Baroness Thatcher, Britain’s greatest post-war prime minister, died at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke (a disease related to blood vessels in the brain), her family announced on 8 April 2013. Her son, Sir Mark, and daughter Carol confirmed her death that morning.
Margaret Thatcher, daughter of a businessman and mayor of Grantham, was educated at the local grammar school, and at Oxford, where she got a degree in chemistry, and upon graduation she worked for four years as a research chemist. She then qualified as a lawyer in 1954.
As Miss Margaret Roberts, she stood twice in parliamentary (国会的) elections for the Conservative Party (保守党), before being elected (after her marriage) to the House of Commons in 1959.
When the Conservatives returned to office in June 1970, she was appointed secretary of state for education and science. After the Conservatives lost power in 1974, she was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet (内阁), and was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975.
Baroness Thatcher became prime minister on 4 May 1979 and went on to earn the nickname “the Iron Lady”, becoming known for her strong responses to the political and economic crisis, which Thatcher’s supporters think are good for Britain, while her opposers argue that her policies destroyed British manufacturing.
Lady Thatcher governed Britain from 1979 to 1990. She will go down in history not only as Britain’s first female prime minister, but as the woman who changed Britain’s economy in addition to being an awesome rival on the international stage.
Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations try to copy and apply.
小题1:How old was Lady Thatcher when she became prime minister?
A．64
B．53
C．87
D．45小题2:Why did Lady Thatcher get the nickname “the Iron Lady”?
A．Because she was the first female prime minister in Britain.
B．Because she took strong measures to deal with the crisis.
C．Because she was strong enough to live a long life.
D．Because her supporters credited (归功于) her with developing the British economy.小题3:Which of the following statements is NOT true about Lady Thatcher?
A．She died of a heart attack on 8 April 2013.
B．She left behind many ideas about the role of the state.
C．Not all the people are in favor of her policies.
D．She governed Britain for 11 years.小题4:Which is the correct order of what happened in Thatcher’s life?
a. She became prime minister.
b. She was appointed secretary of state for education and science.
c. She was educated at a local grammar school.
d. She was elected leader of the Conservative Party.
e. She qualified as a lawyer.
A．e-c-b-d-a
B．c-e-d-b-a
C．b-c-e-d-a
D．c-e-b-d-a
