完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
There are going to be moments in life when you must make very important decisions. You will find many people 36 to offer you advice if you ask for it (and even if you don’t), but always remember that the life you 37 is yours and nobody else’s. It’s important to decide for yourself what’s important to you and what you want before you 38 others. Because while there will be times 39 outside advice proves wise, there will be at least as many times when it proves completely 40 . The only way to really evaluate other folks’ advice is to first learn everything that you can about whatever challenge you are 41 . Once you’ve done that, in most cases you should be able to make a wise decision 42 anyway.
You were 43 with the ability to decide what is and what isn’t in your best interest. Most of the time, you will make the right decision and 44 the appropriate actions, and in thinking for yourself, you will become far more successful than if you had gone
against your own 45 .
Early on in my investment career, I made the mistake of 46 a few important business decisions on colleagues’ opinions instead of conducting the 47 necessary to make a wise decision. It wasn’t due to 48 on my part; no one could ever accuse me of that. But, being 49 to Wall Street, I intended to assume that my more senior 50 knew more than I did, and so I 51 too much significance to their opinions.
You know what happened? Each of those investments ended in 52 . Eventually I stopped allowing myself to be influenced by 53 and began doing the work myself and making my own decisions. It took me until I was almost 30 years old to 54 this—it’s never too late for a person to change his approach both to 55 and to life.
36. A. easy B. ready C. unwilling D. hard
37. A. lead B. lend C. take D. earn
38. A. look at B. pick up C. turn to D. learn from
39. A. that B. since C. when D. while
40. A. useless B. useful C. priceless D. clever
41. A. getting B. making C. suffering D. facing
42. A. on one hand B. on your own C. on the whole D. on all sides
43. A. born B. tired C. satisfied D. covered
44. A. enjoy B. step C. plan D. take
45. A. assumption B. judgment C. condition D. fortune
46. A. basing B. depending C. relying D. focusing
47. A. research B. search C. resources D. activity
48. A. poverty B. laziness C. fear D. diligence
49. A. used B. accustomed C. new D. old
50. A. students B. brothers C. colleagues D. classmates
51. A. owed B. paid C. gave D. held
52. A. disaster B. progress C. failure D. success
53. A. either B. another C. each D. others
54. A. think B. remember C. realize D. recall
55. A. payment B. dreams C. happiness D. business
