Question: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia , and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking's determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray range of the spectrum . In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton's chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England. Question: Before Hawking started researching black holes, _ . - he gave lectures with the help of a speech synthesizer - he finished his book The Universe in a Nutshell - he was made the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics - he was diagnosed with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Answer:
he was diagnosed with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis