2 . Sometimes we experience pain that seems just too big to feel, too frightening to face - it looks like a tsunami. So, we run. My tsunami came when I was nine years old.
I was woken up by my mother’s screams - “Bob? Bob?! BOB!” I ran to my parents’ bedroom. My father was on all fours, unconscious. My mother was crazy - desperately trying to figure out how to stop what was happening. I ran to the phone - 9-1-1, the neighbors, anyone - “help us!” Soon rescue came, but my father didn’t come back to life.
When my friends came to comfort me, I remember “pulling myself together” as I walked toward them, determining to show them that I was fine.
The more I denied my pain, the more I was praised by the adults around me-”Oh, look how strong she is!” So, I kept saying “I’m fine.” Over and over and over. I said it enough - performed it enough - that I even fooled myself. I believed that I was okay.
But pain doesn’t just “go away” - that whole “time heals” thing is a total crock 30 years after my father died, when I looked around for an explanation for all the years of destructive behavior, I couldn’t find the root of the pain in my life because I had covered it up so well. All the “I’m fine” - 30 years of them - buried the pain of that nine years old girl.
Her pain had been trying to come out, to be heard, to be healed.
And, finally, it was.
After years of treatment, I found my way back to that night where the pain started, back to the tsunami. This time, I didn’t run. It hurt - it still hurts - but now, when it hurts, I let the pain come. I m not scared to say, “I’m not fine” - because I know, eventually, I will be.
1. What did the author do when her father was in danger?
| A．She ran out to look for rescue. | B．She kept calm and asked for help. |
| C．She offered first aid to him at once. | D．She was too afraid to do anything. |
2. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “crock” in Paragraph 5?
| A．fact | B．theory |
| C．experiment | D．lie |
3. Why was the author praised?
| A．She behaved politely. |
| B．She seemed to be confident. |
| C．She could look after herself. |
| D．She could handle the blow properly. |
4. What lesson can we get from the author’s experience?
| A．Hiding our pain can be harmful. |
| B．Expressing pain is not very easy. |
| C．Being strong means hiding one’s pain. |
| D．Children are good at covering up their pain. |
