2024屆高考英語(yǔ)作文復(fù)習(xí)專項(xiàng)：讀后續(xù)寫(xiě)“得到幫助”講義素材

讀后續(xù)寫(xiě)“得到幫助”類范文6篇

弟一篇

Earlyin1999,ourfamilyhadtodriveseveralhundredmilestoBillings,Montana,tovisit

ahospitalizedfamilymember.Duringthevisit,accommodation,andhavinggivenmostofour

availablecashtohelpourrelativesoutwithexpenses,wehadverylittlemoneywithuswhen

welefttoreturnhome.ItwasgettingdarkwhenwedroveoutofBillings.

Atfirst,wedidn'tnoticethatourheadlightsweredimming（變暗），andthatwasprobably

whywemissedtheexitfortheinterstate（州際公路Readinghome.About40mileslater,we

begantoseethatnothingalongthehighwaywasfamiliartous.In35moremiles,wesawan

exittoatownthatwasn'tanywherenearwhereweweresupposedtobe.

Witheightmilestothenextexit,webegantorealizetheheadlightsweredangerouslydim.

Thecarbegantomakeaseriesofshortexplosivesounds,whichmadeusfeelextremely

worried.Ihadtoturnoffthelightstokeepitrunning.Atthefootoftheexitslope,therewasa

smallpostofficeinfrontofus.Thecarstoppedrunningcompletelyaswepulledintothe

parkinglot.

Isoondeterminedthattherewassomethingwrongwiththealternator（發(fā)電機(jī)）.Itwas

7:00intheeveningandwewereinRosebud,Montana,whichwasatinytownwithnoservices.

Tomakethingsworse,theheavysnowwasfalling.Weneededtofindourfamilyasafeplaceto

spendthecoldnightandfindanalternatortolixthecarthenextmorning.Hopelessly,we

couldn'tseeanyotherbuildingsaroundus,andtherestofthetownwasnearlyamileaway.

Evenifwewalkedthere,weknewthattherewasprobablynohotelorautopartsstore.

Justthen,astoppedtocheckthemailbeforegoinghome.

Unexpectedly,shecamebackthenextmorning!

范文：

Justthen,awomanstoppedtocheckthemailbeforegoinghome.

?Noticingastrangefamilylookinganxiousandhelpless,sheapproachedusandaskedif

therewasanythingshecoulddo.Uponlearningaboutoursituation,sheimmediately

offeredtohelpus（withouthesitation）.

?Shetoldustherewasasmallhotelafewmilesaway,andevengaveusaridetheresince

ourcarcouldn'trun.Thehotelwaswarmandsafe,whichwasexactlywhatweneededin

suchachillynight.

令Wordsfailedtoconveyhowgratefulwewere.Wewavedgoodbyetotheangel-like

lady,assumingthatwastheendofthestory.

Unexpectedly,shecamebackthenextmorning!

令I(lǐng)tturnedoutthattheladyhadspenttheentirenightmakingcallsandsearchingforan

alternatorforourcar.Againstallodds,shemanagedtofindoneinaneighboringtownand

drovetofetchit.

?Informedthatwecouldhitontheroadagain,wewereoverwhelmedwithgratitudefor

herkindnessandwillingnessaswellasthetroubleshetooktohelpcompletestrangers

inneed.

?Goldensunlight,floodinginthroughthecarwindows,warmedusandremindedus

goodnessdoesexistintheworld.

最終自測(cè)：

Justthen,awomanstoppedtocheckthemailbeforegoinghome.

令注意到一個(gè)陌生的家庭看起來(lái)焦慮和無(wú)助，她走近我們，問(wèn)她能做什么。在得知我們

的情況后，她立即主動(dòng)提出幫我們（毫不猶豫地）。

令她告訴我們幾英里外有一家小旅館，因?yàn)槲覀兊能?chē)行駛不了，她甚至把我們送到那。

旅館既溫暖又安全，這正是我們?cè)谌绱撕涞囊雇硭枰摹?/p>

令言語(yǔ)無(wú)法表達(dá)我們的感激。我們向這位天使般的女士揮手告別，以為這就是故事的結(jié)

尾。

Unexpectedly,shecamebackthenextmorning!

