我们从去年第六期开始陆续刊登首届“北外杯”中学生英文写作大赛的部分获奖作文。本期选登的是上海市光明中学高三(10)班毛鹏辉同学的文章。

　　■毛鹏辉

　　As is known to all, telephone is one of the most indispensable parts in people's everyday life. However, it has brought a lot of worries as well as quite some trouble to me.

　　As long ago as I was studying in junior high school, my deskmate, who was rather poor at his school work simply regarded me as his private teacher. On average he telephoned me five times a day and asked me many questions concerning different subjects, which made it hard for me to concentrate on my own study. However, thinking that he was in real need of help, I did my best to provide him with satisfying answers, although it always took me plenty of time.

　　Since I entered senior high school, more trouble emerged. Maybe owing to my good study and my appearance which seems always ready to help others, at school, I was invariably surrounded by several puzzled faces and my brain was thus constantly filled with a large number of academic questions. Then at home, on the phone, I was inevitably wanted by my classmates and even my former ones to solve their problems of study, especially before the exams, during which period of time I was almost fully engaged by those regular telephones. And I just couldn't concentrate on my preparations for the exams.

　　However, as time went by, it turned out to be more than Mom could possibly bear. Every night's continual disturbance eventually gave up to the explosion of her annoyance . "You are a student. You aren't their teacher!" she said angrily to me, "They only care about their own study. They've never thought of your heavy burden." "One day, you will see them making great progress while you yourself...."

　　At first, I didn't take it seriously as I thought she didn't understand me. I really didn't want to disappoint my friends. I even reasoned her with all the good that answering telephones would do to the mastery of my own knowledge. But that didn't help at all. What was worse, for the next several months, I had indeed had a hard time putting up with Mom's endless screaming every time after a phone call. The worst was that at last she spoke really loudly when I was answering a phone call. At those moments, I felt really embarrassed because her penetrating remarks could be heard by my classmates. What would they think of her and then me?

　　I understood that Mom was just worried about my school work, but as far as I could see from my academic achievements, I had not been affected by answering the calls. So by then I was still under the impression that it wouldn't do much harm to my study. Therefore I persisted in answering each phone call regardless of Mom's opposition.

　　It was not until I got poor marks during the two consecutive examinations that I came to realize how telephone had affected my study. What was more important, I shouldn't have placed too much concern over other people's attitude towards me. I shouldn't have turned away from the reality that I didn't have enough time and energy to spare. My ambition of becoming a key university student was unlikely to achieve unless I put my whole heart to the arduous and tortuous process of study. Mom was right.

　　Thus, it was necessary for me to do something to make my telephone somewhat silent. How? I had no alternative but to appeal to my classmates. To my great comfort, they all understood me and promised to ask fewer questions on the phone.

　　Sure enough, ever since then, I have been able to go on smoothly with my study every evening, free from the frequent blaring of the phone and the screaming of Mom. Of course, occasional telephone calls still distract me now and then. But I don't have to 'worry' about the ill results of them any more.

　　Above all, I have already got out of the trouble brought about by phone calls and I've come to know that it is absolutely important for a student like me to have a correct and practical attitude towards the relationship with his classmates and the relationship between helping others with their study and making progress himself.