一個50歲的尼日利亞女學生

四川 蔣建平

50歲的尼日利亞女子Shade Ajayi終圓上學夢。 如今，她正和比她年輕近40歲的學生一起學習閱讀和寫作。

Until recently, Shade Ajayi had never gone to school. Now 50, the businesswoman is learning to read and write alongside students nearly 40 years younger than her.

Ajayi attends a school in Ilorin, in Nigeria's western Kwara state. She wears the same uniform, or school clothing, as hundreds of girls at the school: a pink dress and head covering. “I'm not ashamed that I wear a uniform,” she said.

As a child, Ajayi worked in her aunt's shop instead of attending school. She now runs her own business making and selling purses and bags. But she believes her inability to read or write is holding her back. Ajayi signed up to attend school last year, but the school closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools reopened in January and Ajayi finally got her chance. She sits in a class with students aged 11 to 13 and raises her hand to answer questions. Ajayi's teacher, Nasrat Busari, said she did not appear worried about the age difference with other students. “She has been coping well with them: playing together, talking together and discussing things together,” he said.

Ajayi's daughter, Shola Adeboye, said at first, she was embarrassed that her mother attended school alongside children. But later, she supported her mother's efforts. “She has always wanted to be educated but she couldn't until now,” Adeboye said.

Ajayi still makes bags and purses after finishing classes. A helper serves her customers during school hours. She plans to continue her education for four more years, saying it will help her business.“People around me can read and write and they are succeeding in their businesses,” said Ajayi. And she does not seem to care what others may say about her. Ajayi said, “It's my duty not to pay attention to what they're saying.”

Reading Check

1. Why did Shade Ajayi decide to go to school at the age of 50?

A. She accepted her friend's advice.

B. She was ashamed that she had never gone to school.

C. She didn't want to miss the last chance in her life to learn.

D. She believes that receiving education will help her business.

2. What do we know about Ajayi's situation at school?

A. She wears the same school clothing as other students.

B. She is embarrassed that she attends school alongside children.

C. Being shy, she rarely raises her hand to answer questions in class.

D. She doesn't get along well with other students because of age difference.

3. What happened to Ajayi when she went to school?

A. At first she was rejected by the school because of her age.

B. The school closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

C. She was ridiculed by her classmates 40 years younger than her.

D. Her daughter prevented her from going to school for fear of being laughed at.

4. Which word best describes Ajayi's attitude to her future education?

A. Disappointed.

B. Uncertain.

C. Confident.

D. Worried.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence

She plans to continue her education for four more years, saying it will help her business. 她計劃再接受四年的教育，認為這將有助于她的事業。

【點石成金】這是一個主從復合句。 saying是現在分詞，在句中作伴隨狀語，其后的it will help her business是賓語從句，省略了連接詞that。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

not...until... 直到……才……

sign up 報名（參加課程）

cope with 對付；應付

raise one's hand 舉手

succeed in （doing） sth 成功做某事

pay attention to 注意