Passage 1

Oprah Winfrey has come a long way from her poor childhood home in a small Mississippi town. She was an unwanted child whose parents never married. She was brought up on her grandmother′s farm. The possibil-ity that she would become rich and famous was slim.

Oprah′s mother left her child in her mother′s care, so she could go to work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a strict and difficult life for Oprah. But it also led the way for her future.

She was a highly intelligent child. By the age of three, she had learned to read and write. She also made her first public appearance at that age. Oprah′s intelligence was resented (憎恨) by other children of her age. They called her unkind names and pushed her away. Oprah felt very isolated and unwanted. It made her feel worse that she didn′t live with her mother and father. She felt that no one loved her. This made her angry and rebellious (叛逆的). These feelings brought her much trouble as she was growing up. She often behaved badly, causing her grandmother to punish her. By the age of seven, she was too much for her grandmother to discipline.

Then Oprah went to live with her mother, Vernita, who worked very hard as a housekeeper in Milwaukee. It was hard for her to work and take care of her bright, troublesome child. They lived in poverty in a small apartment. Oprah took out all her angry feelings on her mother. When Oprah was eight, Vernita sent her to live with her father and stepmother in Nashville, Tennessee.

But she moved again a few months later when Vernita married a man with two children. Vernita wanted Oprah to be with her and her new family. Unfortunately, she felt she didn′t belong with them. She believed she wasn′t loved by anyone. Her angry and frustration grew stronger. She struck back by misbehaving and running away from home. Her parents found her impossible to discipline. When she was 14,they tried to send her to a special center for troubled girls.

But there was no room for her. So Vernita sent Oprah back to live with her father. Vernon Winfrey was by then a successful businessman and family man. He took one look at his daughter and knew she needed love, guidance and discipline. He gave her all three. It was a turning point in Oprah′s life. He was strict about his daughter′s education. He gave her homework in addition to her schoolwork. She was allowed to watch only one hour of television a day. She became an A student and a popular girl in her class. Oprah watched Barbara Waiters, a famous journalist, and decided that was what she wanted to be.

When she was still in high school, she got a part-time job reading news on the radio. In her senior year she won a beauty contest and a four-year scholarship to Tennessee State University.

While still in college she was offered a job as a news broadcaster at a local television station. She was the first female and the first African-American newscaster in Nashville. She was promoted to anchor ,the most important position on the news team,while still a senior.

After Oprah graduated she got a job with a Baltimore news station. But she soon realized that broadcast-ing news wasn′t enough for her. She had to let her personality shine through. She wanted to show emotion when she told a story, not just report it. Meanwhile the station managers were thinking the same way. They removed her from the anchor spot and wondered what to do with her. Finally they put her on an early morning talk show called People Are Talking. No one knew what to expect. The show was a great success. In a very short time, the managers and Oprah all knew what she was born to do. She was everything a talk show host should be.

She was so successful that she got a show with a bigger station in Chicago. In 1985 the show was changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was broadcast nationally and soon became the most popular talk show on television. By the age of 35, Oprah Winfrey was one of the most famous celebrities in America.

What probably led to Oprah′s desire to be a journalist?

• A.The confidence from a contest's success
• B.The suggestion of station managers
• C.The guidance of Vernon Winfrey
• D.The influence of Barbara Waiters