A
The Home of My People When Lewis and Clark stepped onto the Weippe Prairie in present – day Idaho in September 1805 , they met the Nez Perce Indians . In the following years , the white explorers (探险者) began to fight with the Indians for their land . Some Nez Perce chiefs signed agreements with the U . S . government , selling part of their lands . But the government always broke those agreements and demanded more land . Other chiefs refused to go along with the governmen’s plans . The most famous was Chief Joseph , whose people lived in the Wallowa Valley ( present – day Oregon ) . “In order to have all people understand how much land we owned ,”he once explained , “my father planted poles around it and said : ‘Inside is the home of my people … It circled around the graves ( 坟墓)of our fathers , and we will never give up these graves to any man .” But in 1874 , the U . S. government declared the valley open for white settlement and ordered the Nez Perce onto a reservation ( 保留地). Seeing that resistance was useless, Chief Joseph agreed to move .
B It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending . I tore open the packet . My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations . ”I don’t remember ever smiling so wide . Then I looked at my financial (财政的) package . Then cost of Dream School’s tuition (学校), room and board was around $ 40 , 000 — an impossible sum ! How could I afford to attend ? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition ? My other choices were good , solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice . In my mind , attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world – class writer . My parents understood how I felt . They told me that even though it would be a financial problem , I could go wherever I would be happiest . But as I was always careful with money , I wasn’t sure what to do . One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring . Considering my parents’ financial difficulties , I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend . At first , all I had planned to do was smile politely , eat free food , listen quietly . But I surprised myself . At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus (校园) including guest lectures and social gatherings . He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events . He continued with explanations of professors , class sizes , activities , and sporting events on campus . As he spoke , I began to realize that this school , though not as good as my first choice , might be the best one for me . It seemed small yet with many great programs . It seemed challenging yet caring . As the president ended his speech , we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs . As I walked out that door , a feeling of comfort washed over me . Looking at the campus that night , I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there . In all honesty , my university is not as well – known as my “dream”university . However , it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me .