令原來(lái)，這位女士花了一整夜的時(shí)間打電話，為我們的車(chē)找一個(gè)交流發(fā)電機(jī)。盡管困難

重重，她設(shè)法在鄰近的城鎮(zhèn)找到了一個(gè)，并開(kāi)車(chē)去取它。

令得知我們可以再次上路了，我們充滿了對(duì)她的感激，因?yàn)樗纳屏己驮敢鈳椭?，以?/p>

不辭辛苦地幫助有需要的陌生人。

令金色的陽(yáng)光，從車(chē)窗里涌進(jìn)來(lái)，溫暖著我們，提醒著我們，世界上確實(shí)存在著善良。

Onedayanelderlypostmanknockedonthedoorofahouseandaskediftherewasanyone

totaketheletter,Assoonashesaidthis,alittlegirFsvoiceechoed（回口向）frominside,buteven

after5minutesnoonecameout.

"Cananyonehelpyoutaketheletter?Ihavetogotomanymoreplaces."thepostmansaid

again."Uncle,ifyouareinahurry,pleaseputtheletterunderthedoor.Itwilltakememore

time."thegirlreplied.

"No,itisaregisteredletter.Someone'ssignatureisneeded."thepostmanyelled.

Another10minutespassed,andthere*snoresponse.Thepostmangotabitcrossaboutthe

delay,andhewasabouttoshoutwhenthedooropened.Hewasshockedtoseeinfrontofhim

wasalittlegirlwithnolegs.Speechless,hegavetheletterquietly,tookhersignatureandleft.

Thatdayhegothername,Sally.

Sallyoftenlivedalone.Hermotherdiedatanearlyageandherfatherusedtowork

faraway.Amaid（女7［卜）wasinvitedtostaywithherinthemorningandeveningexcepttheday.

Inamonthortwo,mailsweredeliveredregularly,andtheirinteractionandattachmentgrew.

Sallynoticedthatthepostmanusedtocomebarefoot.Rainyseasoncame.Onedaywhenthe

postmanleftherhome,hisfootprintswereleftonwetsoil.Sallystruggledoutwithapaperand

putitonprintandtookdownthepictureofhisfeet.Sheaskedhermaidtogetshoesofthatsize

andkepttheminabox.

Diwali（排燈節(jié)）wasaroundthecorner.DuringDiwali,thepostmanusedtodelivermails

andgotDiwaligiftsfromthepeoplewhogotmails.ButwhenhethoughtaboutSally,hestarted

thinkingthatheshouldn'tmeetthegirlempty-handedduringthefestival.Aftermuchthoughthe

boughtsomechocolateforthelittlegirl.Thenextday,hewenttothelittlegirl'shouseand

knocked.

Pl:Sallyopenedthedoor,theoldpostmanhandedherabagofchocolate

P2:Arrivinghome,thepostmanopenedthebox.

范文：

WTze幾Sallyopenedthedoor,theoldpostmanhandedherabagofchocolate.

?Withherheartthumpingwiththrill,Sallyreachedoutforthesweetpresentand

acceptedit.Havingexpressedherheartfeltthankstothepostman,shebeggedhimto

waitamoment.

?Tenminuteshavingpassed,thelittlegirlmanagedtocomeintothetheoldman'ssight

withaboxwrappedinbrownpaperinherhands.

“Thisismygiftforyou.Don'tunwrapituntilyougethome.^saidSallywithabiggrin.”

Azrivi/ghome,thepostmanopenedthebox.

?Tohisunboundedastonishment,insidewasapairofshoesofhissize,withacard

attachedtoit,reading"Iamappreciativeofyourcompany.Don'twalkbarefootinrainy

seasonanymore.^^

?Scarcelyhadheseenthiswhenhistearsbrimmedover,withamixtureofthankfulness

andcontentmentoverwhelminghim.Neverinhislifehadhereceivedsucha

heartwarmingpresent.

Havingmadearesolution,heputontheshoesatonce,trottedtowardsthelittlegirFs

houseandknockedatthedooragain.a4Littleangel,letmebeyourlegs."LookingSally

straightintheeye,hepromised.

最終自測(cè)：

Sallyopenedthedoor,theoldpostmanhandedherabagofchocolate.

令莎莉激動(dòng)得心怦怦直跳，她伸手去拿那份甜蜜的禮物并收下了。她向郵差表達(dá)了衷心

的感謝后，請(qǐng)求他再等一會(huì)。

令十分鐘過(guò)去了，小女孩手里拿著一個(gè)用牛皮紙包著的盒子，好不容易進(jìn)入了老人的視

線。

令“這是我送給你的禮物?；丶液笤俅蜷_(kāi)?！鄙蜻种煨χf(shuō)。

Azrivi/ghome,thepostmanopenedthebox.

