Many years ago, Dad worked as a farmhand（农场工人）. At that time, he had a horse. Every Saturday he   1 to the town after dinner and spent a few hours on social 2  with other farmhands, such as drinking, chatting, and playing cards in the café. On Saturday evenings, the café was   3   because many farmhands were there. Before midnight Dad returned home on his horse, quite satisfied（满意）with his   4  . In his words, he  5   thought of changing his job.

At the age of 31, Dad married my mother who was a school teacher. In the following spring I came  6   into the world. Life became hard, so my mother felt unsatisfied. She told Dad that they must make a  7  .

My mother had  8  of how some famous persons, especially Thomas Edison who was born in a poor family, fought against fate and achieved greatness and fame. And she   9  that I would some day become a great leader，ruling men or cities and Dad should be a successful businessman. So she persuaded Dad to give up his job as a farmhand, sell his horse and   10  a small business of his own. And I went to high school and college. She even sent me abroad for  11  education when I graduated from college. Under the drive of my mother’s hope, Dad and I   12   what we have today. Dad runs a big international   13  and I am a successful lawyer enjoying great fame in my country,   14  not a leader as my mother expected.

Dad said, without my mother, we wouldn’t be what we are today; at least, he would remain a farmhand.  15  he got a lesson of life —sometimes we really need drive from outside.

1  A．rode                  B．walked                        C．ran                  D．drove

2  A．conversations  B．games                         C．relationships          D．activities

3  A．cold                  B．crowded                      C．quiet                 D．dirty

4  A．horse             B．entertainment                C．life                   D．beer

5  A．often                   B．ever                        C．never                  D．sometimes

6  A．laughing                B．singing                      C．sleeping               D．crying

7  A．living         B．change                        C．decision              D．house

8  A．dreamed        B．heard                        C．thought              D．spoken

9  A．cared                 B．knew                        C．forgot               D．hoped

10  A．start                 B．find                        C．design                 D．sell

11  A．farther               B．higher                       C．easier                 D．closer

12  A．showed               B．kept                        C．lost                  D．achieved

13  A．farm                    B．school                      C．company            D．cafe

14  A．though              B．if                             C．and                  D．since

15  A．So                   B．However                      C．Or              D．Because

There ________ many famous predictions that never came true.

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A．was　　B．were　　C．will be