Life is not easy for me. When I was 14, I was quite nervous to talk with others. My classmates often laughed at me. I was sad but could do nothing. Later, something happened. It changed my life.

It was an English speech contest. My mother asked me to take part in it. “Come on, boy. Believe in yourself. You are sure to win.” said Mum. Then Mother and I talked about many different topics. At last, I chose the topic “Believe in yourself”. I tried my best to remember all the sentences and practiced them again and again. Luckily, I did well in the contest. I could hardly believe my ears when the news came that I had won the first prize. I heard the cheers from the teachers and students. They all said “Congratulations!” to me. My mother hugged me and cried excitedly.

From then on, no matter what I do, I try to tell myself to be confident.

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

1. What was my problem when I was 14?

2. Who helped me to prepare（做准备） the contest?

3. How did I do in the contest?

4. What did my mother do when we hear the exciting news?

5. Confidence（自信心） is very important to us, isn’t it?

Li Lei: Oh, it’s you, Lucy. (1) _____ to see you.

Lucy: Nice to (2) ___ you, too. Mary.

Li Lei: Come in, please, Mum, (3)____ is Lucy, my friend. She (4)____ American. And this is my mother, Lucy.

Mum: (5)____ do you do, Lucy?

Lucy: (6)____ do you do, Aunt?

Mum: Sit down, please, Lucy.

Li Lei: (7)___ you like (8)____ milk?

Mum: I don’t like (9)____ very much.

Li Lei: (10)____ would you like?

Lucy: I’d (11)_____ a pear.

Li Lei: OK. (12)____ you (13)___! What (14)____ something to drink?

Lucy: All right.

Li Lei: (15)____ it is!

Lucy: Thanks!

I do not need a calendar to tell me when it is winter. All I need is my nose. When I wake up in the morning and smell the tasty treats my mom is cooking downstairs, I know winter has arrived.
The first one is the smell of chocolate. During the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) my mother makes her special hot chocolate. She always adds a peppermint candy cane (薄荷味拐棍糖) to the drink and tops it with cream.
The hot chocolate gets me out of bed, but it is my mother’s chocolate fudge (软糕) that makes me run downstairs. It is a thick chunk (块) of chocolate that tastes like heaven. My mother adds nuts. That gives it more texture (质感).
But my mother isn’t done yet. She also makes a treat she calls “window panes (窗玻璃)”. She takes a few different colored marshmallows (棉花糖) and melts them together with chocolate. The final product looks like a colorful church window, so we call it “window panes”.
These tasty holiday treats are usually eaten after a meal as a dessert. But don’t tell Santa Claus because I secretly eat them all day long.
【小题1】What wakes “me” up in the morning?