I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch (牧场). He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for the youth. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man, the son of a horse trainer who would go from ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.”

“That night he wrote a paper describing his goal of owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch. He put his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note reading, ‘See me after class.’ The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, ‘Why did I receive an F?’ The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’”

“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.’”

Monty then turned to the group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.’”

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. Monty’s high school life was interrupted because his father asked him to help him train horses.

   B. Monty received an F because his teacher thought it was impossible for him to realize his dream.

   C. Monty decided not to rewrite his paper because his father supported him.

   D. Monty’s teacher was serious, responsible, strict and warm-hearted.

2.The underlined word “gumption” in the last paragraph means ______.

   A. hope           B. idea             C. determination         D. belief

3.What can you learn from the passage?

   A. Trying and getting real experience is a way of feeling better about yourself and gaining more       confidence in your abilities.

   B. The easiest way for you to grow as a person is to surround yourself with people smarter than you.

   C. Don’t be afraid of those who might have a better idea or who might even be smarter than you.

   D. Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.