We were extremely poor. We had no house, no food. We had nothing. My parents had many problems. My family was always on the edge of violence, It was tunbelievably sressful. There wasn't a moment to relax during my entire childhood.
I waited to be an artist when I was about six. But my family was so poor that I got knocked off trak by the working-class educational system and the environment I was living in. I become a street gang member, causing trouble and fighting against other groups.
Being a teenager with vivid imagination,a strong sence of adventure and some degree of courage ,it was attractive to steal cars,drive them away,and get chased by the police.
If I had nothing to do, I would go to evening school to learn painting；I tried to enter one of those art schools. but I was rejected by 11 schools when they heard I bad been a street gang member. When I was not accepted,cpled , I cried a lot.
When I was finallly accepted by Croydon College of Art, I felt was in heaven. life had been saved.I worked with great street that other students found scary.and it scared me too.Unlike other students I could also feel a kind of happiness to do my best to realize my dream.
I went through a long period in ray life where my art was not accepted. The only time I almost considered giving up was one morning, about 3 a. m. I had an exhibition in New York.I could sell none of my works.I could not afford to live.I was so defeated .I thought maybe I
should go somewhere in the middle of America and find a new job, have a car and a house with a garge. That lasted about an hour, but it was such a stressful experience.
Now I'm famous, and got a lot of my works sold at a pretty high price, I think before one is famous, one has to infamous, and before one is accefled. one has to be rejected.Painting doesn't explain itself.Painting is not an explanation. Painting doesn't try ti teach. Painting is a body of esperiences, Painting is called a hard business.One has to have firm beliefs. And I do. One has to have courage to be an artist beacause one has got to put up with all the insullts one has to suffer as an artist. So one has to pertist, in other words , to have little hope.
30. The childhood of Ihe author was .
A. happy B.Br relaxing C. bearing D. painful
31. According to the passage, why was the author rejected by so many schools?
A.Because he couldn't paint well. B. Because he had no imagination.
C. Because he often caused trouble. D. Because be couldn't afford the fee.
32. What does tbe underlined word “that ” in Para. 6 refer to?
A.The time when I stayed in New York B. The idea of giving up painting
C.The unsuccessful exhibition. D. The hard period of my life.
33.In the last paragraph the author tries to the readers .
A.to fight against challenges B.to dream of being famous
C.to stick to beliefs D.to accept rejection