I grew up poor — living with six brothers, three sisters and my mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and
36 . I was happy and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still
37 a dream.My dream was
38 . By the time I was sixteen, I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour baseball and
39 anything that moved on the field. I was also
40 : my high school coach was John, who not only
41 me, but also taught me how to believe in myself. He
42 me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念). One particular incident with coach John changed my life forever.
A friend
43 me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — money for a new bike, new clothes and the
44 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to
45 up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told John, he was as
46 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said, “Your
47 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head
48 , trying to think of the words that would
49 to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his
50 in me.“Well,” he asked, “is $3.5 an hour the
51 of a dream?”
That simple question made
52 to me the difference between
53 something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself in sports that summer and
54 the year I was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and
55 a $ 20,000 contract（合同）. Later, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
| 小题1: | | A．attention | B．time | C．patience | D．fashion |
|
| 小题2: | | A．bring | B．continue | C．make | D．afford |
|
| 小题3: | | A．athletics | B．music | C．business | D．money |
|
| 小题4: | | A．kick | B．play | C．hit | D．pass |
|
| 小题5: | | A．right | B．popular | C．lucky | D．confident |
|
| 小题6: | | A．believed in | B．relied on | C．called on | D．dealt with |
|
| 小题7: | | A．gave | B．taught | C．brought | D．asked |
|
| 小题8: | | A．called | B．advised | C．applied | D．recommended |
|
| 小题9: | | A．aim | B．idea | C．start | D．purpose |
|
| 小题10: | | A．keep | B．end | C．give | D．pick |
|
| 小题11: | | A．happy | B．mad | C．frightened | D．excited |
|
| 小题12: | | A．living | B．working | C．playing | D．dreaming |
|
| 小题13: | | A．moving | B．hanging | C．shaking | D．nodding |
|
| 小题14: | | A．express | B．announce | C．apologise | D．explain |
|
| 小题15: | | A．belief | B．pride | C．fear | D．disappointment |
|
| 小题16: | | A．length | B．price | C．power | D．spirit |
|
| 小题17: | | A．clear | B．direct | C．straight | D．attractive |
|
| 小题18: | | A．wanting | B．changing | C．dreaming | D．enjoying |
|
| 小题19: | | A．by | B．for | C．beyond | D．within |
|
| 小题20: | | A．paid | B．found | C．offered | D．presented |
|