When I was a boy, I always wore turtleneck shirts because I was so sensitive and shy. I worked hard to earn exceptional marks and always tried to behave well. I was younger than everyone else because my good marks had allowed me to skip second grade, but this added nothing to my already low self-confidence.
When I was 14, my parents divorced (离婚). I moved in with my dad in a new neighborhood, but he was always so busy and had little time for me. It seemed the only time he ever spoke to me was to be demanding or critical. I began to hate coming home from school every day. I sank further into my low self-esteem (自尊) and was overwhelmed with feeling unappreciated and alone.
One day, my aunt called. This seemed like a miracle to me. Aunt Ginette usually only called once a year, on my birthday. She said she had just seen some young teenagers participate in a public speaking contest, and she thought I should try it, too. She told me she firmly believed I could perform on stage like the other kids since she had seen me do skits (幽默小品) for the family at Christmas.
I was a little taken aback, Me? On stage? In a public speaking contest? To agree would be contrary to my entire shy personality. But Aunt Ginette was so confident and seemed really serious. Feeling her strong belief, I went against all odds and agreed to enter the contest. All that winter, twice a week after dinner, I took three different buses for the three-hour round-trip to practice in Ville d'Anjou, where the competition would take place. I was taken by an energy I had never felt before. The hours and the obstacles no longer mattered. Although my dad really did love me and wanted the best for me, he disapproved of this new dream, fearing it would take away from my homework time and impact my marks. But I remained a top performer in school and never missed a day.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: Four months later, the big night arrived. …… Paragraph 2: When I saw my father's face, his eyes were glowing with pride. …… |
