Creating opportunities

Don’t allow your excuses to prevent you from following your dreams. “I really want to, but I can’t because...” It hurts every time I hear someone say it. I see it for what it is — an excuse. Every one of us has hopes, dreams and goals. We talk about how we will achieve them, but when it’s time to do them, we use that sentence.

During my teen years, I felt stuck. I wanted to learn so many things and achieve my wildest dreams, yet I couldn’t. Living in an underdeveloped country, we suffer from a lack of water, electricity, security and opportunities. And, we don’t have training courses, libraries or clubs, and the internet is slower than a snail crawling (爬行) through peanut butter.

One day, I had had enough. I decided to use the resources I had to create the future I dreamed of. I set my mind on getting the Japanese Monbusho Scholarship. I found articles and books online to become fluent in Japanese. In a few months, I was able to hold a simple conversation in Japanese.

I realized that I would need money. I set out to build a hedgehog(刺猬) care website. Every day, after school, I would research hedgehogs and write detailed articles about them. I studied Japanese and wrote about hedgehogs for three years.

I’m sure you’re expecting a spirit-lifting ending where I travel to Japan and live off my website. That’s not how this story ends. The fact is, I didn’t even get the chance to apply for the scholarship. I failed. Unwilling to accept the facts, I started an online university the next year. And the hedgehog website made me a total of $60.

I can tell you that I tried, but it didn’t work out. It did — just not the way I expected.

I’m not in Japan, but I know how to speak Japanese and have met many interesting people along the way. My hedgehog website didn’t succeed, but I created a new one that’s even better with the experience I gained.

I didn’t let my difficulties stand in my way, and I created my own opportunities. Anyone can embrace (欣然接受) the cards they’ve been dealt (发牌) and create their own way to make them into a winning hand.

【小题1】Why does the author mention the underlined sentence at the beginning of the text?

A．To explain how it hurt her.

B．To show she disagrees with it.

C．To show how often people say it.

D．To explain when people usually say it.

【小题2】What prevented the author from realizing her dreams during her teens?

A．Her lack of aim in life.

B．Her unrealistic dreams.

C．Her lack of interest in studying.

D．The shortage of educational resources.

【小题3】What do we know about the author?

A．She won a scholarship to study in Japan

B．She kept trying even though she failed.

C．Her website earned her a lot of money.

D．She didn’t go to a university in the end.

【小题4】What does the author want to tell us with this article?

A．Opportunity seldom knocks twice.

B．Failure is the mother of success.

C．The weak wait for opportunities, the strong create them.

D．The more you expect, the more disappointed you will be.

【小题5】What do you think of the author?

A．Hopeful and Hardworking.

B．Anxious and Enthusiastic.

C．Patient and Pessimistic.

D．Nervous and embarrassed.