90-year-old mother of nine, grandmother of 17, and great-grandmother of 24. You’d think the old woman would be exhausted and ready to put her feet up in retirement, but you’d be wrong. Instead, Joyce just made history as one of the oldest graduates of a university.

Back in 1951, Joyce enrolled (报名注册) in the university hoping to get a degree in home economics. She almost made it to graduation, but three-and-a-half years in, she says she “met this good looking guy” in church and eventually the two decided to get married. Putting her degree on hold, Joyce had three babies in three years before her husband passed away a few years later.

She spent five years as a widow before remarrying and having six more children, including two sets of twins. She clearly had her hands full, yet she never stopped thinking about that unfinished college degree.

Joyce mentioned this feeling of unfinished business to her children. They bought her a computer and urged her to finish the degree. Finally, in 2019, she decided the time was right! She enrolled in the university again and took online courses towards a general studies bachelor’s degree. Every day she sat down and did some school work, even when it was hard and she felt like giving up. “A lot of times I would have quit. I almost did,” she admitted. “There were just too many people who knew about it. I didn’t want to let them down. I quit once and I said, ‘I don’t want to do it again.’” So Joyce soldiered on! Her hard work paid off when she finally graduated.

Joyce has some words of wisdom for anyone who’s considering challenging themselves like she did. “Keep going. Don’t give up,” she said. “You might feel like giving up, but just hang in there because the end will come and you will win.”

The new graduate praised the teachers and staff at the university for helping and encouraging her every step of the way. Between the professors and her family, she felt very supported throughout her academic journey.

1.What’s the main reason for Joyce’s unfinished college degree?

A The lack of educational fund.

B Joyce’s weak will.

C The concern for family.

D The strict education policy.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第二段和第三段内容可知，乔伊斯之所以没完成大学学业，是因为她结婚生子了，忙得没时间。故选C。

2.What’s Joyce’s family’s attitude to her dreams?

A Flexible but mean.

B Honest but stubborn.

C Caring and supportive.

D Aggressive and demanding.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第四段第二句“They bought her a computer and urged her to finish the degree.”可知，乔伊斯的家人对她未完成的梦想表示关心和支持。故选C。

3.What does the underlined phrase “soldiered on” probably mean?

A Gave up.

B Stayed up.

C Broke off.

D Kept going.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据倒数第三段中的“There were just too many people who knew about it. I didn’t want to let them down. I quit once and I said, ‘I don’t want to do it again.’”和“Her hard work paid off when she finally graduated.”可知，乔伊斯不想让关心她的人失望，因此她坚持下来，最终毕业了。故选D。

4.What does the author want to convey through this passage?

A Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

B It’s never too late to make dreams come true.

C Learning is more than a skill.

D Practice makes perfect.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据全文内容可知，90岁高龄的老奶奶乔伊斯，在时隔多年后，通过自己的努力，终于获得了梦寐以求的大学学位。由此可知，本文旨在告诉读者，实现梦想永远不会迟。故选B。