天津阅读表达 Rx019・2025_03 阅读表达

In the small town where I grew up, graduating from high school was already a big thing. But I was driven to pursue my education and become a lawyer like my best friend’s dad, one of the few role models available. After completing my first degree at a university near my parents’ house, I started my graduate study of law at the University of North Carolina, as I had planned for the past 15 years.

It was my 23rd birthday, and I was celebrating it as I had for years: by watching the annual Perseid meteor shower. But this year was different. I was away from the small town for the first time and was meeting people in fields that were new to me. My horizons had been opened up, and I began to question my life path. Should I stick to my long-standing plans? Could my lifelong love for astronomy be more than a hobby?

Coincidentally, a solar eclipse helped me make the decision. I made a trip along the winding mountain roads and found a peaceful spot in a valley. When the Moon gradually slid in front of the Sun, the world around me became dark. The water was still, and the sunset surrounded me. That moment, I knew what I had to do. I dropped out of law school to pursue my passion.

Now, about to get my doctoral degree in astronomy, I realize that my eyes to the night sky gave me a great gift. It bestowed a broad view. In the vast universe, our individual desires and insecurities are insignificant. It liberated me from allowing worries or self-doubt to stand in the way of chasing new dreams.

During this year’s Perseid meteor shower, I’ll be presenting my research at an international conference in Cape Town. It will be my first trip out of the country. And the little girl inside me who watched the shooting stars from her parents’ backyard can’t wait to watch the same stars flash across the South African sky.