閱讀表達(dá)
I started drawing houses at six.Unlike most girls，my dream was to build a backyard clubhouse — a dream that was unrealistic given that we lived in an apartment.By high school I continued drawing and my dreams broadened — to become an architect.My older brother told me that took a university education.But my family couldn't afford that kind of education.Still，I fanned the flame 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 catalogs，I couldn't imagine how I would ever get there.I decided to shrink my dreams to a more realistic size.
Soon after that，a newcomer started frequenting Bayside Bowl.She arrived alone，and always carried a pink bag with a ball 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.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!" she said.
I admired her ability to pick up a split，but I also 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.
Bessie moved on to live with her sister，but before leaving，she left me with a ＄50 tip for helping her at the lanes，a reminder to ignore the "zilches" in my life，and 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 resumed 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 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？
To become an architect./Becoming an architect.
To become an architect./Becoming an architect.
（2）According to Bessie，what does "Life is like bowling" mean？
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.
（3）Please decide which part is false in the following statement，then underline it and explain why.
The author shrank her dream to a realistic size because she gradually lost her ambition.
The author shrank her dream to a realistic size because her family/she couldn't afford a university education.
The author shrank her dream to a realistic size because her family/she couldn't afford a university education.
（4）Who is the "Bessie" in your life？How does he/she help you to pursue your dream？ （about 40 words） My mom is the "Bessie" in my life.It was my mom who encouraged me to keep playing the piano when I considered quitting and now I can play the piano well.
My mom is the "Bessie" in my life.It was my mom who encouraged me to keep playing the piano when I considered quitting and now I can play the piano well.
