If you lose 12 times in a row (连续地), will you just give up? Dale Carnegie ,a pioneer in public speaking and self- development, kept trying. And he became famous by showing people how to be successful.

Carnegie was born in 1888 in a poor farming family in the central United States. The boy didn’t see a train until he was 12 years old. In his teens, he had to get up at 3a.m. every day to milk the cows in his family. When Carnegie first entered college, he felt hopeless because of his clothes and ordinary looks. His mother encouraged him: “ Why not try to be better in other things instead of just dress and good looks?”

Carnegie tried to be more active in college . He joined the debate（辩论） team. But one after another, he lost 12 meets. The young man was very disappointed in himself. He said later that he thought of killing himself after so many failures. But soon Carnegie was seen practicing public speaking on the riverside . His hard work paid off at last. In 1906, Carnegie won a famous speech contest and became widely known. The young man made his own words come true : “Believe that you will succeed , and you will.”

In order to share his success, Carnegie opened schools and wrote books. His best- sellers include “How to Win Friends and Influence People “ and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” .More than 50 million copies of his books have been printed in 38 languages . They are still helping people on the road to success.

  根据短文内容选择最佳答案。

(   ) 1 What did Carnegie’s parents do for a living?

A They had a farm to take care of.   B They were famous speakers.

C They worked for the government.         D They made a living by selling farms.

(   ) 2 Which of the following statements is true about Carnegie’s teenage years?

A He had lots of friends to talk with.    B He seldom had enough sleep at night.]

C He couldn’t afford to go to school.  D He made lots of money by milking cows.

(   ) 3 At college, Carnegie tried to ______.

A wear fashionable clothes                 B take part in dance parties

C win the debates but failed                D make as much money as he could

(   ) 4 The last paragraph mainly talks about Carnegie’s______

   A family life             B achievements(成就) C personality      D writing skills

(   )5 It can be inferred(作出推论)from the story that             .

   A Carnegie was never ashamed of his poor family

   B Carnegie was always optimistic about his future.

   C Carnegie’s mother played an important role in his success.

   D Carnegie was a man with a good sense of humor.