Miss Popular
I was awkward in middle school: bony and athletic, with a high grade in science and a low one in self-esteem. Though I had a few friends, I wasn’t popular. I was picked last in football and I sometimes ate lunch by myself.
I remember the day Brittany came to our school. Her teeth were crooked(歪斜的), and she was a little overweight. Not that this mattered though, because she walked around like she was better than all of us. She was outspoken and incredibly frightening, making people lose confidence.
Around Brittany, I tried my best to go unnoticed. Standing out or stealing her spotlight could only result in one thing: conflict. Brittany was always the first girl picked for teams; I was lucky if I was picked at all. I was thrown the ball while she stood with the quarterback, chatting about the last party she’d gone to. I had never been to a party before or kissed a boy.
One day, a classmate asked me to the school dance. I was flattered. Then Brittany told me during science class that she had persuaded him to invite me. She asked in front of everyone, “Why would anyone even want you?” I went home and cried.
Although she was seemingly perfect in everyone’s eyes, I wanted to be everything that she wasn’t and yet a million times more perfect. Brittany was so frightening and violent, but I wanted to be calm and not at all aggressive.
I found Brittany’s online profile a few weeks ago. She still had the same chubby(圆胖脸) face and mocking（嘲笑的）simile, and had posted half-naked pictures of herself. But as I read on, I realized that Brittany had died in a drunken driving accident a year ago. She had been 16 and pregnant at the time. Suddenly my view of Brittany changed from a bad influence into a struggling little girl whose life was taken before she could understand right from wrong. My experience with Brittany taught me that though we are all innocent in our youth, the choices we make will have great effects on us forever. I will always remember Brittany as that loud, overconfident girl. As part of that shy insecure person I used to be will always keep me modest.
小题1:From the first three passages we can conclude that
.
| A．the author was trying to avoid conflict with Brittany |
| B．the author secretly envied Brittany for being popular |
| C．Brittany’s appearance made her popular with boys |
| D．Brittany was puzzled at how she could be popular |
小题2:Which of the following is TRUE about Brittany?
| A．She didn’t mean to hurt the author. |
| B．She took delight in hurting others. |
| C．Her confidence came from her popularity. |
| D．Her overweight made her more outspoken. |
小题3:According to the passage we can learn that the author
.
| A．was afraid of Brittany and followed her lead |
| B．saw the influence that low self-esteem can have |
| C．was determined to be better than Brittany |
| D．knew she was quietly different from Brittany |
小题4:The last passage is meant to
.
| A．tell us the reason for Brittany’s death |
| B．present the changed attitude to Brittany |
| C．show the influences of the youth |
| D．stress the importance of behaviors |