Tears ran down from my eyes as I saw the essay my high school English teacher had just handed back. A big F was written on top. I was hopeless. I was stupid ! My face burned with shame when my classmates called me stupid.
“I’m the only one who doesn’t know my ABCs!” I sobbed to Mom.
“I’ll help,” she promised.
Every day I sat with her, but to me, cat looked like cta and red was reb. Frustrated, I would return to my bedroom and draw, filling the paper with houses, restaurants and offices.
“When I grow up, I want my own store,” I told Mom , pointing to my drawings.
“ That’s great !” she said, “ but first you have to learn to read.”
Later, I was diagnosed with dyslexia (失读症). So Mom took me to a learning centre, where I was given reading exercises. But I still had a hard time. Finally, I graduated, but I was afraid of my reading skills.
“I’ll never get a job !” I cried to Mom later again.
“ Don’t focus on what you can’t do,” she comforted, “ Concentrate on what you really can.”
But what can I do? I wondered. Suddenly, I thought of the drawings I’d made as a child and my dream of having my own store. I enjoyed sales so much that over the next few years, I tried my hand at other businesses. Today, I watch over seven branches. We have 187 employees and $15 million in sales.
While I’ll never be what my teachers might have wanted, I am a success--on my own terms. The other day a student sent me a card, reading: You gave me so much confidence. I hope to be like you when I am big. Tears of joy filled my eyes. This was my A, and I smiled.
【小题1】Why did the author feel so ashamed at school?| A．His teacher ignored him in class. |
| B．His teacher didn’t grade his essay. |
| C．He failed to finish his essay in time. |
| D．His classmates looked down upon him. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Guilty. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Regretful. |
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．Never too old to learn. |
| C．Every man has his value. |
| D．Two heads are better than one. |
