共用题干 第二篇Going Her Own WayWhen she was twelve,Maria made her first important decision about the cours...

共用题干
第二篇

Going Her Own Way

When she was twelve,Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life.She decided
that she wanted to continue her education.Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay at home after
primary school,though some attended private Catholic"finishing"schools.There they learned a little about
music,art,needlework,and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested
Maria-or her mother. By this time,she had begun to take her studies more seriously.She read constantly
and brought her books everywhere.One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study
in the dark.
Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way.That meant attending the public high
school,something that very few girls did.In Italy at the time,there were two types of high schools:the
"classical"schools and the"technical"schools. In the classical schools,the students followed a very tradi-
tional program of studies,with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature,and Italian literature and
history. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.
Maria,however,wanted to attend a technical school.The technical schools were more modern than the
classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages,mathematics,science,and accounting. Most
people一including Maria's father一believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects.
Furthermore,they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.
Maria did not care if it was proper or not.Math and science were the subjects that interested her most.
But before she could sign up for the technical school,she had to win her father's approval. She finally did,
with her mother's help,though for many years after,there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to
oppose her plans,while her mother helped her.
In 1883,at age thirteen,Maria entered the"Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti"in Rome.
Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine.Though the courses included modern subjects,the
teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating
them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way.
Teachers were very demanding;discipline in the classroom was strict;punishment was severe for those who
failed to achieve or were disobedient. Maria's father probably__________.