I remember the first time I got on a horse. I was two years old and we were watching a friend of the family ride. My mom agreed to let me take a short ride around the arena1 with the friend and that was it! I was horse crazy. From then on, I drove my parents insane begging for a horse. Whenever I saw a horse, I would beg even harder.
When I was four years old, my life as I know it now began. I have Selective Mutism. This is a rare childhood disorder2 in which children stop speaking in certain social situations, many times at around the age of four. I spoke3 normally to my parents, my brother and certain other people, but was silent at school and in social situations. I went days, weeks, months without a sound at school. At most, I might quietly whisper to a friend.
Often, children with Selective Mutism will not speak in the presence of others; even to a person they normally talk to. There is a lot of whispering in ears, so that others cannot hear. We have normal or above average IQs and usually no speech pathology. The most important factor in this disorder is, we cannot speak. We do not do this purposely or willfully, it feels impossible to speak. As you can imagine, many children are blamed, punished and traumatized, especially at school. The disorder is believed to be anxiety related and treatment is difficult, but not impossible. We have so much more to learn.
提升作文素養(yǎng)，尋找作文素材，就來(lái)<A http://www.zequeka.cn/yuwensuyang/>易優(yōu)作文素養(yǎng)</a>。
My parents searched for a cure. At that time, we did not even have a name for what I had. I suffered silently through school until I was ten years old when one in a long string of psychologists had an idea. Having discussed his plan with my parents beforehand, one day in my therapy session I was asked by the psychologist what I wanted more than anything in the world. He explained that I was going to be given an opportunity to work for what I wanted. I couldn't believe my good luck, but I could not answer. I just stood there struggling to verbalize what I wanted more than anything else in the world. Finally, I was permitted to whisper the answer in my mother's ear. "A horse," was all I could say.
I was to get a pony5, but before we could even start looking, I had to live up to my end of the bargain. I had to try to talk. I had a chart of weekly tasks I had to accomplish. I had to answer the phone five times per week, something I had never done before. I had to make five phone calls to my friends. I had to say one word to my teacher at school and the list went on. For a child with Selective Mutism, saying one word to someone can be like climbing Mount Everest.
學(xué)書(shū)法，推薦<A http://www.zequeka.cn/Miniform/tYpe_3.html>易優(yōu)少兒書(shū)法培訓(xùn)</a>，語(yǔ)文成績(jī)好，書(shū)法少不了。
I did everything that was asked of me and the day came when my parents found a local riding stable that had the perfect pony. His name was Sequoia6, a strong little chestnut7 with some roaning and a tiny white spot on his rump. He was perfect, of course, and I fell in love immediately. We boarded him at the riding stable and I began taking lessons. I wanted to be the best I could be and I swelled8 with pride every time I got on Sequoia. It truly was a dream come true. I learned to brush him, saddle him, pick his hooves out. Each week I could not wait for Saturday and my lesson, then my free time with my Sequoia. When I was in Sequoia's presence, I forgot all about my problems and felt strong and secure.
As I see it, horses are silent too, but they are fast, powerful and free at the same time. Horses give me the strength I lack. They give me a reason to push myself, when I can find no other. Horses have been part of my life for well over twenty years now, all the while helping9 me deal with an isolating10, frightening disorder. When things get difficult, as they still sometimes do, I go to my horses. With them, I can be silent, but I can hold my head up and have dignity and freedom. By connecting with them, I have learned to embrace what I was once shunned11 for and I found my voice.
作文培訓(xùn)，就來(lái)蘇州易優(yōu)作文 http://www.zequeka.cn/miniForm.html
I am a fully4 participating member of society these days. My horses and I made it through a master's degree and then law school. I am a practicing attorney, I even make court appearances. I may have made it otherwise, but I'm not sure. I feel I owe my life to the horse and I try to give it back to them every day. I am fortunate that I can look out my back door and see my beautiful horses looking back at me. I am so grateful that I get to watch them run in their mountain pasture every day. I hope I never stop learning from them. They have given me the best gift I could ever imagine, my life.
1 arena
n.競(jìng)技場(chǎng)，運(yùn)動(dòng)場(chǎng)所；競(jìng)爭(zhēng)場(chǎng)所，舞臺(tái)
參考例句：
She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25歲進(jìn)入政界。 He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他沒(méi)有充分發(fā)揮其才能的場(chǎng)所。 在線作文批改系統(tǒng)，<a href=http://www.zequeka.cn/jiaoshoulanmu/>易優(yōu)名師作文批改</A>
2 disorder
n.紊亂，混亂；騷動(dòng)，騷亂；疾病，失調(diào)
參考例句：
When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他發(fā)現(xiàn)屋子里亂七八糟。 It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地裝著許多信件。
3 spoke
n.（車輪的）輻條；輪輻；破壞某人的計(jì)劃；阻撓某人的行動(dòng) v.講，談（speak的過(guò)去式）；說(shuō)；演說(shuō)；從某種觀點(diǎn)來(lái)說(shuō)
參考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他們的輪輻螺帽是從我們公司獲得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.輻條是輪子上連接外圈與中心的條棒。
語(yǔ)文成績(jī)好，書(shū)法少不了，學(xué)書(shū)法，推薦<A http://www.zequeka.cn/miniform/type_3.html>易優(yōu)少兒書(shū)法培訓(xùn)</a>
4 fully
adv.完全地，全部地，徹底地；充分地
參考例句：
The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.醫(yī)生讓我先吸氣，然后全部呼出。 They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他們很快就完全融入了當(dāng)?shù)厝说娜ψ?。
5 pony
adj.小型的；n.小馬
參考例句：
His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父親給了他一匹小馬駒作為圣誕禮物。 They made him pony up the money he owed.他們逼他還債。
6 sequoia
n.紅杉
參考例句：
The sequoia national forest is at the southern end of the sierra nevada range.紅杉國(guó)家公園位于內(nèi)華達(dá)山脈南端盡頭處。 The photo shows the enormous general Sherman tree in California's sequoia national park.照片顯示的是加利福尼亞州紅杉國(guó)家公園內(nèi)巨大的謝爾曼將軍樹(shù)。
7 chestnut
n.栗樹(shù)，栗子
參考例句：
We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我們的花園盡頭有一棵栗樹(shù)。 In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我們?cè)谑彝饫鯓?shù)下喝茶。
8 swelled
增強(qiáng)( swell的過(guò)去式和過(guò)去分詞 )； 腫脹； （使）凸出； 充滿（激情）
參考例句：
The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手腫了起來(lái)。 After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨過(guò)后，河水猛漲。
9 helping
n.食物的一份&adj.幫助人的，輔助的
參考例句：
The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可憐的孩子們總是要求我把我的漢堡包再給他們一份。 By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 這樣一來(lái), 他在某些時(shí)候,有助于競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的加強(qiáng)。
10 isolating
adj.孤立的，絕緣的v.使隔離( isolate的現(xiàn)在分詞 )；將…剔出（以便看清和單獨(dú)處理）；使（某物質(zhì)、細(xì)胞等）分離；使離析
參考例句：
Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些濾色片不能很有效地分離狹窄的光譜帶。 來(lái)自辭典例句 This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 這個(gè)方法 以后就稱為分離細(xì)菌的劃線法。 來(lái)自辭典例句
11 shunned
v.避開(kāi)，回避，避免( shun的過(guò)去式和過(guò)去分詞 )
參考例句：
She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲著她。 He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是個(gè)怕羞的人，總是避開(kāi)一切引人注目的活動(dòng)。 來(lái)自《簡(jiǎn)明英漢詞典》
