No One’s Words but My Own The classroom was full of those of us who wanted to work on the school newspaper. I didn’t write a lot, but working on the paper sounded like fun. I 1 the idea of being a reporter, interviewing my friends, and covering middle school events. To be chosen, we had to turn in an example of our writing. I wrote an article about the joys of summer, and showed it to my father, a talented poet. He read it and frowned( 皱眉 ). “It’s okay,” my father said, taking out a pencil. “But how about changing this sentence to ...” And as a result, he rewrote the whole piece – without me, for I never said anything to 2 him. No surprise — his version( 版本 ) was wonderful. He had a gift for language. It was so much better than my piece that I turned in his version instead of mine. “Welcome to the Dundee School News,” my teacher said to me. But before I could be 3 about the news, he added, “based on that excellent article you wrote about summer, I expect you to write a personal opinion article every week for the second page of the paper.” I was so surprised. I was unable to write at that level, but I couldn’t tell the 4 to the teacher, and I couldn’t ask my father for help, either. That term working on the paper was really painful. And my teacher clearly expressed his 5 . “Can’t you write something more like that first piece you wrote?” he said, each time I turned in my article. I couldn’t, because at that age, I didn’t have my father’s ability and experience as a writer. Week after week, I tried hard, but my writing never 6 the level of the first article. At last, to my total shame, another student took my place. I 7 that my father rewrote my first article himself, instead of trying to help me to improve it. But in my heart I knew it was my fault( 错误 ) because I allowed him to do it. Later, I did become a successful writer on my own. Looking back, I realized that the pain and shame of that school experience had a 8 side. It taught me to depend on myself and be myself. So every day, I try to use my own words, find my own style and be my own best self. It feels great.