完形填空。      When I was 14, I was hired for an after-school job selling subscriptions (征订) to my hometown paper,
the Houston Post. I was sent to some of the city"s worst neighborhoods to "beg" door-to-door. Even though
I was often scrambling around after dark in bad areas    1   for garage apartments, I was    2   for the work.
     It was a    3   because people didn"t like a stranger knocking on their door,    4   a kid trying to get them,
to buy something. One time, a man shut his door heavily in my face and    5 , "I don"t want your dawn paper!"
I    6   myself to knock again and was able to tell him how    7   the paper was. I ended up selling him a
subscription. I was soon among the    8   subscription sellers and, like other successful    9 , was given the
chance to train newcomers. 
       10  this time I started playing the harmonica and guitar. Before long I was playing in a   11  at barbecues
and other events. When I   12  18, I fixed my   13  on becoming a professional musician. I never lost   14  of
this dream. I"m sure my determination came from what I   15  knocking on strangers" doors.
     That   16  helped me in many ways. Early in my music life I was   17  in a legal disagreement with a former
manager. He   18  me to back off, but I refused.
     Having all those doors shut in my face as a kid gave me the   19  to stand up to this frightening figure.
Except this time there was one   20 : I was the one saying no. And I won.

(     )1. A. leaving     (     )2. A. thoughtful  (     )3. A. challenge   (     )4. A. certainly   (     )5. A. screamed    (     )6. A. allowed     (     )7. A. expensive   (     )8. A. rich        (     )9. A. reporters   (     )10. A. For        (     )11. A. kitchen    (     )12. A. seemed     (     )13. A. attention  (     )14. A. sight      (     )15. A. accepted   (     )16. A. experience (     )17. A. sentenced  (     )18. A. invited    (     )19. A. pain       (     )20. A. conclusion

B. searching  B. regretful  B. puzzle     B. obviously  B. agreed     B. forced     B. worthless  B. large      B. managers   B. Since      B. band       B. grew       B. attraction B. power      B. decided    B. accident   B. treated    B. pressured  B. right      B. difference

C. caring      C. doubtful    C. surprise    C. especially  C. begged      C. wished      C. soft        C. fast        C. salesmen    C. Around      C. concert     C. appeared    C. service     C. ability     C. expected    C. incident    C. locked      C. excused     C. strength    C. opportunity

D. reaching        D. thankful        D. failure         D. usually         D. announced       D. reminded        D. great           D. top             D. secretaries     D. Until           D. press           D. turned          D. trust           D. fortune         D. learned         D. event           D. reasoned        D. charged         D. imagination     D. determination