номер 2, страница 120 - гдз по английскому языку 11 класс (spotlight) учебник Афанасьева, Дули

Module 7. In Days to Come

Unit 7A. Reading Skills

Exercise 2, Page 120

I Have a Dream

Did you know that it took Abraham Lincoln thirty years to achieve his dream of becoming President of the United States?

After losing his mother at a young age, his first attempt at business ended in failure. Then, he failed to get into law school, which he desperately wanted. He eventually became a lawyer, but then he was defeated for Congress three times and got less than one hundred votes when he ran for Vice President.

He was finally elected sixteenth President of the United States when he was sixty years old. He faced countless insurmountable obstacles, but he never gave up. He just kept on going until he reached his goal.

So what about you? You may not dream of being a world leader, but perhaps you long to become a lawyer, an astronaut, or an inventor; to climb Mount Everest, or perhaps simply to do something to help those less fortunate than yourself.

At times, achieving these ambitions may seem impossible. And, like Abraham Lincoln, you might come up against incredible difficulties. But take heart, because there are some very practical steps you can take to help make your dreams come true.

Believe in yourself.

Without a doubt, this is the first step on the road to achieving your dreams. And this means not listening to anyone who tells you "you can't." Einstein, Beethoven, and Edison all knew about this. Einstein was considered an unteachable fool by his early teachers. Beethoven's music teacher told him he was a hopeless composer. And Thomas Edison's mother was told to remove him from school because he was too stupid to learn.

Sometimes, though, it's not others that we have to worry about. Many times we are our own worst enemy. We look at ourselves and all we can see are our weaknesses, failings, and defeats. But when you banish self-doubt, you are capable of doing everything you attempt to the best of your ability because you believe you can succeed.

As Henry Ford once put it, "If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right."

Take steps to achieve your dreams.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. In other words, achieving your dreams is usually a process involving a lot of hard work and perseverance. Therefore, read books, take courses, practice for hours, or do whatever you need to do that will give you the skills to achieve your goals. After all, in the words of Thomas Edison, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

Don't give up.

Finally, don't be afraid of failure on the way to achieving your dreams. Michael Jordan is someone who understands this very well. "I've failed over and over again in my life," he once said, "and that is why I succeed."

Thomas Edison's life proves to us that this is true. After thousands of failures, each of which showed him how not to make a light bulb, he was able to achieve a success that would change people's lives forever.

In the same way, George Lucas's script for Star Wars was initially rejected by various studios. If he had given up at this point, he would never have seen Star Wars become one of the most popular films of all time.

So, never say never. Believe you can climb that mountain, swim that ocean, or reach that place, and surely, one day you will. There would be no Ford cars, Star Wars, light bulbs, or Beethoven symphonies if this was not true.