I grew up in a tiny Baltimore row house in a faraway mountain area. My parents ______ the necessities of life but couldn’t give much more. If I asked my father for a pair of jeans, he would say, “If you want them, make the money and buy them yourself.” He wasn’t being mean; he just couldn’t ______ them. From age 12 on, I did part-time jobs after school.
When I ______ from high school, I joined the navy. Soon I was in a boot camp (新兵训练营) at Parris Island, S.C., where I learned that life in the navy centered around completing daily ______. These could be anything from cleaning the camp to conducting mock (模拟的) battles. Completing these tasks successfully ______ discipline, team-work and responsibility. It didn’t ______ whether you were black, white or Asian; everyone worked together for the ______ of the company.
I went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academic and later became an officer in the navy. The part of my job I ______ most was the consulting (咨询) meetings I ______ with the family members of the men and women in my ______, trying to help them deal with the long periods of ______. These proved popular and word of them spread. Before long I was being asked to give encouraging ______ to business groups, educators and kids across the country.
But I consider the boot camp my first real ______, and my life is still guided by the ______ lessons I learned there. It taught me discipline, friendship and the pride related to setting a task every day and working hard to ______ it.
A.provided B.got C.made D.bought
A.pay B.find C.produce D.afford
A.came B.returned C.escaped D.graduated
A.drills B.tasks C.exercises D.reports
A.included B.asked C.required D.met
A.matter B.mean C.exist D.work
A.good B.staff C.rest D.right
A.took B.hated C.enjoyed D.did
A.ended B.began C.continued D.held
A.charge B.situation C.position D.choice
A.lessons B.meetings C.training D.separation
A.gifts B.descriptions C.speeches D.performances
A.vacation B.place C.job D.travel
A.important B.bitter C.normal D.difficult
A.gain B.achieve C.show D.match