Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old. Mom and I lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that I could walk again if I wanted strongly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!
When the Great Depression (大蕭條) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support both of us. At that moment, I decided never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I wasn’t satisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they asked me an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for many American families. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽車旅館) for families that would never ask extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Of course mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. But with my mother’s support and encouragement, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income (收入) of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
小題1:According to the writer, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?
| A．Doctors. | B．Nurses. | C．Friends. | D．Mom. |
小題2:What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
| A．His terrible experience in the hotel. |
| B．His various levels of business success. |
| C．His mom’s support. |
| D．His wife’s suggestion. |
小題3:Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
| A．Modest, helpful, and hard-working. |
| B．Careful, helpful and beautiful. |
| C．Loving, supporting and strong-willed (意志堅強的). |
| D．Strict, humorous and supporting. |
小題4:Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
| A．A poor family, hard work, higher education and self-confidence (自信). |
| B．Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work. |
| C．Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education. |
| D．Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and better chances. |
