假设你是李华，你的朋友John上周邀请你周二一起去听一场关于文化差异的讲座，你答应了。但现在因为学校临时有任务安排，你不能赴约，请你用英语写一封信，向他赔礼道歉，并解释原因。
注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear John，
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Yours，

Li Hua

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pains, no gains". He hardly watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some twenty five years ago. They were all tall and strong.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity(逆境) seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to meet with hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart.
【小题1】With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often __________.

A．paid little attention to them

B．kept watering them every morning

C．talked to them to get their attention

D．beat them to make them grow deep roots

【小题2】What does the author think of the way Doctor Gibbs planted trees?

A．Strange and harmful.

B．Interesting and funny.

C．Cruel and unacceptable.

D．Original and reasonable.

【小题3】Which prayer does the author wish for his sons?

A．Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future.

B．Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives.

C．Have an easy life, without too much to worry about.

D．Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life.

【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Prayers for my sons

B．Doctor Gibbs and his trees

C．Growing roots

D．Watering trees

When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault; the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.
【小题1】According to the passage, winners .

A．blame themselves rather than others

B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives

C．have responsible and able colleagues

D．deal with problems rather than blame others

【小题2】The underlined word remedyin Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

A．improve

B．accept

C．avoid

D．consider

【小题3】When problems occur, winners take them as ______.

A．excuses for their failures	B．chances for self-development
C．challenges to their colleagues	D．barriers to greater power

【小题4】Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．A Winner’s Opportunity.	B．A Winner’s Problem.
C．A Winner’s Secret.	D．A Winner’s Achievement.