令讓他大為吃驚的是，里面是一雙是他尺寸的鞋子，上面還附了一張卡片，上面寫(xiě)著：

“我很感激你的陪伴。別再在雨季光腳走路了。”

令他一看到這個(gè)禮物，就熱淚盈眶，既感激又滿足。他一生中從未收到過(guò)如此溫暖人心

的禮物。

令他下了決心，立刻穿上鞋子，快步走向小女孩的家，又敲響了房門(mén)。“小天使，讓我

做你的腿吧。”他直視著莎莉的眼睛，承諾道。

第二篇

Duringthispastyear,I'vehadthreeinstancesofcartrouble.Eachtimethesethings

happened,Iwassickofthewaymostpeoplehadn'tbotheredtohelp.

Oneofthosetimes,IwasonthesideoftheroadforclosetothreehourswithmybigJeep.

Iputsignsinthewindows,bigsignsthatsaidNEEDAJACK(TJ),andofferedmoney.Nothing.

RightasIwasabouttogiveup,aMexicanfamilyinasmalltruckpulledover,andthefather

boundedout.

Hesizedupthesituationandcalledforhisdaughter,whospokeEnglish.Heconveyed

throughherthathehadajackbutthatitwastoosmallfortheJeep,sowewouldneed

somethingtosupportit.Thenhegotasaw（鋸子）fromthetruckandcutasectionoutofabig

logonthesideoftheroad.Werolleditoverandputhisjackontop,andwewereinbusiness.

Istartedtakingthewheeloff,andthen,ifyoucanbelieveit,Ibrokehistireiron.No

worries:Hehandedittohiswife,andshewasgoneinaflashdowntheroadtobuyanewtire

iron.Shewasbackin15minutes.Wefinishedthejob,andIwasaveryhappyman.

Thetwoofusweredirtyandsweaty.Hiswifepreparedapotofwaterforustowashour

hands.Itriedtoputa$20billinthemanshand,buthewouldn'ttakeit,soinsteadIwentupto

thetruckandgaveittohiswifeasquietlyasIcould.

Iaskedthelittlegirlwheretheylived.Mexico,shesaid.TheywereinOregonsoMommy

andDaddycouldworkonafruitfarmforthenextfewweeks.Thentheywouldgohome.

ParaP:W/ze-Iwasabouttosaygoodbye,thegirlaskedifI'dhadlunch.

Para2:A—e/theyleft、/gotintomyJeepandopenedthepaperbag.

范文：

Para1:When/wasabouttos處goodbye,thegirlaskedifI'dhadlunch.

?Allofasudden,adeafeningsoundfrommyemptystomachburstout.Squeezingoutan

exhaustedsmile,IrepliedthatIhadn't.

?Atthismoment,thisfriendlyfamilyinvitedmetoenjoyasimplelunchwithhospitality,

whichtriggeredawarmcurrentwellingupinmyheart.Thenthegirlhandedmea

home-madesandwich,whichwoulddefinitelybringmebacktolife.

Afterwolfingdownthefood,Iwasabouttosaygoodbyeagainwhenthegirlpresseda

paperbagintomyhand,andthenshejumpedintothetruck,wavingmegoodbye.

Para2:A力4theyleft,IgotintoJeepandopenedthepaperbag.

?Lyinginthebagwasa$20bill,whichIhadofferedinreturnfortheirhelpandafolded

note.Unfoldingthenote,Isawthewordsleftforme“Thanksforyourtimeandfunbeing

withmyfamily!,9

?Arippleofwarmthmixedwithhappinessranthroughmymind.Thewordsandexperience

servedasthegentleandbrightmorningsunlight,meltingtheiceinmyheart.

Seeingthetruckdisappearingfromsight,Ifeltthedistrustinhumanityvanishwithout

trace.Ifsaforeign,completestrangerfamilythatassistedmeinregainingthetrustinthe

glowinghumannature—helpingothersinneed.

最終自測(cè)：

Para]:WhenIabouttos逆"goodbye,thegirlaskedifI'dhadlunch.

令突然間，我的空腹發(fā)出了震耳欲聾的聲音。擠出一個(gè)精疲力盡的微笑，我回答說(shuō)沒(méi)有

O

令這時(shí)，這友好的一家人好客地邀請(qǐng)我吃一頓簡(jiǎn)單的午餐。那使我心里涌起一股暖流。

然后女孩遞給我一個(gè)自家做的三明治，這讓我活了過(guò)來(lái)。

令狼吞虎咽地吃完食物后，我正要再次說(shuō)再見(jiàn)，女孩把一個(gè)紙袋塞到我手里，接著她跳

上卡車(chē)，向我揮手告別。

Para2:Afterthewleft,I攵otintoJeepcmdopenedthepaperbag.

