My sister and I grew up in a little village in England. Our father was a struggling ___36___, but I always knew he was ___37___. He never criticized us, but used ___38___ to bring out our best. He’d say,” If you pout water on flowers, they flourish. If you don’t give them water, they die.” I ___39___ as a child I said something ___40___ about somebody, and my father said, “___41___ time you say something unpleasant about somebody else, it’s a reflection of you.” He explained that if I looked for the best ___42___ people, I would get the best ___43___. From then on I’ve always tried to ___44___ the principle in my life and later in running my company.
Dad’s also always been very ___45___. At 15, I started a magazine. It was ___46___ a great deal of my time, and the headmaster of my school gave me a ___47___: stay in school or leave to work on my magazine.
I decided to leave, and Dad tried to sway me from my decision, ___48___ any good father would. When he realized I Had made up my mind, he said, “Richard, when I was 23, my dad ___49___ me to go into law. And I’ve ___50___ regretted it. I wanted to be a biologist, ___51___ I didn’t pursue my ___52___. You know what you want. Go fulfill it.”
As ___53___ turned out, my little publication went on to become Student, a national ___54___ for young people in the U.K. My wife and I have two children, and I’ d like to think we are bringing them up in the same way Dad ___55___ me.
36. A. biologist      B. manager     C. lawyer       D. gardener
37. A. strict    B. honest C. special       D. learned
38. A. praise   B. courage      C. power D. warmth
39. A. think    B. imagine      C. remember   D. guess
40. A. unnecessary B. unkind       C. unimportant       D. unusual
41. A. Another       B. Some  C. Any    D. Other
42. A. on B. in       C. at       D. about
43. A. in case  B. by turns     C. by chance   D. in return
44. A. revise   B. set      C. review       D. follow
45. A. understanding     B. experienced       C. serious       D. demanding
46. A. taking up     B. making up  C. picking up  D. keeping up
47. A. suggestion   B. decision     C. notice D. choice
48. A. and      B. as       C. even if       D. as if
49. A. helped  B. allowed      C. persuaded   D. suggested
50. A. always  B. never  C. seldom       D. almost
51. A. rather   B. but     C. for      D. therefore
52. A. promise       B. task    C. belief  D. dream
53. A. this      B. he       C. it D. that
54. A. newspaper   B. magazine    C. program     D. project
55. A. controlled    B. comforted  C. reminded    D. raised