Another person's enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.

    I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father1me to her with these words: “I would like you to meet the fellow who is2for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no 3than tomorrow morning.”

    My stepmother walked over to me, 4my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are 5. This is not the worst boy at all, 6the smartest one who hasn't yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”

    That statement began a(n)7between us. No one had ever called me smart, My family and neighbors had built me up in my 8as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.

    She changed many things. She 9my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat, where my father's career could be more 10and my brother and I could be better11.

    When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand12and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her enthusiasm, I13it and I saw it had already improved our lives. I accepted her 14and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of15that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life's work later. I wasn't the 16beneficiary (受益者). My father became the 17man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.

    What power 18has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one's purpose and is 19strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never 20.

    You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

    Mr.Jones had always wanted to make a trip into the middle of Africa to shoot wild animals.1first he had no enough money, and then he was married.His wife had not wanted him to2 her.At last his wife 3 to the trip if he allowed her to go, too.

    “But it will be very uncomfortable,” Mr.Jones4 her, “ It will be very hot and we shall live in a tent, and it5 be dangerous.”“I don't care,” said his wife, “I want to go with you.” So they bought a big tent, camp beds, a refrigerator（电冰箱）which did not need 6 and many other things which would make the trip comfortable, and went off to the7of Africa.

    The first morning,8 Mr.Jones took his gun and left the tent, he9 his wife a bell and explained to her , “If you fall in10and you need me ,11this bell and I'll come at once.”

    After a few minutes, he heard the bell and returned 12to the tent.“What's the matter?” he asked.“13” said his wife, “I was only14the bell.” Mr.Jones went off, but after a quarter of an hour, the bell rang15.

    Mr.Jones hurried back to the tent, but his wife said, “I'm16.I was cleaning our tent, and I knocked the bell over by mistake.” Mr.Jones returned to his17, but soon he heard the18 once more.This time, when he got back to his19, the tent was burning and Mrs.Jones was lying on the ground, with20running from a big cut on her shoulder.“That's better!” said Mrs.Jones.“This time the bell had been used correctly!”

    "Hi! John." Mary ran towards me with a rare bright smile on her face, saying, "I'm going to have a 1performance tonight. I hope you'll come. Here is the2." She left in a hurry, disappearing in the crowds of people3.

    "Is that true?" I asked myself.  She was a quite4girl. I had never seen her making up or wearing attractive clothes, for she did not know how to 5indeed.

    I arrived at the6with the ticket, and found my seat.  Her performance was the seventh one.  I knew I would7from a hard time before her turn, for I had no8of art, but her performance was9watching, no matter how long I would wait.  Time went slowly. I10 with myself not to fall asleep.

    "Let's welcome the next exciting dance - Latin !" 11filled the hall at once.

    I opened my eyes as large as possible,12to lose anything. Wearing a golden and shining skirt, Mary appeared on the stage. Dancing with a charming smile, she was fully13in the Latin music. At this moment, she looked like a pretty butterfly14on the splendid stage.

    After all the performance15, I waited for her at the gate.

    "Hi!" She stood in front of me with a bag and her crystal high-heeled shoes in her hands, and16as she used to be, but the making-up still could be seen.

    "How do you feel?" There was not a little bit tired17on her face.

    "18!" I answered.

    "Thank you! I knew it would be." She could not19her excitement, laughing like a child.  Looking at the shining crystal high-heeled shoes in the wonderful starry night, I 20that every girl has a pair of special shoes which are like the crystal shoes of Cinderella.

Failing Successfully

    Two years ago I took part in a speech competition. It was a hard time for me when the judge1 the winners. At last, the moment of truth came. I got the worst.2  not being placed in the competition, I really wanted to 3  again. I realized that finding the right topic was the most important part of the whole 4 . It needs to be motivational and inspirational to the 5 . So I reworked my speech for the following year,6  a different topic and spending countless hours 7  the speech, line by line, word by word to make it 8 better.

The next year I participated in the 9  again. As was expected, my speech 10 down well and I was hoping to do that a bit better this year.11 , my wish didn't come true. The competition was so fierce that again I didn't 12 it.

    I was deeply disappointed, since I couldn't accept the fact that I had 13  twice in something that I had worked so hard on. However, I knew that losing is 14  and part of life. One of the judges said to me that my speech was quite good,15  it needed to be better if I wanted to go any further. He advised me to struggle to16 something like some of the empty gestures. He said that I would surely succeed some day.

    While I didn't earn 17 in the competition, I did gain a new viewpoint. I discovered that I could fail successfully. I think I'll 18  to work hard and enter the next competition. Now, whenever I'm faced with a defeat, I 19  myself of what a famous person said, "The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself that it's a slip and not a20 ."

    I was walking down a dimly lit street late one evening when I heard1coming from behind bushes. 2 I slowed down to listen and panicked when I realized that what I was hearing were the sounds of a struggle. Only yards from where I stood, a woman was being attacked. Should I get3? I was frightened for my own safety, and I hated 4for having suddenly decided to take a(n)5 route home that night. "What if I'm hurt too? Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?" Although it felt like a century, my thought process had only 6seconds. But already the cries were growing7I knew I had to act fast. "How could I walk away from this?" I asked myself.

    "No", I finally resolved, I could not turn my 8 on the fate of this unknown woman, 9it means10 my own life. I am not a brave man, nor am I11. I don't know where I found the moral courage and physical strength, but 12I had finally decided to help the girl, I became suddenly changed.

    I ran behind the bushes and13the attacker off the woman. Struggling, we fell to the ground, 14we fought for a few minutes until the man jumped up and escaped.15heavily, I got to my feet and 16 the girl, who was sobbing behind a tree. In the darkness, I could certainly 17 her trembling shock. Not wanting to frighten her any further, I at first spoke to her from a 18. "It's OK," I said soothingly. "The man ran away. You're safe now.''  There was a long pause and then I heard the words, uttered in 19. "Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind the tree, 20 my youngest daughter, Katherine. God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right time.

Tell mommy I love her

    John had been on the road visiting customers for more than three weeks. It was coming up on Mother's Day. He said to himself, "I'll 1 Mom some roses."

    He went into the small shop and saw a boy 2 to the clerk. "How many roses can I get for six dollars, ma'am?" the boy asked. The clerk was trying to 3 that roses were expensive. 4 the young man would be happy with carnations (康乃馨).

    "No. I 5 have roses," he said, "My Mom was sick so much last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. I want to get something 6. It has to red roses, because that's her favorite."

    The clerk 7 John and was just shaking her head. Something inside John was 8 by the boy's voice. He looked at the clerk and 9 mouthed that he would pay for the boy's roses.

    The clerk looked at the young man and said, "Okay, I will give you a dozen red roses 10 your six dollars." The young man 11 jumped into the air. He took the flowers and ran from the store.

    John 12 his own flowers and had the clerk be 13 that delivery would include a note telling his mother how much he loved her. 14 he drove away from the shop, he saw the young boy walking down the sidewalk. He 15 him cross the street and enter a cemetery (墓地). The young man stopped by a small monument and went on his knees. He 16 laid the roses on the grave and began to sob. John heard the young man speak, "Mommy, oh Mommy, 17 didn't I tell you how much I love you? Jesus, please, find my Mommy. 18 my Mommy I love her."

    John 19, tears in his eyes, and walked back to his car. He drove quickly to the florist and told her he would take the flowers 20.