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Both my parents came from towns in Mexico.Then I was born in El Paso, Texas, and when I was
four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.
Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me and my four brothers and
sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities.They influenced us
with the concepts of family, faith and nationalism.
I got my first real job when I was ten.My dad injured his back working in a cardboardbox factory
and was retrained as a hairstylist.He rented space in a little shopping mall and gave his shop the fancy
name of Mr Ben's Coiffure.
The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three
nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a. m..To pick up rubbish, Dad used a little machine that
looked like a lawn mower.Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand.It took two
to three hours to clean the lot.I'd sleep in the car on the way home.
I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime.I acquired discipline and a
strong work ethic (道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing
interests-in my case, school, homework and a job.This really helped during my senior year of a high
school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping burgers at a fastfood joint while taking a full load of
college preparation courses.
The hard work paid off.I attended the US Military Academy and went on to receive graduate
degrees in law and business from Harvard.Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected
to the California State Assembly (州议会). In these jobs and in everything else I've done, I have never
forgotten those nights in the parking lot.The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that
if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.
1. Before my father got injured, we________.
A. didn't like living in the USA
B. lived a poor but happy life
C. were lucky to move to the USA
D. had many ways to make money
2. When he recovered, to make a living my father________.
A. ran a small shopping mall
B. did a parttime job
C. worked as a barber
D. became a street cleaner
3. Working in the parking lot for two years had taught me________.
A. how to obey school discipline
B. how to do two things well at a time
C. that discipline and work were of equal value
D. that I must do as many things as possible at a time
4. The author tells us in the last paragraph that we should be proud of those who________.
A. have done all kinds of jobs
B. are cleaning the parking lot
C. have achieved a lot in their lives
D. are bearing their responsibilities
