Did you know that Albert Einstein could not speak until he was four years old, and did not read until he was seven? His parents and teachers worried about his mental ability.
Beethoven’s music teacher said about him, “As a composer(作曲家) he is hopeless.” What if this young boy believed it?
When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid that he could never learn anything. He once said,‘‘I remember I used to never be able to get along at school. I was always at the foot of my class…My father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided that I was a stupid person.”What if young Thomas believed what may said about him?
When the sculptor(雕刻家) Auguste Rodin was young, he had difficulty learning to read and write. Today, we may say he had a learning disability. His father said of him, “I have an idiot(白痴) for a son.” His uncle agreed. “He’s uneducable,” he said. What if Rodin had doubted his ability?
Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have no “good ideas”. Enrico Caruso was told by one music teacher, “you can’t sing. You have no voice at all.” And an editor told Louisa May Alcott that she was unable to write anything that would have popular appeal.
What if these people had listened and become discouraged? Where would our world be without the music of Beethoven, the art of Rodin or the ideas of Albert Einstein and Walt Disney? As Oscar Levant once said, “It’s not what you are but what you don’t become that hurts.”
You have great potential. When you believe in all you can be, rather than all you cannot become, you will find your place on earth.
【小题1】How many successful people are mentioned as examples in the passage?
| A．six. | B．seven. | C．eight. | D．nine. |
【小题2】Which of the following statements is RIGHT?
| A．When he was young, Thomas Edison always got good grades at school. |
| B．Levant thought Louisa May Alcott couldn’t write any popular works. |
| C．Only Auguste Rodin’s uncle regarded him a boy of learning ability. |
| D．Both Enrico Caruso and Beethoven achieved their dreams in music. |
【小题3】What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence “
He’s uneducable”?
| A．He can’t be taught. | B．He is very clever. |
| C．He is different. | D．He is a late success. |
【小题4】What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Working Hard for Success | B．Having Dreams |
| C．Believing in Yourself | D．Self-challenging |
