I grew up poor---living in the housing projects (住房) with six brothers, three sisters, a varying assortment (各式各样东西的混合) of foster kids (养子), my father, and a wonderful mother, Scarlette Hunley. We had little money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention. I was
36 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still
37 a dream.
My dream was
38 . By the time I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, and hit anything that moved on the baseball field. I was also
39 : My high school coach Jarvis, who not only believed in me, but taught me how to believe in myself. He
40 me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念). One particular incident with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.
It was the summer between my junior and senior years, and a friend
41 me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the
42 of savings for a house for my mother. The prospect of a summer job was attractive and interesting, and I wanted to jump at the opportunity. Then I realized I would have to
43 summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would ha
ve to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was
44 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work，” he said. “Your
45 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.”
I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that
would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his
46 to me.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” He demanded.
“3.5 dollars an hour.” I replied.
“Well,” he asked, “Is $3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”
That question, the plainness of it, laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I delicated myself to sports that summer and with the year I was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was
47 a $20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1998 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother the house of my dreams.
小题1:.
| A．happy | B．polite | C．shy | D．honest |
| 小题2: | | A．live | B．afford | C．make | D．need |
|
| 小题3: | | A．athletics | B．music | C．business | D．money |
|
| 小题4: | | A．right | B．popular | C．lucky | D．confident |
|
| 小题5: | | A．persuaded | B．taught | C．brought | D．asked |
|
| 小题6: | | A．sent | B．advised | C．gave | D．recommended |
|
| 小题7: | | A．aim | B．idea | C．start | D．purpose |
|
| 小题8: | | A．give in | B．give up | C．give away | D．give off |
|
| 小题9: | | A．disappointed | B．mad | C．frightened | D．shameful |
|
| 小题10: | | A．living | B．playing | C．working | D．learning |
|
| 小题11: | | A．sadness | B．regret | C．hopelessness | D．disappointment |
|
| 小题12: | | A．paid | B．got | C．offered | D．presented |
|
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加固) that cement.
ief period of reflection I had to admit that she was right. I did put myself down an awful lot. Why, just during the previous day I had called myself “a slob” for having some papers spread out on my desk, “ugly” when I left the house without makeup and “an idiot” when I left the house for an emergency substitute job without my emergency lesson plan. 
le family. I went to the show’s website to see for myself. My mom was right. At a time when even Barbara Walters says she’s really bored with celebrities interviews, this one will not disappoint.
his talent isn’t limited to just learning things by heart. Derek is a true musical genius and artist who plays beautifully in a wide range of styles and can make his own music.