In 1984, I was a painfully insecure teenage girl from a dysfunctional family, depressed, underweight, and rejected by my classmates. My only comfort was to be the stage manager at our school.
One day, actors from the famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival came to perform for the school. One of them was Barry Kraft, and he was unlike anyone I’d ever met. As I ran around backstage helping him, he treated me with friendliness and respect that he would show for friends in his living room.
He showed up at our drama class and asked everyone to narrate a monologue (独白). To my shock, he took me aside after class and said, “Your monologue was the best. That was really very good.”
I made it through graduation and got accepted to college. That summer, I traveled with a friend to see Mr. Kraft perform. During one performance, I gathered up my courage and dropped him a note during the break, saying I was visiting and if he looked he could see us. Almost immediately I regretted sending the note. I thought it was the most presumptuous (留失的) thing I had ever done.
At the end of the show, he was waiting for me! He smiled broadly and gave me a hug. Then he said, “Would you like to visit backstage?” And off we went. Every time we met someone, he introduced me and said, “She’s a very good performer who was a huge help to me at her school visit.”
It is difficult to describe how important this man’s attention was to me. A successful actor doesn’t have to give a depressed teenager the time of day, but he did far more. My confidence had just increased 800 percent. I am now a happily married professional, and whenever I notice a teenager in need, I remember Barry Kraft. He saw a teenager in need of attention and support, and he took the time to help. So now I take the time, too.
【小题1】What do we know about the author?| A．She was loved by her parents. | B．She felt left out by her classmates. |
| C．She suffered terribly from stage fright. | D．She was troubled by the issue of overweight. |
| A．Friendly and considerate. | B．Intelligent and patient. |
| C．Committed and generous. | D．Confident and energetic. |
| A．The author will continue with her education. |
| B．Barry Kraft will team up with the author. |
| C．Barry Kraft inspired the author to study drama. |
| D．The author will make efforts to assist teenagers. |
| A．To introduce a famous actor. |
| B．To encourage people to overcome difficulties. |
| C．To share the author’s experience and its impact on her. |
| D．To explain the reason why the author loves stage management. |
