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　　你是否有過遲到的躰騐？遲到以後你是如實講你的不對呢還是找某種借口呢？如果你找借口的話會找些什麽理由呢？也許你要說你的表不準了，或者說自行車壞了，或者說汽車出了事故，或者說你病了等等。結果呢，等你走進教室時竝不像你想象的那樣，而是……

　　「作文示範」

　　Being Late Again

　　穆莉

　　“My God！ I'll be late again！”I said to myself on my way to school.“How can I explain to my teacher？ I must find a reasonable excuse.”

　　My clock doesn't work properly？ No， no. That's a common excuse for being late. Many classmates have already used it. It's clear that the teacher won't believe it.

　　There is something wrong with my bike？ No， no. If the bike is seen by the teacher after school， what can I say？

　　I fell off the bike and hurt my ankle？ Then I must pretend to walk slowly and with difficulty. No！ I nearly forget it. Once Xiao Ming， a good friend of mine， did just that， and the teacher saw through her trick very easily.

　　I was at my wits' end①。 I would have to face the teacher's reproach②。I could have got to school in time if I had got up a little earlier.

　　At last I found myself at the door of the classroom. I knew I could do nothing but admit my mistake. I pushed the door open and went in. Lowering③ my head， I waited for the reproach. A minute passed but nothing happened. I heard only the sounds of reading. I looked up. Why， the teacher hadn't come at all.

　　（選自《英語畫刊》高中版1996年第12期）

　　「詞語解釋」

　　①（be） at one's wits' end想不出辦法了

　　②reproach [ri'pr utM] n.責備；指責

　　③lower ['l u ] v.放低；低下

　　「寫法指要」

　　本文是通過心理描寫來寫人的。全文絕大部分篇幅都是在寫作者的心理活動：作者想了好幾種“主意”想矇混過關，最後還是正確思想戰勝了錯誤思想，決定如實承認錯誤。但是，結尾卻出乎預料，也非常生動、有趣，令人啞然失笑。