My Own Label
It seemed to me that I had two different identities when I was in fifth grade. Outside of school, I was a reasonably happy kid who enjoyed spending time with my friends, reading or listening to rock music. When I was in class, however, I turned into a very different Denise, one who was on guard all the time, and one who wanted nothing more than to get through the day without being teased.
To my classmates I was strange, because I wasn’t just like them. The most obvious thing they focused on was that I didn’t wear the same designer clothes as they did. Designer clothes were beyond my family’s reach. My mother was a single parent, and she worked long hours to support our small household. As far as love and attention were concerned, I was rich beyond all imagination. I was supported and cared for. The only thing that my classmates cared for was fashion, though, and there, I was poor.
I never knew if my classmates would torment (戏弄) me in class, but on the bus I could count on it. My trips to and from school were the horrific, painful bookends to stressful days. One girl made a point of running over to my seat every morning to see what I was wearing, and then returned to her friends to laugh about it. I shrank into myself and stared out the window.
I was the smallest girl in my class. One of my classmates’ mothers noticed, and offered me a beautiful skirt that her daughter had outgrown. I wore it happily, thrilled to have a cool item of clothing for once. When I outgrew the skirt, my mother bought me a new one of my own, one without a label. When my classmate saw it, she shouted on purpose, “Oh, that’s not my skirt, is it? Where did you get this one, Denise? The poorhouse?” My classmates burst into laughter, and I slipped away, my eyes locked on the ground. I stopped wearing the skirt.
注意：
1.续写词数应为 150左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
After fifth grade ended, over the summer, I spent a month at a day camp.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With the love and support of my new friends, I became more confident.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 . I still remember the days my grandmother used to take me on long walks along the summer grass. The sun was always shining on the small roots of the grass on the ground. I remember noticing how, even though the roots were small, they still managed to stick out. Even though there were other things that could attract people to the parts of the grass, somehow the mind always seemed to lead to the roots, or, more precisely, where it all started its origins.
I have learned to realize early on that if you come from a culture that is different from the mainstream culture, eventually you will have to choose. And sometimes, choosing isn’t an easy process. Growing up as a Korean American in the US, I have often felt the need to have to choose between the two cultures that I live by. Even with friends, I would be the outsider that is stuck somewhere in the middle.
On some days, I would choose to be the “white” version of myself, dyeing my hair blond, On other days, I would feel the need to relocate(迁移)to the Asian part of me. The part of me, also known as the “roots” of the grass, has always been kept hidden for whatever reason. Whenever I redye my own hair black, I get the feeling that I am preserving some of the roots that I may have left behind.
Sometimes, we just want to preserve those roots that we have kept hidden. We try extra hard to become “a part of”something we might have left behind. However, it is more meaningful if we allow that thing (culture in thin case) to become part of our daily lives. This way, we will become learn likely to forget “this” part of ourselves.
1. What did the author think of the roots of the grass on the ground?| A．They were too small to be seen. |
| B．They grew well in the summer daylight. |
| C．They looked less attractive than the leaves. |
| D．They were more likely to grab people’s attention. |
| A．She would feel stuck between two cultures. |
| B．She would feel desperate to share similarities with them. |
| C．She would feel unconcerned with any culture. |
| D．She would feel annoyed about their mainstream culture. |
| A．To create a new self-image. |
| B．To hide the Asian part of her. |
| C．To preserve her cultural roots. |
| D．To make her hair look natural. |
| A．The way to preserve our cultural roots. |
| B．The attitude we should hold to different cultures. |
| C．When in Rome do as the Romans do. |
| D．The longest journey begins with the first step. |
