At the end of this term Sophie was the most proud of herself. The help of her professors and her own effort seemed to lead to the most delightful success: she got the top mark in the Intensive English Reading Exam, a full mark in the Opera Class, and Grade A in the Band Four Exam. Interestingly, the dulcimer professor had turned his exam to a small concert. Though Sophie only performed a very simple song, she was very satisfied. She had realized a dream as a temporary musician, and she enjoyed so many flute songs and Guzheng songs. 

                               

During the summer holidays Sophie had been writing and when the holiday ended she had finished the first version. As soon as she arrived at school she handed it in to her Intensive Reading Professor. 

The professor was very amazed. So little a girl had composed so many stories in her spare time, an English manuscript of more than 50,000 words. At once she distributed the manuscript to the professors of other departments, and wrote a letter to Sophie as her comment toward her novel. In the letter, the professor said the novel was rich in imagination, and neatly plotted. Of course, she did not forget to praise Sophie for collecting so many English phrases. Sophie was never complimented this way. She felt she was paid attention to, and her effort was rewarded. More frequently she communicated with the professor. Sophie discovered that ever since the professor had read her novel, she preferred to exchange ideas with her, and in her eyes there was both concern and curiosity, as if she was going to wander in Sophie’ s spiritual world. She asked Sophie how she devoted so much time writing, what books she had read, and so on. And when the professor talked with Sophie, she took the chance to hint her, like her own work in her youth, there were some childish and extreme opinions in her novel, and there was some certain awkwardness in the usage of English language. So, taking the professor’s advice, she imitated original English novels and modified her own novel.