One morning I was painting, and found myself drawing sketches of hearts, but instead of cheering me, they made me sad. The heart shape seemed too closed. It suggested people were cut off from one other, as if to protect themselves from pain. I began to sketch more, and the heart shapes changed. They became more open. Open hearts, I thought. That seemed right. Because of all the things I've done in my life — in my acting career, in my relationships with others, learning to live with an open heart has been extremely important. Fortunately, I've been blessed with a good teacher. My father, John Frankenberg, was a doctor. He was devoted to his work and his patients. Most weekends he had to be on call at the hospital, which was far from our home in Wimbledon. He didn't want to be separated from his children, so he made us three girls join him at the hospital. Everything about my father's work impressed me. He taught us how the body worked and he showed us what happened in an operating room. He didn't want us to be afraid of blood, and we weren't. We saw first-hand what devotion and care it took to be a good doctor. If I had been better at maths, I might have become a doctor myself. Instead, I became an actress and I did my best to put my parents' values of hard work and passion in everything I did. I was fortunate to have success early. I moved to California and made some wonderful films and made-for-TV movies. Of course I faced the disappointments and rejections that are part of the business, but I kept a balance in my life by raising my two children, making a real home for them like the one I'd grown up in and loving and supporting my husband. Then I was hit by two blows. First, the death of my father. He was stricken with cancer and the doctors didn't think he had much time. At the end of his days, we had one wonderful, long conversation where we talked about everything, even about the afterlife. The next day he was gone. The second heavy blow was the end of my marriage. All the things I had believed about my marriage, all the reasons I had trusted it, proved untrue. I left, taking the children with me. I broke down emotionally. I needed to recover but didn't have any idea where to turn. Fortunately, it came to me through my work. I'd told my agent to find anything he could for me. Finally I was offered two possible jobs. One was for a TV sitcom — the job that seemed most likely to develop into something I could live on. The other was a made-for-TV movie called Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. From what everyone said, this Dr. Quinn movie would go nowhere. No chance that it would ever become a series. It was a Western and nobody watched Westerns anymore. Moreover, it was about a woman doctor and a family. A doctor? Well, I knew I had to play that part. Everything I'd learned from my father, all those weekends spent at the hospital, all that time hearing him talk about patients and the history of medicine, convinced me to take on the role. I did, and as many of you know, that made-for-TV movie that was going nowhere turned into a successful long-running series that played in 98 countries. I loved playing Dr. Quinn. I was my father's daughter all the way, passionate about medicine, making sure every detail of the show was accurate. Today my life is happier than it's ever been. I've remarried and have two more children. My prayer for them is that I can be the kind of teacher my father was for me, and that I can take all I've been taught by him and pass it on. I want them to be generous, welcoming and trusting, to take joy in the moment, to listen to their inner voices, and to understand that it's not what happens to you in life that makes the difference, but it's how you respond to the challenges that inevitably(不可避免地) come along, and that there is a strength greater than our own in times of need. Let me go back to that painting and what it was telling me — what I've known all along: The open heart doesn't say, "No, I can't do that." It remains open to challenges, open to change, open to guidance. You can let go of what is upsetting and hurtful and allow something beautiful to enter. If your heart is open, it can never stay broken for long. 1:The author describes the shape of the heart in Paragraph 1 to 　　　. A.convey her view of life B.express love for her father C.reflect her character D.show her interest in painting 2:Why could the author overcome one difficulty after another? A.She got rich experience from her jobs. B.She was greatly influenced by her father. C.She was strongly supported by her children. D.She received encouragement from her agent. 3:What does the word "it" refer to in the underlined sentence(Paragraph 7)? A.The end of my marriage. B.The memory of my father. C.The recovery from the blows. D.The offer of two possible jobs. 4:Why did the author take on the role in the movie Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman? A.She had no choice but to accept it. B.She was quite sure that it would be a big success. C.She was persuaded to play that part. D.She knew a lot about the profession of a doctor. 5:The author's personal experiences mentioned in the passage serve as 　　　. A.a self-introduction B.supporting examples C.an attraction for readers D.cases for discussion 6:Which of the following shows that one lives with an open heart? A.Being emotionally independent. B.eing careful not to make mistakes. C.Meeting challenges in life bravely. D.Balancing family life and work.