Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was refused 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understood that you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying. No one's born being good at all things, You become good at things through hard work. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust - a parent, a grandparent or a teacher - and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have a good education. But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down. Don't let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.

   — By President Obama

52. The speaker mentioned J.K. Rowling and Michael Jordan to_______.

A. introduce two very successful people         B. show they were different from others

C. give examples of success after failures        D. explain why they failed many times

53. The speaker advised the listeners to do the following EXCEPT to_______.

A. let failures teach you                         B. hide your weakness

C. do a lot of practice                       D. ask adults for help

54. This speech is given to_______.

A. teachers                B. writers                         C. parents           D. students

 55. The main purpose of this speech is to_______.

A. push the listeners to work hard for their future   

B. show different ways of achieving success

C. encourage the listeners to do things differently   

D. teach the listeners how to be more creative