8、When I was l4，I was hired for an after-school job selling subscriptions(征订)to my hometown paper, the Houston Post．I was sent to some of the city’s worst neighborhoods to“beg”door to door．Even though I was often moving around with difficulty after dark in bad areas  1 for garage apartments，I was  2  for the work．

    It was a  3 because people didn’t like a stranger knocking on their door，4  a kid trying to get them to buy something．Once a man shut his door heavily in my face and  5  ，“I don’t want your dawn paper!”I  6  myself to knock again and was able to tell him how 7  the paper was．I ended up selling him a subscription．I was soon among the 8  subscription sellers and，like other successful  9  ，was given the chance to train newcomers．

     10  this time I started playing the harmonica and guitar．Before long I was playing in a  11 at barbecues and other events．When I  12  18, I fixed my  13  on becoming a professional musician．I never lost  14  of this dream．I’m sure my determination came from what I  15 knocking on strangers’ doors．

    That  16  helped me in many ways．Early in my music life I was  17  in a legal disagreement with a former manager．He  18  me to back off, but I refused．

    Having all those：doors shut in my face as a kid gave me the  19  to stand up to this frightening figure．Except this time there was one  20 ，I was the one saying no．And I won．

1．A．leaving                  B．searching             C．caring                    D．reaching

2．A．sorry                     B．ready                    C．doubtful                  D．thankful

3．A．challenge              B．puzzle                  C．surprise                 D．failure

4．A．certainly                B．obviously             C．especially             D．usually

5．A．screamed               B．agreed                 C．begged                   D．announced

6．A．allowed                   B．forced                    C．wished                   D．reminded

7．A．expensive              B．worthless             C．soft                      D．great   

8．A．rich．                   B．large                    C．fast                       D．top

9．A．reporters               B．managers             C．salesmen                D．secretaries

10．A．For                     B．Since                   C．Around                D．Until

11．A．kitchen                B．band                    C．concert                  D．press

12．A．seemed                B．grew                      C．appeared               D．turned

13．A．attention              B．attraction             C．service                   D．trust

14．A．sight                    B．use                      C．ability                     D．fortune

15．A．accepted              B．decided                C．expected                D．learned

16．A．experience           B．accident               C．problem                 D．introduction

17．A．sentenced            B．treated                C．locked                   D．reasoned

18．A．invited                 B．pressed                C．excused                  D．charged

19．A．pain                     B．right                    C．strength                 D．imagination

20．A．conclusion           B．difference            C．chance                   D．decision