During my free time one day, I wandered down a lonely path into the woods and sat against a tree.
Then I saw one of the camp counselors approaching me. "Oh great," I thought, since counselors were
always trying to cheer you up or make you laugh.
"Hey," he said, "mind if I have a seat?" I shrugged. I wasn't. going to encourage him, but I couldn't
exactly stop him, either. He sat down alongside me and extended a hand. "I'm Gary," he said, "and
you're Erica, right?" I nodded. "You don't exactly look like you're having a good time," he began.
I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. "Look," I said, "I didn't want to come to camp, I don't like
it. I'm not having fun, and it basically stinks(令讨厌的) ," I glared at Gary.
"So there's nothing here at all for you, huh?" he asked.
" Nothing," I answered.
"Let me show you something," said Gary. He got up, and I followed him along the path until I heard
a sound like a roaring freight train.
" What's that?" I asked.
"Wait and see," he replied, with a small smile.
When we rounded the corner, I couldn't believe what I saw. There was the biggest waterfall I could
ever imagine, right in front of me. "Cool!" I said, and I could feel my eyes getting bigger and a smile
tugging at my mouth.
"Still think there's nothing here for you?" asked Gary. " Because there's a whole lot more of this kind
of nothing' around here. "
I had to admit, the waterfall was impressive.
"Look," said Gary, "camp is what you make it. You can be sullen (闷闷不乐的) and closed-minded and have a rotten (倒霉的) four weeks, or you can take a look around you and see some of the
incredible sights and appreciate the opportunity. It would be useless for me to try to make you have fun.
You can only do that for yourself. But if you loosen up a little, you might actually have a good time."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me on the path.
That night, by the campfire, I found myself singing along with everyone else. By the time the four
weeks were up, I didn't want to leave. I'd seen some amazing things and made some great friends.
Beauty is where you find it. Life is what you make it. I think it's going to be a good year this year.
I mean, I'm going to work to make it one. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to go back to camp next
year.
1. When Gary walked to Erica, you could predict that .
A. he would help her feel better
B. she would say hello to him
C. he would talk about his life
D. she would tell him to go away
2. What happened to Erica after Cary talked to her?
A. She found out she was going away to camp.
B. She sat down against a tree.
C. She met another camper.
D. She saw a waterfall.
3. What can you tell about Erica from the ending of this story?
A. She has many close friends at home.
B. She is looking forward to the future.
C. She's a good student who gets mostly As.
D. She often gets into trouble at school.
4. This passage supports the general idea that .
A. most people don't know much about nature
B. summer camps are not as good as they used to be
C. most kids feel lonely at first when they're away from home
D. camp counselors never really help anyone