I hated that I was born with a cleft palate ( 腭 裂 ). I clearly knew how ugly I looked to others: a(n)1 lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and somewhat unclear2 .
When asked, "What happened to your lip?" I'd say that I'd fallen as a baby and 3 it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more 4 to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I firmly believed that I didn't 5 the love outside my family. And then I entered Grade Three and6 Mrs. Leonard, a very lovely teacher.
The time came for the annual "hearing tests". I was 7 able to hear anything out of one ear, but I was not about to reveal another problem that would single me out as8 . Thus I 9 . I had learned to watch other children and 10 them to raise my hand during group testing. The "whisper test", however, required a different kind of deception ( 欺骗 ). Each child would close one ear with a11 , and the teacher would whisper something, which the child would repeat. While waiting for my turn, I 12 what Mrs. Leonard might say, maybe things like "The sky is blue." or "Do you have breakfast?".
My turn came up. I turned my bad ear to her, 13 the other tightly with my finger, and then gently14 my finger out enough to be able to hear. I waited and then heard the words that changed my life forever. Mrs. Leonard said15 , "I wish you were my little girl."
