Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very 36 life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would 37 my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never 38 again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I didn’t want to be bad enough. She 39 that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school-walking on my own!
When the Great Depression(大萧条) 40 , my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support(支撑) both of us. At that moment, I decided never to be 41 again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real 42 point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1916. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels for families and was angry that they charged(收费)an extra $2 for each child. That was too 43 for most American families. I told my wife that I was going to open a hotel for families that would never charge extra for 44 . There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not 45 , mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of hard time. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my heart, I 46 doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world - Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a 47 in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
1.A. quiet B. boring C. hard D. strange
2.A. accept B. change C. disturb D. check
3. A. study B. speak C. listen D. walk
4.A. drove B. expected C. explained D. covered
5.A. did B. hit C. cut D. fit
6.A. excited B. brave C. patient D. poor
7.A. leading B. breaking C. turning D. celebrating
8. A. expensive B. fantastic C. different D. special
9.A. husband B. parents C. children D. wife
10.A. successfully B. surprisingly C. interestingly D. importantly
11.A. always B. sometimes C. almost D. never
12.A. task B. hotel C. company D. wor
— Do you know ______ yesterday afternoon?
— Sorry, I’ve no idea.
A. where was Tom B. where Tom was
C. where is Tom D. where Tom is
A talk on pop music ______ in the school hall next Sunday.
A. will give B. gives C. be given D. will be given
I will call you as soon as I ______ to Japan.
A. get B. got C. will get D. have got
Avatar is an interesting film. I ______ it twice already.
A. see B. saw C. have seen D. will see
— What are the kids doing?
— They ______ flowers in the garden.
A. water B. watered C. have watered D. are watering