1 . It’s a classic story: A kid is forced to learn an instrument from a young age, they play it throughout their childhood, and they develop a bittersweet relationship with it. Is the constant battle between the love for the music and the hate for the constant challenge worth the fight? For me, it was.
I started playing the piano when I was four-that was 15 years ago! This was huge commitment, so there must have been something worth holding on to, right?
The easy guess is that I was purely in love with music and piano. Although that’s the sweeter tale, it’s a bit more complicated. I struggled a lot with piano. Family and peers were, at least in my own head, constantly placed beside me in competition. I felt pressure to be the best in order to prove something to others-and more devastatingly (破坏性地) to prove something to myself. The seed of my musical interest was grown in the sunlight of competition and doubt. Hate sprouted (滋生) when my self-criticism hit too hard.
It’s difficult to learn to love something that didn’t originate from love. For a while, piano was more of an annoyance than a hobby. But somehow, love grew. It was deeply buried. But it was there, and by high school,it was strong enough that when I was truly on the verge of quitting any kind of formal training. I found the strength to hold on tighter, and dig further. I switched teachers, and got incredibly lucky with one who helped me tunnel into what I loved. I learned pieces for myself, I composed for myself, and I found confidence not because I got “good enough,” but because I learned that anything I had was good enough.
The love and hate I’ve had for the piano were both planted and grown. If you too have learned to hate something, remember that with commitment, it can be uprooted, and love can make a home in its place. There is always time. There is always room.
1. What does the author want to show by telling a classic story?| A．The benefits of music. |
| B．Kids’ struggle in learning instruments. |
| C．Kids’ bittersweet childhood. |
| D．The popularity of learning instruments. |
| A．She finally quit formal training. |
| B．She never treated it as her hobby. |
| C．She was in pure love with music and piano. |
| D．She once experienced great pressure from herself. |
| A．Her attitude. | B．Her training. |
| C．Her compromise. | D．Her achievement. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. |
| B．Love is a thing that grows. |
| C．Content is better than riches. |
| D．Chance favors the prepared mind. |
2 . “Sometimes I’m so envious of my friends, I hate them,” says Kimberly. “I was at dinner a month ago, celebrating a friend’s engagement. Suddenly I remarked that 50% of marriages end in divorce. I was upset about not having a serious relationship myself. My envy took over, and I became a different person.”
Envy is the desire for what someone else has and resentment（愤恨）of that person for having it. Kimberley was envious, but that doesn’t mean she is a bad person. “Everyone experiences envy,” explains psychologist Karen Peterson.
Envy doesn’t have to make us feel powerless and sorry for ourselves. Instead, it can motivate us to try to achieve what we want. There are effective ways for dealing with envy and turning it into something useful.
Kimberly’s envy caused her to make the unkind remark about divorce. If you have a similar desire to express your envy in a negative way, stop yourself. Instead, think about what it is that you are envious of. Kimberly admitted that when her friend announced her engagement, “it made me feel lonely and insecure.” Once you figure out why you are envious, it’s much easier to eventually grow from the experience. “Envy can be an excellent teacher,” states Peterson, “as long as you are open to learning its lessons.”
Lucy and her friend were both trying to get a better job at their company. Lucy thought that she would get the promotion, but things didn’t work out that way. Instead, her friend got the job, and Lucy became upset and jealous. Full of envy, she started saying hurtful things about her friend. “That wasn’t like me, but I couldn’t think straight,” she explains. Lucy said unkind things because not getting the job made her feel bad about herself, explains Peterson. Her reaction didn’t make her feel better, though. It just strengthened her negative feelings. If something similar happens to you, Peterson says that you should try to understand why your friend got the promotion. That way you can learn from the experience instead of reacting in a negative way.
1. Karen Peterson thinks envy ______.| A．turns one into a different person | B．can make one feel powerless |
| C．is connected with hatred | D．is normal in humans |
| A．consult a teacher for help. | B．state your negative thoughts. |
| C．find out what makes you envious | D．figure out what lesson you should learn |
| A．What Envy Means to Friends? | B．Is Envy Hurting or Helping you? |
| C．Why Do People Make Unkind Remarks? | D．How Can You Get Along with Friends? |
