I remember my maths teacher Mr Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers. In school Maths was my worst subject. I don’t think there was ever a day I went to school that I was not afraid.
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, my parents would be called to school.
I tried really hard for weeks to learn Maths. I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things; my brain just couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr Young would give me an E, just like he always did.
After class ended, I went to Mr Young and told him what would happen if I got another E. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned.
I looked at the teacher and said, “Mr Young, you know how all the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”
He looked at me, and said nothing.
“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young. Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and matters like that,” I said.
Again, he said nothing as he looked down at his desk, and began grading papers.
The next day, when I got my report card, I looked at my grades: Geography: B- , English: D- , History: C- , Gym: B+ , Art: C, Maths: D- .
That Math grade was the most favorite one I ever received in my whole life. I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.
小題1:Where was Mr Young different from others?
| A．He had only nine fingers in all. |
| B．He played jokes with students. |
| C．He usually gave higher mark to students. |
| D．He taught Maths in an interesting way. |
小題2:What would happen to the writer if he got another E?
| A．He would be asked to leave school. |
| B．He might be punished by his parents. |
| C．He would not be allowed to play any more. |
| D．He would be laughed at by other students. |
小題3:The writer got a Math D- at last because
.
| A．he achieved a higher level after working hard |
| B．Mr Young was afraid of being made fun of again |
| C．Mr Young knew the trouble of being poor in mind |
| D．Mr Young thanked him for telling him the opinions of students |
小題4:The story tells us that
.
| A．students should respect(尊敬) the disabled teachers |
| B．teachers should treat all the students fairly |
| C．students need to be cared for in their study, |
| D．teachers should have an understanding of the students |
