A wise man once said, “A man who makes no mistakes usually does not make anything.” It took me a long time to gather the 36 to admit that I had been making mistakes since my earliest days. 37 , many of the things that I had learned were 38 .
As a child from a poor family, I learned that when you had money, you were 39 to spend it on whatever brought you happiness 40 . I didn’t understand that even though putting money in the bank would not 41 me that quick joy, it could provide a sense of 42 — I still had that money.
One problem is that I never had an opportunity to 43 any money of my own until late in my teen years. All of my gift money 44 to my parents for “saving”, which actually 45 to be an emergency fund(风险基金) for things such as food.
On rare 46 , some relatives would give me some money, but they would 47 in my ear not to tell my mother and to spend it quickly on something fun. Their 48 was good — they wanted to bring joy to the life of a “ 49 ”boy, but it didn’t teach me any 50 skills. Soon I would go back to having no money.
Another thing is that I believed that 51 help from others was bad. My parents were strict, and in many ways I 52 their philosophy (处事原则), but their personal beliefs prevented them from ever accepting any help. 53 we often had to live on a single part-time income, we never asked 54 anything. In this way, I was led to believe that accepting a helping hand, even in 55 of great need, was a sign of weakness.
36. A. time B. power C. courage D. chance
37. A. Otherwise B. Also C. Instead D. However
38. A. different B. common C. big D. wrong
39. A. supposed B. determined C. ordered D. left
40. A. naturally B. immediately C. probably D. eventually
41. A. buy B. prove C. sell D. show
42. A. direction B. guilty C. safety D. difference
43. A. receive B. lend C. manage D. earn
44. A. gave B. went C. borrowed D. left
45. A. added up B. came up C. gave out D. turned out
46. A. states B. occasions C. situations D. moments
47. A. shout B. explain C. whisper D. insist
48. A. plan B. information C. look D. intention
49. A. naughty B. poor C. hopeless D. lovely
50. A. financial B. imaginative C. popular D. formal
51. A. offering B. accepting C. begging D. demanding
52. A. disobeyed B. ignored C. respected D. agreed
53. A. Even if B. Now that C. Unless D. Until
54. A. about B. around C. against D. for
55. A. groups B. terms C. ways D. times
