[originaltext]M: Tell me, Mrs. Clark, how did you come to be a bearded lady?W:

M: Tell me, Mrs. Clark, how did you come to be a bearded lady?
W: Well, it all began when I started growing a beard, just after my fourth birthday, I believe.
M: Really? Didn’t you see a doctor?
W: Oh, yes, my parents took me to dozens of specialists. They just told me to shave it. Well, I was too young to be allowed to use a razor, and electric razors weren’t even thought of in those days, so my dad used to shave me once a week before going to church on Sundays.
M: And when did you stop shaving?
W: Oh, that would have been when I was around fifteen. You see it was growing at an enormous rate—something like five inches a day. I mean a razor or scissors were no use. It was taking so much
time trying to keep it down and I was just wasting my time fighting a losing battle. So I thought…I just let it grow…and that’s when I came to work in the circus. I was spotted by a talent scout.
M: What about the circus? How did you find it at first, being stared at all day?
W: Well, I must admit it was a bit uncomfortable at first—people looking at you in surprise with their mouths open. I used to feel like saying "It’s all right, dear. It’s not that unusual. You know…It’s only a bit of extra hair. It’s not another head or something. " I get used to the pointing and laughing in the end. Even the jokes don’t upset me now. But, it’s a bit boring in fact, after thirty years, just sitting here all day being stared at.
M: OK. Thank you, Mrs. Clark, for sharing your experience with us. I have to say that being yourself is a very admirable act.
W: You are welcome.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
1. What did the doctors tell the woman to do with her beard?
2. Why did the woman stop shaving?
3. What do we know about the woman when she was 15?
4. How does the woman feel in the circus now?