阅读理解

　　At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money．And when he was 15 he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle．

　　Now 20, third-year Cambridge University student, Peter Blackburn is managing director of a company with a ￡ 30 000 plan．And he thinks it will make more than ＄15 000 by next summer．

　　He set up Peter Blackborn Ltd．last year to bring out a new, color term-planner that now students all over the UK are using．

　　“I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative, ”he says, “I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go．”

　　Blackburn admits that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university．While fellow students are out with their friends, he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by movable phone．Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade his bank to lend him money．

　　“Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves, ” he says “I work hard at my company, because that is what will support me next year, after I leave college．”

　　Friends believe that Blackburn will make ￡ 1 million within 5 years．

　　He is not quite so sure, however．“There’s a lot to be done yet, ” he says．

完形填空

　　Once upon a time, there lived a man who wanted to achieve everything he was capable of achieving．He was obsessed with this desire－he ate, slept, and walked with one and only dream：to die, having accomplished every single thing he was able to accomplish．

　　There were so many things he could do．He felt like the whole world could be his, 　　1　　 he set his mind to it．

　　He knew that his 　　2　　 had no limits．He knew that he could accumulate 　　3　　 that would dwarf(使相形见绌)that of ancient kings; he knew that he could 　　4　　 books that would shake the minds of generations; he knew that he could 　　5　　 things that would forever change the lives of millions of people．He lived, constantly feeling the power within－and that power knew no bounds．

　　There was only one problem：having such a potential, but only one 　　6　　, he had to make a choice．He had to decide where to 　　7　　 all of his ability．Making that decision was extremely hard, for any 　　8　　 meant cutting off some future achievements．In the meantime, he went to school, graduated, found a job, married, and 　　9　　 children．And he spent every minute of his spare time trying to decide 　　10　　 he should bring his potential into full play．

　　Time went by, and he grew 　　11　　．Some roads he used to dream about became closed to him．But there was still so much he could accomplish．

　　One day, a sudden chest pain made him come home early．He dragged his feet to the bathroom．There, feeling 　　12　　, he looked in the mirror．A worn-out, gray-haired man stared back at him．He looked 　　13　　 into these eyes and, all of a sudden, 　　14　　 one simple truth．The next moment, the pain came again, and his heart stopped 　　15　　 forever．

　　The truth that came upon him was rather simple：People only flatter themselves(自以为是，自鸣得意)by thinking that they could have 　　16　　 this or that if not for such-and-such circumstances．Yet this is nothing but 　　17　　．You simply lack something that is 　　18　　 for achieving that goal you've never reached－a talent, a skill, willpower, 　　19　　 something else．In fact, 　　20　　 you don't achieve is something you're not capable of achieving．