The teacher who did the most to encourage me was, as it happens, my aunt. She was Myrtle C. Manigault, the wife of my mother’s brother Bill. She taught me in second grade at all-black Summer School in Camden, New Jersey.
During my childhood and youth, Aunt Myrtle encouraged me to develop every aspect of my potential, without regard for what was considered practical or possible for black females. I liked to sing; she listened to my voice and pronounced it good. I couldn’t dance; she taught me the basic dancing steps. She took me to the theatre—not just children’s theatre, but adult comedies and dramas—and her faith that I could appreciate adult plays was not disappointed.
My aunt also took down books from her extensive library and shared them with me. I had books at home, but they were all serious classics. Even as a child I had a strong liking for humour, and I’ll never forget the joy of discovering Don Marquis’s Archy & Mehitabel through her.
Most important, perhaps, Aunt Myrtle provided my first opportunity to write for publication. A writer herself for one of the black newspapers, she suggested my name to the editor as a “youth columnist”. My column, begun when I was fourteen, was supposed to cover teenage social activities—and it did—but it also gave me the freedom to write on many other subjects as well as the habit of gathering material, the discipline of meeting deadlines, and, after graduation from college six years later, a solid collection of published material that carried my name and was my passport to a series of writing jobs.
Today Aunt Myrtle is still an enthusiastic supporter of her “favourite niece”. Like a diamond, she has reflected a bright, multifaceted (多面的) image of possibilities to every pupil who has crossed her path.
小题1:Which of the following did Aunt Myrtle do to the author during her childhood and youth?
A．She lent her some serious classics.
B．She cultivated her taste for music.
C．She discovered her talent for dancing.
D．She introduced her to adult plays.小题2:What does Archy and Mehitabel in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A．A book of great fun.
B．A writer of high fame.
C．A serious masterpiece.
D．A heartbreaking play.小题3:Aunt Myrtle recommended the author to a newspaper editor mainly to ______.
A．develop her capabilities for writing
B．give her a chance to collect material
C．involve her in teenage social activities
D．offer her a series of writing jobs小题4:We can conclude from the passage that Aunt Myrtle was a teacher who ______.
A．trained pupils to be diligent and well-disciplined
B．gave pupils confidence in exploiting their potential
C．emphasized what was practical or possible for pupils.
D．helped pupils overcome difficulties in learning
