A
My mother didn’t set out to be a civil rights activist. In fact, she had no intention of becoming a pioneer of any sort. But because of the kind of person she was, and the times she lived through, she turned out to be both. She gave a whole group of black Alabama girls opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had, and became a role model for all of us.
In 1941 she bought an old Victorian house to operate as a preschool. The huge, sunny rooms and breezy porches also served as a meeting place for my mother’s first Girl Scout troop.
Though this may seem a small thing now, at the time it was a watershed(分水岭) event. Racism was a fact of life in the 1940s, and African American girls were barred from joining white troops. My mother, who was only five feet tall but could beat you on a fast-paced hike, decided it was time for a change. Her troop was the first for African Americans in Alabama. When Mama saw a need, she filled it.
In 1950, the Girl Scouts sent a group of women-all of them white-from headquarters in New
York to help my mother with an overnight training camp. The women met in a wilderness area outside Birmingham where, unknown to them, the Ku Klux Klan(3K党) was active. It never occurred to the women, black and white, that they were violating the rules of segregation(种族隔离) by camping together. That night, my mother awoke to the sound of men’s voices. She stole out of her tent and saw them, dressed in their horrible uniforms. They offered what must have been a terrifying warning: Be gone by sunrise.
She never shared this story with me; people protected their children from some of the uglier sides of racism. But I over-heard my parents talking about it later that night and I realized there was something remarkable about Mama. I felt an obligation to give back, to seek solutions and create opportunities as she did.
"It’s not something you choose to do; it’s just something you do," she would say. And what I’ve found is this: In giving to others, you get as much as you give.
21. What made the author’s mother an advocate for civil rights?
A. Her passion and educational background. B. Her race and financial condition.
C. Her personality and social background. D. Her occupation and religious belief.
22. Why does the author mention her mother’s height in the third paragraph?
A. To indicate her deeply-rooted sympathy for her mother.
B. To emphasize her mother’s surprising strength.
C. To illustrate what a role model should look like.
D. To show her mother differs from average black women.
23. What does the author think of her mother’s meeting with the Ku Klux Klan?
A. It proves to be dangerous and unworthy. B. It reveals the danger of racism.
C. It violates the rules of segregation. D. It inspires her to be brave and caring.
