Bittersweet Memories
Karen Odem
1 High school graduation — the bittersweet feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago.
2 As graduation day approached, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I was finally coming of age. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I wanted without someone looking over my shoulder and it meant going to school with boys, a welcome change coming from an all-girl high school.
3 There was never any question in my mind that I would go to a college away from home. My mother's idea, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Trying her best not to force her preferences on me, she would subtly ask whether I had considered particular schools, all of which happened to be located in or near my hometown of Chicago. Once it was established that, as long as it was financially feasible, I would be going away anyway, my family's perspective changed. Their concern shifted from whether I was going away to how far. The schools I was considering on the East Coast suddenly looked much more attractive than those in California.
4 But which college I would attend was just one of what seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like Would I be unbearably
lonely not knowing anyone else who was going to the same school Would the other students like me Would I make friends easily Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn't be able to stand it And what about the work Would I be able to keep up (Being an A student in high school seemed to offer little assurance I would be able to survive college.) What if the college I selected turned out to be a horrible mistake Would I be able to transfer to another school
5 Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree turn. I really didn't want to leave high school at all, and it was questionable whether I wanted to grow up after all. It had been nice being respected as a senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn't enjoy the idea of being on the bottom rung of the ladder again.
6 Despite months of anticipation, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar strains of \"Pomp and Circumstance\" echoed in the background, I looked around at the other figures in white caps and gowns as we solemnly filed into the auditorium. Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was consumed by a rush of sadness. As if in a daze, I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma. As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a brand-new life. Exciting as the prospect of a new life seemed, it wasn't easy saying good-bye to the old one, the familiar faces, the familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn't particularly fond of and the long commute each day between home and school that I abhorred. Good or bad, it was what I knew.
7 That September, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university in Providence, Rhode Island. I needn't have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still treasure today.
8 Years later, financial difficulties forced my high school to close its doors for good. Although going back is impossible, it's comforting to know I can revisit my special memories any time.
A. Read the following statements carefully. Some of them are true, some are not. Write T or F in the space before each statement without turning back to the text.
1. In spite of the passage of time, the author’s mixed feelings about her high school graduation have been kept alive.
2. With graduation day drawing near, she was getting more and more excited.
3. Young Karen Odom was looking forward to entering a college away from home and living a life totally on her own.
4. Her parents, on the other hand, insisted that she go to a college or university located in or near her hometown.
5. For no good reason at all, her excitement suddenly changed into anxiety
and fear.
6. On the actual graduation day, she was overcome by a sudden rush of sorrow.
7. After graduation from high school, Karen had a wonderful time at a good university in the East.
8. Although her high school was closed down years later Karen felt comforted
because she thought she could revisit her alma mater (母校) in her mind any
time.
B. TEXT COMPREHENSION
1. In this article the author mainly describes _____.
A) the height of excitement during the months leading up to the big event — the graduation ceremony
B) her eagerness to go to a wonderful university far away from home
C) her mixed feelings during the months leading towards graduation and on the actual graduation day
D) her happiness to be admitted to a wonderful university where she spent some of the best years of her life
2. To the author, high school graduation meant _____.
A) she would become legally an adult
B) she could stop taking boring chemistry classes
C) she could start to enjoy an independent life
D) all of the above
3. The author's mother _____.
A) did not care very much which college her daughter went to
B) willingly allowed her to go to a college of her own choice
C) wished that she would study at a college or university close to home
D) was greatly disappointed when she decided to go to a college on the East Coast
4. The clause “as long as it was financially feasible” (para. 3) could best be replaced by _____.
A) if the expenses would not be too heavy a burden on the family budget
B) if the tuition and living expenses were not too high
C) if financial aid of any sort was available
D) if the family could put up enough money to pay for the tuition
5. Anticipation and excitement suddenly changed into anxiety and fear. Which of the following did the author NOT include as a reason for that change
A) The fact that she was a top student at high school did not necessarily mean that she was sure to enjoy a successful academic career in college.
B) It might be hard for her to make friends under new circumstances.
C) She might make a wrong choice and enter a university she did not like at all.
D) Growing homesick might seriously affect her academic performance at college.
6. “Being on the bottom rung of the ladder” (para. 5) means_____.
A) “being a freshman — at the lowest level of an institution of higher learning”
B) “being unpopular among her fellow students”
C) “being looked down upon by the juniors and seniors”
D) all of the above
7. On the actual graduation day, _____.
A) the familiar tune “Pomp and Circumstance” brought tears to her eyes
B) when she reached out for her diploma, she knew clearly that open to her was a new stage in life, unknown and insecure
C) she came to realize that she was so attached to her old school
D) she went through the whole ceremony in a daze
8. The author adopts _____ tone in writing this article.
A) a serious
B) an emotional
C) a matter-of-fact
D) an exaggerated
C. VOCABULARY
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