Another person's enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved.That person was my stepmother.
I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia.My father 1 me to her with these words:“I would like you to meet the fellow who is 2 for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no 3 than tomorrow morning.”
My stepmother walked over to me, 4 my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye.Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are 5 .This is not the worst boy at all, 6 the smartest one who hasn't yet found an outlet(释放的途径)for his enthusiasm.”
That statement began a(n) 7 between us.No one had ever called me smart.My family and neighbors had built me up in my 8 as a bad boy.My stepmother changed all that.
She changed many things.She 9 my father to go to a dental(牙科)school, from which he graduated with honors.She moved our family into the county seat, where my father's career could be more 10 and my brother and I could be better 11 .
When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand 12 and told me that she believed that I could become a writer.I knew her enthusiasm, I 13 it had already improved our lives.I accepted her 14 and began to write for local newspapers.I was doing the same kind of 15 that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life's work later.I wasn't the 16 beneficiary(受益者).My father became the 17 man in town.My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.
What power 18 has!When that power is released to support the certainty of one's purpose and is 19 strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible(不可抗拒的)force which poverty and temporary defeat can never 20 .
You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it.This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.
The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school.Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football.
But there's a big surprise when the movie 1 with two students going crazy in the 2 shooting and killing people.
This is“Elephant”.Filmed in just 20 days, it stars real high school kids.American 3 Gus Van Sant had no ready made lines(台词).The student actors 4 their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own 5 .
6 it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palmed' Or(金棕榈奖)for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes 7 festival in France on May 25.
The film is based on the 8 at a high school in the US, where two boys 9 13 people and then themselves in 1999.
The title of the 10 refers to the old expression about a 11 that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house.
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims(受害者)and the 12 .It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone-fun and friendly, or hard and 13 .
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary 14 .But, there are hints(暗示)of the 15 they feel inside.One of the boys is bullied at school.The other plays violent 16 games.But Van Sant isn't 17 their killings on either bullying or violent video games.In fact, the film doesn't offer any 18 for why school violence happens.
“I didn't want to 19 anything.It's up to the audience to draw its own 20 ,”said the 51-year-old director.
When I was a little girl, every Sunday my family of six would put on our best clothes and go to Sunday School and then church.The 1 in elementary school would all meet together to sing songs, and then later divide into 2 based on their ages.
One Easter Sunday, all the kids 3 with big eyes and big 4 about what the Easter Bunny(复活节小兔)had brought. 5 all of the kids shared their stories with 6 , one young boy , whom I shall call Bobby, sat 7 .One of the teachers , noticing this, said to him, “And what did the Easter Bunny 8 you?”He replied, “My mom 9 the door by accident so the Easter Bunny couldn't get 10 because he hadn't got a key.”
This sounded like a 11 idea to all of us kids, so we kept on going with the stories.My mom knew the true story, 12 .Bobby's mom was a single parent , and she suspected(怀疑)that they just couldn't 13 the Easter Bunny.
After Sunday School was over, everyone went off to 14 .But my mom announced that we were going home 15 .At home, she explained that to make Bobby feel 16 , we were going to pretend(假装)to be the Easter Bunny , make a basket of our candies for him and 17 it at church.We all donated(捐赠)some to the basket, and 18 back to church.There, mom hung the basket over the hanger(挂钩)and attached(附上)a(n) 19 :
Dear Bobby,
I'm sorry I 20 your house last night.Happy Easter.