IELTS reading(On my birthday) from koreatimes.

On my birthday

By Hong Moon-jong I am always reminded of my mother’s labor pains on my birthday. In spite of the day I was born, I always remember the fact she went through awful hardships with an extremely painful labor. The person with the most vivid experience and memory of the moment I first came into the world is my mother. I wonder if I cried so hard that it shook the whole town, but I heard that the process of delivering me, in accordance with my mother’s memory, was very unusual. Even after the expected delivery time, I still hadn’t tried to come out.  I finally came into the world when my mother was in complete exhaustion from long hours of painful labor. My mother made my family members laugh on my birthday morning by saying, “I don’t know why he resisted coming out when he has so many things that he wants to do.” For my birthday, my parents have shown their love toward me by writing a special letter “We are so happy and thankful for you. You are not only a good son, but also live up to our expectations.” For the purpose of encouraging me and giving me confidence. I couldn’t help but choke up while reading it. I look back on the days I have lived and think deeply about those I have to live in the future, counting the number of candles on the birthday cake.  I always stress that age is only a number and a birthday is just one of many days. Frankly speaking, I am not interested in certain anniversaries, including birthdays, but this one in 2011 has a meaning unlike any before. I am taking great pains over my life and the surroundings, and the responsibilities I have at work. It weighs on my heart heavily for many reasons, but it makes me eager to decide what to do as well.  I now have a feeling that the only thing that counts in my life is coming to fruition.  On that day, I climbed the mountain in front of my house in the early morning. The sky was clear and warm, and I felt the spring air wrapped around my whole body. At that moment, I prayed to the Lord with all my heart. I lifted myself up, thinking of Kyungmin College, and what I am in charge of, and what I have done up to now in Uijeongbu and the future of the Republic of Korea. I had second thoughts about what I have to do, and what I have to give up to accomplish my goals. I went to the Han River in the afternoon and repeated the same process.  In that way, I had my heart set on preparing for the days to come. Resolute determination is not an unreasonable answer when I am facing the moment of ultimate accomplishment. Life comes and goes only once. It might be short or it might be long when you look at it. I see myself accepting the twilight faces of my parents as my face one day.  It is natural that a mind in sympathy with nature grows as you age. No one can be free from shame, the seven passions (joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate and lust) or death. Maybe that is why immoderate greed must be avoided.  I wish to evaluate myself as proud that I have lived my life diligently toward one goal with dynamic liberty that has never stopped for a moment.  When I look back at my life, I wish to have lived life to the fullest, and when this life ends, all I want is nothing more than a life that I can feel a sense of satisfaction from, because I’ve accomplished what I was heading for, and lived a life in which my achievement could be evaluated in the future through our history. My birthday is just crossing the border of the threshold while praying for the life I’d like to desire. I will put in all the hard work and live properly.  The writer is president of Kyungmin College in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.