I believe in my mother．My belief began when I was just a kid, when I 36 becoming a doctor.

My mother was a 37 ．Through her work, she observed that 38 people spent a lot more time 39 than they did watching television．She announced that my brother and I could only watch two to three 40 TV programs during the week．With our free time, we had to read two books each week from the Detroit Public Library and 41 written book reports to her．She would mark them up with check markers and underline the 42 parts．Years later we realized her marks were a 43 ．Although we had no money, 44 the covers of those books, I could go anywhere, do anything and be anybody.

When I entered high school, I was an A-student, but not for 45 ．I wanted the fancy clothes．I wanted to hang about with the guys．I went from being an A-student to a B-student and to a C-student, but I didn’t 46 ．I was cool.

One night my mother came home after her several jobs and I 47 about not having enough Italian knit shirts．She said, “Okay, I’ll give you the money I 48 this week by rubbing floors and cleaning bathrooms and you can buy the family food and pay the bills．With 49 left over, you can have all that you want.” I was very 50 with that arrangement．But once I got through 51 money, there was nothing left．I realized my mother was a financial genius to be able to keep a（n） 52 over our heads and any kind of food on the table．I was also 53 that immediate satisfaction wasn’t going to get me anywhere．Success 54 intellectual（知识上的） preparation．I went back to my studies and became an A-student again, and 55 I realized my dream and I became a doctor.

A．got away with B．was confident of C．dreamed of D．thought of

A．maidservant B．teacher          C．worker         D．nurse

A．honest         B．successful        C．kind            D．careful

A．writing        B．reading          C．working        D．training

A．familiar        B．limit            C．designed        D．selected

A．turn in         B．take in          C．bring in        D．check in

A．difficult       B．easy            C．opposite        D．important

A．wealth         B．quiz            C．pleasure        D．competition

A．between       B．under           C．within          D．below

A．the last        B．a minute         C．long            D．anything

A．know          B．care            C．admit           D．realize

A．announced    B．claimed         C．complained     D．blamed

A．borrow        B．make           C．control         D．collect

A．something     B．anything         C．everything       D．nothing

A．encouraged   B．puzzled         C．moved          D．pleased

A．adding         B．applying        C．dividing        D．exchanging

A．balance        B．arrangement    C．hat             D．roof

A．aware        B．worried         C．confused        D．delighted

A．included       B．required        C．combined        D．matched

A．actually        B．shortly         C．fortunately      D．finally

In the summer vacation of 1997, I was fixed with a job. I worked as a(n) ___36___ at Mr. Breen’s fruit shop. The fruit shop did ___37___ business. Most of the trade came from the housewives who lived in the neighbourhood, ___38___ he also had regular customers who arrived outside the shop in cars. Mr Breen ___39___ them all by name and they sometimes even had their order already made up, always ___40___ me to carry it out to their car. They were clearly long-standing customers, and I ___41___ they must have stayed faithful to him ___42___ he had promised to sell good quality ___43___. He had a way with them—I had to ___44___ that. He called every woman “madam” for a start, ___45___ those who clearly were not, but when he ___46___ it, it did not sound like flattery (奉承). It just sounded ___47___ in an old-fashioned way. He was a great chatter ___48___. If he did not know them, he would greet them with a few ___49___ about the weather, ___50___ he did, he would ask about their families or make ___51___, always cutting his cloth ___52___ his customers. Whatever their bills came to, be ___53___ gave them back the few odd pence (零钱), and I am sure they thought he was very generous (慷慨). But I thought he was the opposite. He never ___54___ anything away. He was always looking for ___55___ for nothing.

36. A. operator      B. assistant     C. waiter D. secretary

37. A. good    B. poor   C. big     D. usual

38. A. so B. when  C. therefore    D. but

39. A. sold     B. knew  C. gave   D. sent

40. A. making B. letting C. getting       D. keeping

41. A. wish     B. insist   C. declare       D. suppose

42. A. when    B. if C. because      D. though

43. A. food     B. fruit    C. vegetables  D. drink

44. A. admit   B. expect C. announce    D. promise

45. A. yet       B. only    C. just     D. even

46. A. told      B. said    C. spoke  D. talked

47. A. serious B. strange       C. polite  D. familiar

48. A. as well B. as usual      C. either  D. also

49. A. sayings B. questions    C. words D. speeches

50. A. and then      B. and so C. even if       D. but if

51. A. preparations B. jokes   C. repairs       D. friends

52. A. according to B. due to C. instead of   D. up to

53. A. never   B. ever    C. seldom       D. always

54. A. took     B. moved       C. threw  D. turned.

55. A. something    B. anything     C. somebody   D. anybody

I am my mother’s third child. When I was born, the doctor gently explained to my mother that my left arm was     36   , below the elbow (肘). Then he gave her some     37   , “Don’t treat her any     38    from the other girls. Demand more.” And she     39   !

My mother had to work to     40    my family. There were five girls in our family and we all had to     41   . Once when I was about seven, I came out of the     42   , “Mom, I can’t peel (削……皮) potatoes. I only have one hand.”

“You get back to peel those potatoes, and don’t ever use that as a(n)     43    for anything again!”

Of course I could peel potatoes — with my good hand, while holding them down with my __44    arm. There was always a     45   , and Mom knew it. “If you try hard    46   ,” she said, “you can do anything.”

Once in the second grade, our teacher had each of us race across the monkey bars (攀爬架). When it was my turn, I     47    my head. Some kids     48   . I went home crying.

After work the next afternoon, Mom     49    me back to the school playground.

“Now,     50    up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by     51    I practiced, and she     52    me when I made progress.

I’ll never forget the     53    time I was crossing the bars. The kids were standing there with their mouths open.

It was the way with everything. When I    54    I can’t handle (处理) things, I see Mom’s smile again. She had the heart to     55    anything. And she taught me I could, too.