令躺在袋子里是一張20美元的鈔票，是我因?yàn)榛貓?bào)他們的幫助而給的那張，還有張折起

來(lái)的紙條。打開(kāi)紙條，我看到了留給我的話：“謝謝你跟我們一家人一起度過(guò)的快樂(lè)

時(shí)光！”

令一股溫暖和幸福的漣漪掠過(guò)我的腦海。這些文字和這次經(jīng)歷就像柔和明亮的晨光，融

化了我心中的冰。

令看到卡車(chē)從視線中消失，我感到對(duì)人類的不信任消失得無(wú)影無(wú)蹤。正是一個(gè)完全的陌

生人家庭，幫我重新信任了光輝人性一幫助其他有需要的人。

第四篇

OverthesummerImovedfromTexastoMissouri.Thiswasmysecondyearofhigh

school,butmyfirstyearofschoolinMissouri.Iwasreallynervousaboutstartinganewschool

andhavingpeoplelikeme.IdecidedthatIwouldbemuchhappierinanewschoolifImade

friendsthatwereso-called“popular”.Gettinginwiththerightgroupofpeoplewouldmakemy

lifeawholelotbetter.Iboughtanewoutfitsothefirstdaywouldbeperfect.

Onthefirstdayofschool,scared,yeteagertobeginmynewlife,Iwalkedupthestairs.

Myfirstclasswasgeometry,butwherewasthat?Iwasstandinginthehalllookingconfused,

whenashort,blondgirlwearingglassescameupandasked,"Areyounew?Youlooklost.Do

youwantmetohelpyoufindyourclass?MynameisDiane.Whafsyours?”Eventhoughshe

seemedabitstrange,definitelynotthekindofpersonIwantedtobeassociatedwith,Idecided

toanswerheranyway.Iwas,afterall,lost.

Afterexchangingnames,Ifollowedherupthestairsanddownahallwayontheright.

Whenwereachedmyroomshesaid,“Well,hereyouare.Itwasnicemeetingyou.IhopeIsee

youagainandyourdaygoesallright.^^

Isaidaquickthank-youandwavedgood-bye.Onceinsidetheclassroom,Isawonebig

groupofpeoplehuddledaroundsomeonewhoseemedtobetellingsomesortofstory.Iwalked

overandgotcloseenoughtooverhear.Alleyesweregluedtotheguyinthemiddleofthecircle.

Idecidedthatthisguywaspopular.

Afewminuteslatertheteachertoldeveryonetogofindaseatandgetreadyfortheclass.I

managedtogetonerightnexttotheguy.Isaid,“Hi,mynameisAprilandI'mnewher已“He

saidcoldly,"Hi,I'mJohnny.^^Thatclassdraggedonandon.Finally,thebellrang.Iturnedto

himandaskedJTmnotsurewheremynextclassis,couldyouhelpmefindit?”Helookedat

meandthensaidaquickno,turnedbacktohisfriends,andwalkedoutoftheclassroom.

Poral:Astheywe%walkingout,Iheardtheywerealllaughingatme

Para2:Before/wasreadytogohome,/heardafamiliarjoicecallingmyname.

范文：

Paral:Astheywerewalkingout,/heardtheywerealllaughingatme.

?Theirshrilllaughingaboutmyoutfitandmyaccentmademeblushwithshame.Seized

byasenseofembarrassment,Icoulddonothingbutsitthere,keepingmybody

frozenandholdingbackmytears.

?Unabletofigureoutwhytheylaughedatme,Icouldn'thelpdoubtingwhethermy

presencewasacompletelymistakeoradisturbancetoothers.

?Allmyhopeofbeginninganewschoollifewithlovelyfriendshipvanishedlikea

bubble.Withlowerheadandheavylegs,Igrabbedmybagandinchedmywaytoward

theschoolgate.

ParaIwasreadytogohome,Iheardafamiliarvoicecalling"yname.

?ItwasDiane.Likearayofsunshine,thebigsmileonherfacesweptawaymygloom.

InformedthatIwaslostagain,sheheldmyhandsandcomfortedmeinagentlevoice,

“Theseteachingbuildingsreallylookalike,right?Followme.”

