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 father 36 me to her with these words:“I would like you to meet the fellow who is 37 for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no 38 than tomorrow morning.”
My stepmother walked over to me, 39 my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are 40 .This is not the worst boy at all, 41 the smartest one who hasn’t yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”
That statement began a(n) 42 between us. No one had ever called me smart, My family and neighbors had built me up in my 43 as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.
She changed many things. She 44 my 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 45 and my brother and I could be better 46 .When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand 47 and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her enthusiasm, I 48 it had already improved our lives. I accepted her 49 and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of 50 that great day when I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life’s work later. I wasn’t the 51 beneficiary (受益者).My father became the 52 man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.
What power 53 has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one’s purpose and is 54 strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never 55 .
You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.
36. A. rushed B. sent C. carried D. introduced
37. A. famous B. favored C. mistaken D. rewarded
38. A. sooner B. later C. longer D. earlier
39. A. dragged B. shook C. raised D. bent
40. A. perfect B. right C. wrong D. impolite
41. A. but B. so C. and D. or
42. A. agreement B. friendship C. gap D. relationship
43. A. opinion B. image C. expectation D. mind
44. A. begged B. persuaded C. ordered D. invited
45. A. successful B. meaningful C. helpful D. useful
46. A. treated B. entertained C. educated D. respected
47. A. camera B. radio C. bicycle D. typewriter
48. A. considered B. doubted C. ignored D. appreciated
49. A. belief B. request C. criticism D. description
50. A. teaching B. writing C. studying D. reading
51. A. next B. same C. only D. real
52. A. cleverest B. wealthiest C. strongest D. healthiest
53. A. enthusiasm B. sympathy C. fortune D. confidence
54. A. deliberately B. happily C. traditionally D. constantly
55. A.win B. reach C. match D. doubt