完形填空
When I entered college, I took Professor Black's poetry class. Even though I finished every task and1no classes, I earned a “C” at the end of the term. Frustrated, I went to his office and asked in a low voice, my knees2, “Do I have any talent?” He was a kind person. He pushed his hair behind his ears3he was thinking. “Probably not,” he said4. “Thank you,” I said, feeling like a grafted (嫁接的) apple tree: part of me discouraged, another part5to accept it.
The latter part led me to another poetry class by Professor White. This time, I earned an “A”. Professor White told me that6in his class earned an “A”. I was shocked. His7approach reminded me of Professor Black, from whom I learned teachers don't hold the keys to their students'8.
Every human being is9born with talent. Some10souls are born with many talents. People are11to subjects they have a gift for,12nearly everyone in the writing class has writing talent.
But no one can13whether or when talent will bloom (绽放) into art that others14as good. Some people bloom early, others late, some not at all. Artists must have enough15to make art, and trust their own pleasure in making it. It was really the faith in myself as well as the16in writing poems that helped me17many years of writing poems without being recognized.
I've been teaching creative writing for more than 30 years. Students sometimes ask me, “Do I have talent?” I tell them my18, and say, “Of course you do. But just19writing no matter whether anyone approves (认可,赞成)-or even 20.”
