The Dreams of Eduardo Ortega 
 

   1.  It was a cold morning, and Eduardo Ortega was nervous. He held a large envelope. In it was his dream. But now, he was too nervous to open it.

    2 "This is everything," he said. "I've worked for this since I was a young boy."

    3 But Eduardo was no longer a boy. In the mirror, he saw the scars on his hands, arms, and face. He looked much older than he really was. He remembered the long hours working in the fields, picking strawberries and beans.

    4 During those years, Eduardo became much more than a child worker. He became an excellent student. After the workday, his tired friends drank coffee or slept. Eduardo studied, read, and wrote poetry and short stories. Although he missed many classes, he became the school's best student.

    5 One school year, Eduardo achieved one of his dreams—to fly on an airplane for the first time. He wrote an essay that won a prize—a trip to San Francisco. As he flew, he felt free from his life of hard work in the fields. He promised himself not to return to that life. He loved to fly.

    6 So this morning, he put the envelope into his backpack and caught the school bus.

    When Eduardo started school, he knew only a few English words. But he studied hard in his English classes. Within two years, he was on the honor roll. Teachers praised him for his organization and intelligence. His high school English teacher knew he would become a college student.

    Eduardo arrived at school with the envelope. He walked past his classmates and sat down in the cafeteria. He tore open the envelope and began reading the letter inside. It was the answer to his application to the state university. It was also the answer to beginning his dream of becoming a pilot.

    9 Even though Eduardo worked to help his family, his father always encouraged him to go to school. So, while he worked, he also studied. Many days, he thought it was hopeless. He was too tired to read his books. But his father just smiled and told him he could do it.

    10 Eduardo knew that his dream was his father's dream, too. His father was a smart man, but he was too poor to go to college. He loved to read, but never had time, because he worked long hours.

    11 Eduardo's education was important for all of his family. He was the oldest. If he went to college, his brother and sister would go, too.

    12 So, now, as he read the words, "Congratulations … you have been accepted,: he knew that his dream was not lost. One day, he would be a pilot, flying every day to all the exciting places in the world.

posted on 2007-10-10 21:10 cnw2003 阅读(86) 评论(1)  编辑  收藏 所属分类: 新时代交互英语网络课程（level1） 网摘收藏