I’m an 18-year-old pre-medical student, tall nd good-looking, with two short story books and quite a number of essays my credit. Why am I singing such praises of myself? Just to explain that he attainment of self-pride comes from a great deal of self-love, and to attain it, one must first learn to accept oneself as one is. That was where my struggle began.
我是一名18岁的预医学生，个子高大，相貌俊美，拥有两本短篇小说和相当数量的散文。为什么我要这样自夸呢？只是为了说明自尊的获得来自于对自己的爱，要获得自尊，首先必须学会接受自己的原貌。这就是我挣扎的起点。

Born and raised in Africa，I had always taken my African origin as burden. My self-dislike was further fueled when my family had to relocate to Norway, where I attended a high school. Compared to all the white girls around me, with their golden hair and delicate lips, I ,a black girl, had curly hair and full, red lips. My nose often had a thin sheet of sweat on it, whatever the weather was. I just wanted to bury myself in my shell crying “I’m so different!”
我在非洲出生长大，一直以自己的非洲血统为负担。当我的家人不得不搬到挪威时，我对自己的厌恶感进一步加剧。在我周围所有金发和精致红唇的白人女孩中，作为一个黑人女孩，我的头发卷曲，嘴唇饱满而红润。无论天气如何，我的鼻子上经常沾满一层薄薄的汗水。我只想把自己埋在壳里，哭着说“我是如此与众不同！”

What also contributed to my self-dislike was my occasional stuttering (口吃), which had weakened my self-confidence. It always stood between me and any fine opportunity. I’d taken it as an excuse to avoid any public speaking sessions, and unknowingly let it rule over me.
我偶尔口吃也加剧了我对自己的厌恶感，这削弱了我的自信心。它总是站在我和任何好机会之间。我把它当作逃避任何公开演讲机会的借口，不知不觉地让它控制了我。

Fortunately, as I grew older, there came a turning point. One day a white girl caught my eye on the school bus when she suddenly turned back. To my astonishment, she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November! “Wow,” I whispered to myself, “this isn’t a genetic(遗传的) disorder after all. It’s perfectly normal.” Days later, my life took an-other twist(转折). Searching the internet for stuttering cures, I accidentally learned that such famous people as Isaac Newton and Winston Churchill also stuttered. I was greatly relieved and then an idea suddenly hit me—if I’m smart, I shouldn’t allow my stuttering to stand between me and my success.
幸运的是，随着我年龄的增长，一个转折点出现了。有一天，在校车上，一个白人女孩突然转过头引起了我的注意。使我惊讶的是，她的鼻子上也有一层薄薄的汗水，而那是在11月份！“哇”，我在心里轻声说，“这并不是一种遗传性疾病。这是完全正常的。”几天后，我的生活又发生了另一个转折。在网上搜索口吃的治疗方法时，我意外地发现像艾萨克·牛顿和温斯顿·丘吉尔这样的著名人物也口吃。我感到非常宽慰，然后突然有了一个想法——如果我聪明的话，我不应该让口吃阻碍我取得成功。

Another boost to my self-confidence came days later as I was watching the news about Oprah Winfrey, the famous talkshow host and writer—she’s black too! Whenever I think of her story and my former dislike of my color, I’m practically filled with shame.
另一个提升我的自信的因素是几天后当我在看关于奥普拉·温弗瑞的新闻，这位著名的脱口秀主持人和作家—她也是黑人！每当我想起她的故事和我以前对自己肤色的厌恶，我几乎感到羞愧。

Today, I’ve grown to accept what I am with pride; it simply gives me feeling of uniqueness. The idea of self-love has taken on a whole new meaning for me: there’s always something fantastic about us, and what w need to do is learn to appreciate it.
如今，我已经学会以自豪的态度接受自己；这简直让我觉得自己独特。自爱的概念对我来说有了全新的意义：我们每个人都有精彩的地方，我们需要做的就是学会欣赏它。

1. What affected the author’s adjustment to her school life in Norway!
   A. Her appearance
   B. Social discrimɪnation.
   C. Her changing emotions.
   D. The climate in Norway.
   答案：A

2. What did the author’s occasional stuttering bring about according on Paragraph 3?
   A. Her lack of self-confidence.
   B. Her loss of interest in school.
   C. Her unwillingness to greet her classmates.
   D. Her desire for chances to improve herself.
   答案：A

3. How did the author feel on noticing the similarity between her and ne girl on the bus?
   A. Blessed and proud.
   B. Confused and afraid.
   C. Amazed and relieved.
   D. Shocked and ashamed.
   答案：C

4. What lesson did the author learn from the cases of Newton and Churchill?
   A. Great minds speak alike.
   B. Stuttering is no barrier to success.
   C. Wisdom counts more than hard work.
   D. Famous people can’t live with their weaknesses.
   答案：B

5. What can best summarize the message contained in the passage?
   A. Pride comes before a fall.
   B. Where there is a will, there is a way.
   C. Self-acceptance is based on the love for oneself.
   D. Self-love is key to the attainment of self-pride.
   答案：D