?Arippleofwarmthspreadingthroughmyheart,embarrassmentandfrustration

werereplacedwithpurejoyandthankfulness.

?ItwasatthatmomentthatIrealizedhowwrongIwastoonlybefriendswithpopular

people.MaybeIshouldn'tdecidewhetherapersonisworthbeingmyfriendbytheir

reputation,butbywhotheyare.

最終自測(cè)：

Astheywe憶walkingout,/heardtheywerealllaughingatme.

令他們對(duì)我的外套和我的口音發(fā)出的刺耳嘲笑讓我臉紅羞愧。被一種尷尬的感覺(jué)所控制

住了，我只能坐在那里，身體動(dòng)不了，強(qiáng)忍淚水。

令我不明白他們?yōu)槭裁闯靶ξ?，我不禁懷疑我的存在是一個(gè)完全的錯(cuò)誤還是對(duì)別人的干

擾。

令我對(duì)以美好的友誼開(kāi)始新的學(xué)校生活的所有希望都像泡沫一樣破滅了。我垂著頭，

步履沉重，抓起書(shū)包，一寸寸地向?qū)W校門(mén)口挪去。

Before/wasreadytogohome,/heardafamiliaraoicecallingmyname.

令是Dianeo她臉上的燦爛笑容，就像一縷陽(yáng)光，驅(qū)散了我的憂郁。得知我又迷路了，

她握著我的手，用溫柔的聲音安慰我：“這些教學(xué)樓看起來(lái)真的很像，對(duì)嗎？跟我來(lái)。”

令一股溫暖的漣漪掠過(guò)我的心頭，尷尬和沮喪被喜悅和感激所取代。

令就在那一刻，我意識(shí)到我只和受歡迎做朋友是多么的錯(cuò)誤。也許我不應(yīng)該根據(jù)一個(gè)人

的聲譽(yù)來(lái)決定他是否值得做我的朋友，而應(yīng)該根據(jù)他是個(gè)什么樣的人。

第五篇

Iwasabrokeuniversitystudent.Ishouldhavebeengoingtouniversityonascholarship

becauseIcamefromalow-incomefamily,butalast-minute￡100-a-yearpayriseformymum

pushedmyfamilyoverthethreshold（門(mén)檻）fbrwhatdefined"low-income“andIwassuddenly

nolongerqualifiedfor￡15,000ayearinscholarshipmoney.ThisnewscameafterI'dbeen

acceptedbytheuniversityandsignedthelease（租約）formyaccommodation.

Despitemyfamilynotbeinglabelledlow-incomeanymore,Istillwouldn'treceiveany

financialsupportfrommyfamilyasalltheincomewenttowardtakingcareofmydisabled

brotherandpayingtheirownbills.Itwouldbetight,butbecauseIhadsavingsfrommy

part-timejob,Idecidedtogotouniversityanyway.Afterpayingmyrent,Ihad￡10.20aweek

foreverythingelseincludingfood,toiletries,andschoolsupplies.

AsIwasinanewcity,Ireallywantedtomakefriends,whichwasdifficultwhenmostof

thesocialactivitieswereexpensive.Therefore,Ijumpedatthechancetodoarelativelycheap

coffeeshoptripwithmyroommateswhowerepleasanttome.

Ihad￡20withmetogetacheapcupofcoffeeandmyfoodshoppingforafewweeks.So

Iheadedforthecoffeeshop.Whilepaying,Ipulledoutthenoteandahandfulofchangeand

realizedIcouldpaywithoutbreakingthenote,soIputitbackinmypocket.Itwasn'tuntilI

arrivedatthesupermarketthatIrealizedthenotewasgone.WhatshouldIdo?Iwasdesperate

asitwastheequivalent（相等物）oftwoweeksofmoney.Myroommateshelpedmelookfor

thenote.However,itwasinvain.Finally,Iwenttoschoolempty-handed.

Zsafinalattempt,/messagedthecoffkeshopkFacebookpageaskingifthey'dseenit.

Isaid,“Oh…Thisisn'tmine;狙"notewasanoldone.”

范文：

Asafinalattempt,Imessagedthecoffeeshop'sFacebookpageaskingifthey'dseenit.

?Leastexpectingareplyfromthem,Iloggedoffwithenormousfrustrationandcontinuous

self-blame.HowIwishedIwascarefulenoughsothatthenotewouldnotslipoutwithout

mynotice.

