Bill is a good boy. He is seven years old, and he likes going to school. But he has a problem—he cannot get up early, so Bill’s mother buys an alarm clock (闹钟) for Bill.

She says to Bill, “You must get up when you hear the clock ring.” “Yes, Mum,” Bill answers. From then on (从那以来), when he hears the clock ring at six o’clock in the morning, he gets up quickly.

One day his mother forgets to wind up (上发条 ) the clock. And the next morning Bill doesn’t get up on time (按时), so his mother goes to wake Bill up. Bill is in bed and his eyes are open.

“Why don’t you get up?” his mother asks, “because I am waiting for the clock to ring.”

Tara Westover was born in a corner of Idaho, USA, in a family of survivalists(末日生存主义者) who kept themselves away from the modern world. Growing up, she never went to school and had no birth certificate(出生证). They never go to hospital when ill. However, Tara was determined to educate herself and finally make her parents agree to let her go to college.

After getting her PhD from Cambridge University, Tara wrote a book about her unusual family and growth, called “Educated.” The book became a best-seller and won many awards. It tells the story of how Tara worked hard to become a successful scholar(学者).

One of the things that makes Tara’s story so special is her family’s strict adherence(坚持) to their religious(宗教的) beliefs, which led them to refuse modern ways of life and modern society. They did not believe in doctors or hospitals, and Tara was not vaccinated(接种疫苗) or treated for injuries or illnesses. Tara’s family didn’t trust the government and were also strongly against school education and kept Tara and her siblings(兄弟姐妹) out of school.

Facing the hardships, Tara was made up his mind to learn. She taught herself to read and write, and eventually succeeded in making her parents to let her attend college. She started at Brigham Young University, where she fought to catch up with her classmates. However, she didn’t give up and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s and a PhD from Cambridge University.

In “Educated,” Tara looked back on the experiences that shaped her, and her relationship with her family and her struggle to make peace with her past with her present. She also writes about the importance of education and the power of courage.

Tara’s story is a reminder that with hard work and courage, anyone can beat difficulty and achieve their goals. It is also a powerful reminder that education is every person’s right, and no one can take it away.

I think it’s hard for a teenager to live in the modern society. For example, how to go to school is a problem I often worry about. 【小题1】 Many parents pick up their children, too. Most of them drive private cars. Of all the cars, Anna’s father’s car is the best. Anna seems to have a very rich father. She always has beautiful dresses, shoes and bags. 【小题2】 But she has no friends in school. When other students are playing, she never joins them. I don’t like her because she is too perfect. It makes me uncomfortable to make friends with her. She seems to have everything.

One afternoon, when I went to my father’s car. I saw a small thing fall out of Anna’s bag. So I called her quickly. 【小题3】 During the dinner, my father asked me, “Why do you look unhappy?”

“Today I saw something fall out of Anna’s bag, so I called her. But she didn’t answer me. 【小题4】 ” I said angrily. “Oh, I know that girl. She has no friends and is unhappy because she was born deaf. I am sure that she didn’t hear you.”

【小题5】 Because she was deaf, she did not talk or play games with anyone at school. She seems to have everything, but in fact she doesn’t.

Not everyone is perfect, even the perfect man has his weakness.