1 . In my mind, the effect that experience had on me lasted forever. I was determined to learn swimming at the age of ten. There was a pool, at the K. P.L.B., offering the opportunity. My mother constantly warned against it, and bore fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the K. P.L.B. pool was safe.
My fear of water started from childhood. It began when I was four years old and father took me to the beach. There the huge waves knocked me down and swept over me.
The K. P.L.B. pool was quiet. I was afraid of going in all alone, so I sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Then came a big boy. He yelled, "Hi, Skinny! How'd you like to be ducked?" With that he picked me up and threw me into the deep end. I landed in a sitting position, and swallowed water. But I was not frightened out of my wits-when my feet hit the bottom, I would make a big jump, come out of the surface. It seemed a long way down. I gathered all my strength when I landed and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. Then I opened my eyes and saw nothing bur water. I tried to yell but no sound came out. I went down, down, endlessly.
When I came to consciousness, I found myself on the bed in the hospital.
I never went back to the pool. I avoided water whenever I could. This misadventure stayed with me as the years rolled by. It deprived me of the joy of boating and swimming. Finally, I decided to get an instructor. Piece by piece, I practiced hard and finally he built a swimmer. Several months later, the instructor was finished, but I was not. Sometimes the terror would return.
This went on till July. I swam across the Lake Wentworth. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. I laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?"
I had conquered my fear of water.
1. Why was the author frightened of water originally?
| A．His skill in swimming was very poor. |
| B．An experience of an outing to the beach affected him. |
| C．He had an unpleasant memory of the pool at the age of four |
| D．His mother warmed him about the danger of being drowned |
2. Which of the following is right about the author's experience in the K.P.L.B. pool?
| A．The experience made him aware that the pool was safe |
| B．While he had no skill in swimming, he struggled to go upwards. |
| C．When he was thrown into water, he knew someone would save him. |
| D．The big boy eagerly wanted to help him to conquer the fear of water. |
3. Which of the following can be used to describe the author?
| A．Diligent and cautious. | B．Determined and far-sighted. |
| C．Dependable and adaptable. | D．Demanding and courageous. |
4. What does the author try to tell us?
| A．A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. | B．Do one thing at a time, and do well. |
| C．Deed divides beings into lower and higher ones. | D．Success always comes from daring to challenge. |
