B
For close to three years,Gamini Singla stayed away from friends,did not go on a vacation and avoided
family meetings and celebrations.She stopped going to the cinema and stepped away from social media.
Instead,at her family home near the northern Indian city of Chandigarh,she woke up at the erack of dawn,dug
into text books and studied for up toI0 hours a day.She crammed(死记t硬背)，did mock tests,and read
newspapers and self-help books.Her parents and brother became her only companions.Loneliness was her
companion.
She was preparing for the country's civil service exams,one of the toughest tests in the world.India's
Union Public Service Commission(UPSC)exams enable young men and women every year to join in the
country's vast civil service.
Singla was an engineering graduate.Like the others,she had her sights set on eventually becoming a civil
servant.Singla's story of endurance and sacrifice at an age when many don't have a clue about what to do with
their lives offers a glimpse into India's unmerciful exam system:endless cramming,involvement of the family,
finding ways to save time and avoiding any distraction from the world.
The marathon also became a shared experience with her family.Singla's parents,both government doctors,
and her brother,a teacher,all joined in enthusiastically.They read at least three newspapers daily.
"newspapers make up 80%of your preparations for the exams"-and marked the important news to speed up his
daughter's current affairs knowledge.They also stopped socializing and avoided family gatherings so Singla did
not feel left out or isolated.
Singla was finally qualified to become a part of the elite (IAS after so many hardships(Indian
administrative service),which mostly runs the country through collectors of India's distriets,senior government
officials and managers of state-owned companies.Singla says becoming a eivil servant gives her a"great
opportunity to make a true difference and impact many lives"in a vast and complex country.
24.Why did Singla study tirelessly day and night
A.To be admitted to a key university.
B.To be chosen as a civil servant.
C.To become a foreign student to China.
D.To reward her parents and brother.
25.What can we infer from the process of Singla'preparing for the India's UPSC exams
A.Nothing can be done without instruction.
B.Knowledge starts with practice.
C.Everything is difficult before it's easy.
D.There is strength in numbers.
26.How does the author like India's UPSC exams
A.Fair and pitiful.
B.Cruel and embarrassing.
C.Tough and pitiless.
D.Ineredible and unacceptable.
27.What's the main idea of this text
A.Where there is life,there is hope.
B.Nothing is to be got without pains.
C.Everyone's flowering season is different.
D.Life is challenging for everyone.
英语试卷第4页（共10页）
