At first glance Esther Okade seems like a normal 10-year-old. She loves dressing up as Elsa from “Frozen”, playing with Barbie dolls and going to the park or shopping. But what makes the British-Nigerian youngster stand out is the fact that she’s also a university undergraduate. 

Esther, from Walsall, an industrial town in the UK’s West Midlands region, is one of the country's youngest college freshmen. The talented 10-year-old enrolled at the Open University, a UK-based distance learning college, in January and is already top of the class, having recently scored 100% in a recent exam. 

“It’s so interesting. It’s real maths -- theories, complex numbers, all that type of stuff,” she giggles. “It was super easy. My mum taught me in a nice way. I want to (finish the course) in two years. Then I’m going to do my PhD in financial maths when I’m 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I'm 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.” 

Esther has always jumped ahead of her peers. She sat her first Math GSCE exam, a British high school qualification, at Ounsdale School in Wolverhampton at just six, where she received a C-grade. A year later, she outdid herself and got the A-grade she wanted. Then last year she scored a B-grade when she sat the Math A-level exam. 

Esther’s mother noticed her daughter’s talent for figures shortly after she began homeschooling her at the age of three. Efe says: “In the UK, you don’t have to start school until you are five. Education is not compulsory until that age so I thought OK, we’ll be doing little things at home until then. Maybe by the time she's five she will change her mind.” Efe started by teaching basic number skills but Esther was miles ahead. By four, her natural gift for maths had seen the eager student move on to algebra and quadratic equations. 

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1.What makes Esther Okade different from other kids of her age?

A She is fond of playing with Barbie dolls.

B She lives in an industrial town in the UK.

C She loves dressing up as Elsa from “Frozen”.

D She is already a university undergraduate.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章第1段第3句But what makes …stand out is the fact that she’s also a university undergraduate可知，Esther与同龄人不同的是她已经是一个大学生了。

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A She finds great pleasure in maths.

B She has qualification for high school.

C She thinks maths at school too complex.

D Esther’s mother makes great effort to teach her daughter.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据文章第3段第1句It’s so interesting. It’s real maths…all that type of stuff可知，Esther尤其喜欢复杂的数学，她认为这才是真正的数学，由此判断，在常人看来复杂的数学运算能够给她带来快乐。

3.What is Esther’s dream?

A She expects to learn real maths at school.

B She wants to have her own bank.

C She wants to do her PhD in financial maths.

D She wants to get the A-grade at the Math GSCE exam.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第3段I want to have my own bank …because…banking is a great way to help people可知，Esther的梦想是拥有自己的银行，她认为做银行家能够给人们提供很大的帮助。

4.What is the author’s purpose by including the maths exams Esther has taken in the passage?

A To introduce the Math GSCE exam in the UK.

B To tell us about the British education system.

C To prove that Esther is a genius in maths.

D To prove that homeschooling is better than school education.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。文章第四段介绍了Esther六岁就开始参加英国中学普通中等教育(GSCE)数学考试，获得C级，七岁获得B级，九岁那年获得A级。根据本段开头的Esther has always jumped ahead of her peers可以判断，作者介绍Esther的考试经历目的是想证明她在数学方面有着极高的天分。

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

A Ten-Year-Old Girl Gets A-Grade in Math GSCE.

B Ten-Year-Old Girl Becomes UK’s Youngest College Student.

C Education Not Compulsory for Youngsters.

D Homeschooling also Makes Great Achievements.

解析：选B。B 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要介绍了Esther凭借惊人的数学天赋在十岁时就考入大学，成为英国最小大学生的情况。