学进去

Shakespeare’s birthplace was the childhood home of William Shakespeare. The house has been exactly furnished, and includes both original and copy items similar to those which would have been there in the house 1． Shakespeare was a child. Beautifully painted cloths hang on the walls, and brightly colored fabrics (织物) fill the rooms. At the back of the house is a beautiful garden 2．(contain) many trees, herbs and flowers 3．(mention) in Shakespeare’s plays.

I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And unless otherwise assigned a seat by the teacher, I always chose to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this _______ after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy _______ because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the ability to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “_______ for it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the half of it! When I first started _______ the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much worse what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get _______ and take a shot at the wrong direction, which made me feel really stupid. _______ I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to focus on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t _______ “just yet”.

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the rules and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive _______ in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the process-friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!

With my improved self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from “_______” in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, to raising my hand——even when I sometimes wasn’t and not 100 percent ________ I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.