Practical College Einglhsh,Unit Four Book 4,wang Chun-jiao,Background Information-1,Osceola McCarty,Forced to leave school in the sixth grade to care for a sick auntie, Osceola McCarty spent the remainder of her life washing and ironing other peoples laundry. She never married. She lived very simply; she once said, “I didnt spend much on myself. Sometimes, I had to cut the toes out of my second-hand shoes if they did not fit right. And several times I had to bind up my ragged Bible with scotch tape to keep Corinthians from falling out.” Osceola McCarty died in October 2000, at the age of 91, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.,Background Information-2,In the summer of 1995, after arthritis forced her retirement from the laundry, she donated the bulk of her life savings $150,000 to create a scholarship for underserved African-American students at the University of Mississippi. Business leaders in Hattiesburg later matched her gift; the principal of the scholarship fund grew to $300,000. Osceola McCarty said, “I just figured the money would do somebody elses child more good than it would me.” During the 1996 commencement exercises at Harvard, Osceola McCarty received an honorary degree. Richard Hunt, University Marshal, introduced her as a philanthropist. Later, she said to him, “I liked what you said about me. But I couldnt do great things like those other people up there on the stage with me. I only wanted to be as good as I could be.” (as told by Richard M. Hunt, Morning Prayer in Appleton Chapel, Harvard University, 11/1/99),Scholarship,Scholarship means different things in different contexts. It can refer to a grant of financial aid awarded to a student, as for the purpose of attending college. It can also stand for the knowledge resulting from study and research in a particular field as well as the methods, discipline, and attainments of a scholar or scholars. The first meaning applies in Text A.,Background Information-3,Background Information-4,The University of Southern Mississippi was established to teach Mississippis teachers. The school has expanded to become the states second largest university with an enrollment of more than 15,000 students. Some of the schools more unique academic divisions include tourism management, child and family studies, and human performance and recreation. The University of Southern Mississippi was founded by the state legislature in 1910.,The University of Southern Mississippi,Background Information-5,Dairy Queen,Dairy Queen is a fast-food restaurant franchise that was founded in 1940. With 5,900 restaurants in 22 countries as of 2003, it is one of the largest in the world. Much of its early growth occurred in rural areas of the United States, and references to the small-town “DQ” occur repeatedly in both the popular and literary culture of the U.S. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Dairy Queens doors opened in China in 1992. Currently there are over 40 stores located in Beijing and the Northeast of China and are still growing with new franchisees throughout the country. In 2005, DQ announced its expansion into Shanghai.,Background Information-6,The White House is the official name of the executive mansion of the President of the United States. It is on the south side of Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C., facing Lafayette Square. The building, constructed of Virginia freestone, is of simple and stately design. The porte-cochere on the north front, which forms the main entrance, is a portico of high Ionic columns reaching from the ground to the roof pediment; it is balanced by a semicircular colonnaded,The White House,balcony on the south with a second-floor porch, completed in 1948. The main building (four stories high) is about 170 ft (52m) long by 85 ft (26m) wide. The east and west terraces, the executive office (1902), the east wing (1942), and a penthouse and a bomb shelter (1952) have been added. The colonnade at the east end is the public entrance.,Background Information-7,The executive office is approached by an esplanade. Large receptions are usually held in the East Room, which is 40 ft (12m) by 82 ft (25m).The elliptical Blue Room is the scene of many social, diplomatic, and official receptions. The Red Room and the Green Room are used for private and quasi-official gatherings. The White House, designated “the Palace” in the original plans, was designed by James Hoban on a site chosen by George Washington. It is the oldest public building in Washington, its cornerstone having been laid in 1792. John Adams was the first President to live there (1800). The building was restored after being burned (1814) by British troops, and the smoke-stained gray stone walls were painted white. Despite popular myth the cognomen “White House” was applied to the building some time before it was painted. The name became official when President Theodore Roosevelt had it engraved upon his stationery. Part of the house was rebuilt on a steel-supporting frame. The grounds, which c