Abraham Lincoln was born into poverty 200 years ago. At any other time and place, this lowly origin would have dictated his future, but in Lincoln’s case, his self-determination and force of will made it possible for him to secure his seat in his country's history. He has become a role model in the self-made America.
If you want to learn about somebody who didn’t quit, look no further. Abraham Lincoln had two business ventures failed, and the second one made him bankrupt, so he had to spend the next 17 years of his life paying for the debt. He also lost 8 different elections. It seemed that he had never done things right at the first time: the first time he ran for state legislature for Congress, for land officer, for Senate, all of these failed, and the first time he sought the vice-presidential nomination, he got less than 100 votes nationally. But he never found it too shameful to carry on his mission. Then later in 1860, on such a rough road, he made it to the White House. He lived up to his famous saying, “Always bear in mind that your own determination to success is more important than any other.”
He could have quit many times-—-but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit，he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of America. One important way Lincoln influences present society is that we look back on his lifeas a role model for future generations. Lincoln’s high character influences us because we compare present-day politicians to the example Lincoln set. A major influence Lincoln has on the united States today is simply through the good example he set when it came to honesty, persistence and leadership.
小题1:According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is true?
A． Lincoln was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
B． Like Lincoln, a poor origin leads to a bright future.
C． America is considered self-made because of Lincoln.
D． Self-determination and will contributed to Lincoln’s success.小题2:What is Paragraph Two mainly about?
A． How Lincoln made his way to the White House.
B． Lincoln suffered various failures.
C． Lincoln was a man who never quit.
D． Lincoln once lost two business ventures.小题3:Which is the correct order of what happened to Lincoln?
a. He was paying off his debt. b. He failed in the run for land officer,
c. He got less than 100 votes nationally. d. he stuck to his mission, e. He went bankrupt.
A．b-c-c-d-a
B．e-a-b-c-d
C．e-c-a-b-d
D．d-c-a-b-c小题4:What’s the function of Lincoln’s famous saying in Paragraph Two?
A． To tell us that determination is the most important to success.
B． To attract readers1 attention.
C． To show why Lincoln was able to carry on in hard times.
D． To summarize Lincoln’s story.小题5:Why does the writer consider Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents in America?
A． Because he still influences America as a role model.
B． Because he set a good example to the present politicians.
C． Because of his great personalities.
D． Because he went through diverse difficulties.
