【明報專訊】MILDRED worked very hard on her schoolwork. But however hard she tried, she couldn't get higher grades.

Worse, she had a strict mother. True, moms do what's best for their child. But sometimes their demands are mind-boggling (令人難以想像的). Aren't they? Mildred's mom required her daughter to do extra reading. The tons of homework had already made Mildred feel fatigued and upset.

"Find me fifty new words. No cheating. I know your progress very well. You must finish this before I'm back from shopping!" Mom threw Mildred a fat book — it was a boring dictionary!

The harshest words ever uttered by a mother!

Having combed over the book, Mildred felt tired and took out a piece of paper. She started drawing squares and circles, scribbling all over it. She then grabbed a volume from the bookshelf chock-a-block with clutter.

It was an old notebook with yellowed pages. And it was by Mom! She looked around the house and made sure that Mom didn't hide somewhere. She then leafed through (略讀) the notebook.

The notebook was full of formulas and grammar points. Mildred then found a drawing.

"Oh a winter-flowering cherry!"

It was rather rough but took on the aura (氣氛) of the season.

Accompanying the tree was a kid's writings: Work hard like a winter-flowering cherry. But stay relaxed sometimes. Even if you miss an opportunity to do something, you can still get many bites at the cherry (做一件事的機會).

Mildred seemed to understand something. But it was 9pm already. The girl was so sleepy that she closed her eyes after yawning.

Mom was home. She was furious that her daughter hadn't jotted down any vocabulary. But she was surprised to find the notebook near Mildred.

She seemed to remember something crucial.

◆Food for thought

What do you think Mildred's mom understands? Do you know people who don't give up easily?

■Gear up

According to the story, answer the following questions.

(1) Mildred loves doing homework. ( True / False )

(2) In the story, the drawing of a winter-flowering cherry symbolises ( romance / perseverance / wisdom ).

(3) If you get a bite of the cherry, it means you ( do not want / have an opportunity / fail to ) to do something.

(Answers on next text)

■Glossary

fatigued (adj) 疲累的

scribble (v) 亂塗

chock-a-block (adj) 塞滿的

clutter (n) 雜物

[Smarties' Power English 第257期]