Orphans (孤儿) whose parents died of AIDS in Henan Province have been given new hope. Last week the provincial government answered the children’s cries by promising 60 million yuan to improve schools, orphanages (孤儿院) and living conditions. But without the efforts of Dr. Gao Yaojie, these cries may never have been heard.
“I’m a doctor and it’s my duty to cure diseases and save live,” said the 77-year- old grandmother. Gao was named one of the 2003 People of Year on February 20 by CCTV after millions of people took part in an online poll. But in 1996, when she started to promote AIDS awareness, using money from her own pocket, her actions were widely misunderstood.
“Although some of the children were born with HIV, 90 percent of them were not infected (被感染),” Gao said. “But people still reject them. Many orphans change their names after finding a foster family (领养家庭).”
The horror of Henan’s AIDS problem became known in 1996. Frequent and unsafe bloodselling by poor farmers in the late 1980s and early1990s had caused HIV to spread through dirty needles and infected blood use. As a doctor, Gao believed she should help: over the last eight years she has visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients and published thousands of pamphlets on AIDS awareness. With her help, hundreds of orphans have returned to school or found foster families.
“It’s a disaster for the whole nation, not only for those innocent (无辜的) patients and their families,” she explained. Gao is delighted that so many childless families offer to foster orphans. But there is still much that can be done to support these children. “I hope that warm-hearted high school students will also reach out and offer a helping hand,” she said.
小题1:The passage mainly talks about _______.
the dangers of AIDS
how the government help those orphans
how Gao Yaojie helped the orphans
the serious AIDS problem in Henan
小题2: Gao Yaojie was named one of the 2003 People of Year because ________.
the government would not answer the children’s cry without her
she used her own money to start to promote AIDS
she is a doctor
she visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients
小题3:The government promised 60 million yuan _______.
to reward Gao Yaojie
to help to treat HIV and AIDS patients
to help the children whose parents died of AIDS
to build new hospitals
