Reading Aloud 13

Be brave and don’t lose hope if you fail

I worked extra hard to prepare myself for the HKCEE, but pressure and nerves let me down. Despite my efforts to get the best results, I forgot everything during the exams.

When I went home, I couldn’t control my emotion. I cried and lost all my confidence. At that moment, I realized the importance of friends. They encouraged me and said I should not look down on myself.

They said true failure is when you cannot face the future. They encouraged me to be positive and smile, and they told me that failure is the mother of success. This letter is a big thank you to all my friends.

Ng Shuk Ying (6B)
South China Morning Post (March 7, 2006)

Vocabulary

1. extra (adj) 額外的
2. pressure (n) 壓力
3. nerves (n) 焦慮不安
4. let me down (phr) 令我失望
5. efforts (n) 努力
6. emotion (n) 情感
7. confidence (n) 信心
8. moment (n) 時刻
9. look down on (phr v) 輕視
10. encouraged (v) 鼓勵

Useful Sentences

1  prepare (yourself) for sth (自己)有準備
 The police are preparing themselves for trouble at the demonstration.

2.  let sb down 使失望
The families of the victims feel that the justice system has let them down.

3.  despite the fact (that) 儘管
 She went to Japan despite the fact that her doctor had told her to rest.

4. make every effort 盡一切努力
We make every effort to satisfy clients’ wishes.

5. realize the seriousness of sth 認識某事的嚴重性
I hope you realize the seriousness of this crime.

6.look down on sb/sth 輕視
  He looks down on anyone who hasn’t had a college education.