I met Mrs. Neidl in the ninth grade on a stage-design team for a play and she was one of the directors. Almost instantly I loved her. She had an Unpleasant voice and a direct way of speaking,   36   she was encouraging and inspiring. For some reason, she was impressed with my work and me.
Mrs. Neidl would ask me for my   37  . She wanted to know how I thought we should   38   things. At first I had no idea how to answer because I knew   39   about stage design! But I slowly began to respond to her   40  . It was cause and effect: She believed I had opinions, so I began to   41   them. She trusted me to complete things, so I completed them perfectly. She loved how   42   I was, so I began to show up to paint more and more. She believed in me, so I began to believe in myself.
Mrs. Neidl's   43   that year was, "Try it. We can always paint over it   44  !"I began to take   45  . I had been so afraid of failing but suddenly there was no failing--only things to be   46   upon. I learned to dip my brush into the paint and   47   create something.
The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was   48   in the program
as "Student Art Assistant" because of the time and effort I'd put in. It was that year that I   49   I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing stage design.
B eing on that stage-design team   50   Mrs. Neidl changed me completely. Not only was I stronger and more competent than I had thought, but I also   51   a strong interest and a world I hadn't known existed. She taught me not to   52   what people think I should do: She taught me to take chances and not be   53  . Mrs. Neidl was my comforter when I was upset. Her   54   in me has inspired me to do things that I never imagined   55  .
36. A. and               B . yet            C . so             D . for
37. A. opinion            B . impression        C . information      D . intention
38. A. make              B . keep           C . handle          D  change
39. A. anything           B . something        C . everything       D . nothing
40. A. questions            B . comments        C . explanations    D. remarks
41. A. hold              B . follow          C . evaluate        D . form
42. A. happy             B . lively          C . reliable                D . punctual
43. A. message           B . motto          C . saying          D . suggestion
44. A. again              B . more                  C . instead         D . later
45. A. steps              B . control         C . charge          D . risks[
46. A. improved           B . acted           C . looked         D . reflected
47. A. easily             B . carefully               C . confidently              D . proudly
48. A. introduced          B . recognized        C . identified         D . considered
49. A. confirmed           B . decided         C . realized         D . acknowledged
50. A. with              B . below                 C . of             D . by
51. A. developed           B . discovered        C . took           D . fostered
52. A. accept             B . care            C . judge          D . wonder
53. A. bored             B . lazy            C . sad            D . afraid
54. A. trust              B . patience         C . curiosity          D o interest
55. A. accessible            B . enjoyable         C . possible        D. favorable