?However,fiveminutes,analertfromFacebookbrokeoffmynegativethoughts."Yes,we

indeedfounda20-dollarnote.Pleasecomebyassoonaspossible!^^

?Theabovewordsfromthecoffeeshopinstantlyfueledmewithenergy.Withouthesitation,

Itrottedbackwitharapturousheart.

?HardlyhadIenteredtheshopwhenasweet-lookingbaristahandedmea20-dollarnote

andaskedtentatively,66Sir,isityours?^^

Isaid,"Oh,…Thisisn'tmine;notewasanoldNOTT?one.”

?Beamingamostradiantsmile,thebaristaexplainedgentlythatthisnotewasfrommy

mostkind-heartedroommates,who,afterwitnessingmydespairanddevastation,would

liketoextendahelpinghand.

?Hearingthis,Ifeltasurgeofwarmthswellingupinmyheartandmyeyeswereinstantly

moistenedwithgratefultears.

?Yes,lifemightbehardformeinanewcity,butwiththeunreservedgenerosityand

unwaveringsupportfrommyroommate,IknewIcouldpullthroughanydifficultyandrise

toanychallenge.

?Indeed,lifeisnotabedofroses,butlovefrommyroommatesmaketheworldgoaround.

Plus,Iamboundtopayforwardtheirkindnessbyhelpingmoreneedypeoplelikeme.

最終自測(cè)：

“safinalattempt,/messagedthecoffeeshop'sFacebookpageaskingifthev'dseenit.

令不期待他們的回復(fù)，我?guī)е鴺O大的氣餒和持續(xù)的自責(zé)離線了。我多么希望自己足夠小

心，這樣那張字條就不會(huì)未經(jīng)我的注意就滑落了。

令然而，五分鐘后，臉書(shū)上的一個(gè)提醒音打破了我的負(fù)面想法?！笆堑?，我們確實(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)

了一張20美元的鈔票。請(qǐng)盡快來(lái)！”

令咖啡店的話立刻讓我充滿了活力。我毫不猶豫地帶著一顆欣喜若狂的心小跑著回去。

令我剛進(jìn)商店，一個(gè)可愛(ài)的咖啡師就遞給我一張20美元的鈔票，試探地問(wèn)：“先生，是

你的嗎？”

Isaid,"Oh,...Thisisn'tmine;mynotewasanoldwornone.,f

令面露燦爛的微笑，咖啡師溫柔地解釋說(shuō)，這張紙幣來(lái)自我最善良的室友，他們?cè)谀慷昧?/p>

我的絕望和崩壞后，想伸出援助之手。

令聽(tīng)到這話，我感到一陣暖流在心中涌起，我的眼睛立刻被感激的淚水濕潤(rùn)了。

令是的，在一個(gè)新的城市，生活對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)可能很困難，但有了室友的毫無(wú)保留的慷慨和

堅(jiān)定的支持，我知道我可以度過(guò)任何難關(guān)，迎接任何挑戰(zhàn)。

令的確，生活并不是玫瑰的床，而是室友的愛(ài)讓世界運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。另外，我一定會(huì)通過(guò)幫助更

多像我這樣的需要幫助的人來(lái)回報(bào)他們的善意。

第八篇

Walkingacrosscampuswitheverypairofeyesonyoucanbeembarrassing,especially

whenyou're13yearsold.Ilookedaroundmeindesperatesearchofafriendlyface,asmile,

anything.Iwasquitedisappointed,tosaytheleast.AndI,inturn,feltsomewhatfoolish,

walkingacrosscampuswithafalsesmileonmyface.Iwassimplyattemptingtofollowthe

advicemymotherhadgivenmeyearsbefore:whenthingsgetawkward,smile.Nomatter

whereyouareasmilewillalwaysbeunderstood.Asmileisuniversal.Atthatverymoment,

however,Ifeltmymother'sadvicedidn'twork.

Ontopofitall,mymindwasracingwithquestionsandconcernstypicalofany13-year

oldonthefirstdayofschool:wherewouldIsitatlunch?WhowouldItalkto?Nottomention

howwouldImakefriendswhenIdidn'tevenspeakthelanguage?Myheartbeatquickenedand

Ifeltnervous.Still,Ididmybesttomaintaincalmsoasnottoletmyguarddownandrevealto

othersjusthowscaredItrulywas.

Whentheteacherintroducedmetotheclassasthe"'Americangirl”,10setsofhands

immediatelyshotup.Somestudentshadquestions,andothersw