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some are colorful. You may have used many kinds of them for many years, but do you know the history of pencils? Many years ago, people in Egypt used lead(鉛 )to write. Now, pencils are made from graphite(石墨 )instead of lead. In 1564, people found that graphite could leave black marks. In the beginning, the people used it to make marks on their sheep. Later they used the graphite to write. They thought it was lead. Graphite left a blacker mark than lead, but it was not strong enough so it needed something to hold it. In 1565, Conrad Gesner first put graphite into something to hold it. Later, in the 1600s, German people mixed graphite with some other things and used them for writing. Later, France couldn39。 She’s your age, but most of you can’t imagine how hard her life is .She’s “handcart(車) girl” Huang Feng. Huang, 14, from Anhui, was chosen as one of the Second China Top Ten Selfmotivated(自強(qiáng)的 ) Girls by the National Population and Family Planning Commission on November 16, 2022. Since the age of 6, Huang has looked after her father and grandmother on her own. Her father is paraplegic(截癱的) .Her mother left the family and remarried, so Huang has had to support the family ever since. In 2022, with 27 yuan in her pocket, Huang took her father on a handmade handcart to Shanghai. She begged on the streets, but didn’t get enough money to pay for medical treatment. But Huang didn’t give up. “I won’t leave my father alone. I’ll do my best to look after him,” Huang said. In 2022, Huang took her father to Beijing. Luckily, a hospital accepted her father and successfully operated on him. Now Huang studies at a local middle school in Anhui. With the help from the local government, Huang rented a house across from her school. She gets up at six every morning to make breakfast for the family. During the class break, she has to e back home and turn her father over on the bed to avoid bedsores(褥瘡 ). Life is hard for Huang, but she stays optimistic. Her father says Huang likes singing, especially when she’s cooking. Huang says her biggest wish is to see her father get better. “However difficult life turns out, I should study hard and go to college,” Huang said. “I’ll major in nursing to take better care of my father.” 51. Where was Huang Feng born? A. In Shanghai. B. In Jiangsu. C. In Anhui. D. In Beijing. 52. When did Huang Feng begin to look after her father and grandma by herself? A. In 2022 B. In 2022 C. In 2022 D. In 2022 53. Why did Huang Feng beg on the streets in Shanghai? A. Because she didn’t have money to buy any food. B. Because she wanted to rent a house near her school. C. Because her mother left her and she wanted to look for her mother. D. Because she didn’t have enough money to pay for her father’s medical treatment. 54. What does the underlined word “optimistic” mean in Chinese? 55. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. Her biggest wish is to go to college. B. She is 14 years old now and studies at a middle school