第一次上講臺

　　The bell was ringing. Miss Wu, who teaches us English, came into the classroom, a big smile on her face. Several other teachers of our school had come to visit her class. I knew it was a demonstration class, and I was a little excited.

　　Everything was going on well. All of us were listening to our teacher attentively and, when we answered questions, our answers were correct and clear. The smile on her face suggested that she was satisfied with our performance. Towards the end of the class, she asked,“Who would like to come up to the platform and repeat the story?”While saying these words, she looked at all the students with an expression of hope in her eyes.

　　How I wanted to jump onto the platform and give an excellent performance before the whole class! This would be a good opportunity to practise spoken English. But I hesitated for one or two minutes.“If I go to the platform and speak there, but forget the story or make mistakes, what can I do?”I asked myself.“Will my classmates and the teachers laugh at me?”

　　I looked up and saw Miss Wu smiling at me.“Be brave!”she said to the class.

　　I stepped onto the platform quickly and began to repeat the story with confidence. I said one sentence after another, thinking of nothing but the story. After I finished, I returned to my seat, my heart beating faster than ever. The girl sitting beside me said,“Good work!”and I smiled.