王影

难词探意

1. shrink /rk/ v. （使）缩水;退缩;缩小

2. shove /v/ v. 猛推;乱挤

3. cone /kn/ n. 锥形警告路标

4. swell /swel/ v. 肿胀

It was the first day of our youth group ski trip. While I waited for the ski lift， I saw a booth offering ski lessons. I considered taking an hourlong lesson， but then I heard my voice in my head： “Nah， you dont need any help. After all， youve skied once before. Youll be fine.” As I stood on the edge of the beginners slope， my confidence shrank. After all， I hadnt skied for two years. And even then， Id only taught myself to ski well enough to make it down once or twice without falling. But surely， Id be able to figure it out.

So， I pushed off and built up speed. I skied about 15 feet before collapsing into the snow. “No problem. That was just one mistake，” I thought. “You got this.” I was just kidding myself. The second time down， I only fell four times so I figured I was getting better. On the third attempt， somehow， I was at the lift ramps！ Before I could get out of the way， the lift chair shoved me over some traffic cones and into a snowbank. However， I lied to myself， “That wasnt my fault. Those cones were in the wrong place.” Then I made a fourth try， and as you can guess， I failed again， and fell even harder.

As my head pounded and my face started to swell， I finally admitted to myself that I couldnt keep doing this. It was dangerous to myself and others. I should have taken lessons earlier that morning. I swallowed my pride and marched up to the booth offering ski lessons. At my lesson， the instructor watched how I skied and offered advice. Before I knew it， I could turn！ I could stop！ I could actually ski—not just rolled down the hill like before. After my lesson， Mike said， “I couldnt believe that was you. Youre completely transformed！”

As he and I took the ski lift up to go again， I thought about my day. I thought about how many times Id fallen. I also thought about how stubborn Id been through it all. Only when Id really hurt myself had I finally admitted I needed help. In my opinion， real transformation only comes when I ask for advice from others who are wiser than me and accept it with an open mind.

When I easily slid off the lift chair and passed those troublesome traffic cones， I was grateful for the lesson I learned， and I realized the true courage was not taking risks when it was time to ask for help.

1. What can we know about the author？

A. He was good at skiing.

B. He didnt know how to ski at all.

C. He had attended the skiing lessons before.

D. He had an experience of skiing before.

2. Why did the author decide to learn skiing？

A. He had to meet the demands of ski resorts.

B. He wanted to join a competition.

C. His friends advised him to learn skiing.

D. He realized learning skiing was necessary.

3. Who has the true courage according to the text？

A. A new doctor dares to undertake major surgery alone.

B. A person who hasnt learned driving can drive at a high speed.

C. An experienced traveler gets a tourist guide before making an adventure.

D. A person who cant swim dares to save people in water without hesitation.

Sentence for writing

I should have taken lessons earlier that morning.

【信息提取】“should + 完成时”，表示过去本应该做某事，而實际未做，属于虚拟语气的一种。

【句式仿写】都怪我。我本应该想到这一点的。