I started drawing houses at six.Unlike most girls,my dream was to build a backyard clubhouse-an unrealistic dream because we lived in an apartment.By high school I continued drawing and my dreams broadened-to become an architect.My elder brother told me that took a university education.But my family couldn't afford that kind of education.Still,I fanned the name of hope.
I got a part-time job at Bayside Bowl and started saving money.My bank account however,was growing quite slowly.When I looked at college catalogues,I couldn't imagine how I would ever get there.I decided to shrink(縮?。﹎y dreams to a more realistic size.
Soon after that,a newcomer started frequenting Bayside Bowl.She arrived alone and always carried a pink hag with a hall inside.Her dark,wrinkled skin and curly gray hair made her stand out among our younger customers.She talked to me whenever I cleaned near her lane(球道).I learned her name was Bessie.She had been a singer for as long as she could remember.In her 20s she had tried to get a job as a restaurant singer, "I was a young black woman,and in the early 1950s doors didn't exactly open wide for me.Zilch!(無價(jià)值之人)." she said.
But I appreciated her advice. "Life's like bowling," she would say. "Set your eyes on your target and follow through. " Indeed,Bessie hadn't let the "zilches" stop her.She had saved up and enrolled in the Brightwood Music Academy.It turned out this lady with the pink bowling bag was the Bessie Richards,a recording artist of the 1960s.
Before leaving,Bessie left me some lines of poetry she had copied from a book.Bessie said, "Read this when the going seems tough.It'll help you follow through and reach for your goal." These are the lines:
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
A year has passed since I last bowled with Bessie,and I've restarted my drawing.I'm working and saving money,taking drafting classes,and applying for internships(實(shí)習(xí)).Whenever I'm discouraged,I reread those lines of poetry,There'll be no barren(盆脊)field of frozen snow nor zilches for me.Inspired by Bessie and the poem,I plan to continue to dream.
(1)What was the author's dream when she was in high school?(no more than 5 words)
To become an architect. / Becoming an architect.
To become an architect. / Becoming an architect.
(2)Why did the author shrink her dream to a realistic size?(no more than 10 words) Because her family/she couldn't afford a university education.
Because her family/she couldn't afford a university education.
(3)How do you understand the underlined sentence "Life is like bowling"?(no more than 20 words) Just like playing bowling,we need to set our eyes on the target in life and follow through.
Just like playing bowling,we need to set our eyes on the target in life and follow through.
(4)Describe one of Bessie's characteristics and explain why.(no more than 15 words) She is/was inspiring because she encouraged the author to pursue her dream.She is/was determined /brave /persistent because she strove for her goal.=She is/was generous because she left the author a tip of $50 for helping her at the lanes.
She is/was inspiring because she encouraged the author to pursue her dream.She is/was determined /brave /persistent because she strove for her goal.=She is/was generous because she left the author a tip of $50 for helping her at the lanes.
(5)Who is the "Bessie" in your life?How does he or she help you to pursue your dream?(no more than 30 words) My mom is the "Bessie" in my life.When I was 9,I started playing the piano,but as I didn't make much progress,I considered quitting.It was my mom who encouraged me to continue and thanks to her,now I can play very well and I enjoy playing it.
My mom is the "Bessie" in my life.When I was 9,I started playing the piano,but as I didn't make much progress,I considered quitting.It was my mom who encouraged me to continue and thanks to her,now I can play very well and I enjoy playing it.