A
Many of the world's most successful people were once failures.Here are the stories of a few of them.
Abraham Lincoln(1809－1865)
Abraham Lincoln was one of America's greatest leaders，taking the country through the Civil War(from 1861 to 1865)．However，his life was never easy.He started numerous businesses that failed，he went bankrupt twice，and was defeated in 26 campaigns for public office.He later said，“My great concern is not whether you have failed，but whether you are content with your failure.”
Vincent Van Gogh(1853－1890)
Van Gogh is one of the most famous and influential painters in the history of Western Art.He's renowned for paintings such as The Starry Night，The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers.However，during his lifetime，Van Gogh sold only one painting for a very small amount of money.Despite this，he carried on painting，something even going without food so he could complete his collection of over 800 known works.
Albert Einstein(1879－1955)
Albert Einstein won the Noble Prize in Physics in 1921.However，he wasn't always considered a “genius”．He didn't speak until he was four，and couldn't read until he was seven.His teachers and parents thought he was slow，so he was expelled from school and couldn't get into the Zurich Polytechnic School.He later famously said，“Success is failure in progress.”
Stephen King(born 1947)
Stephen King is one of the bestselling authors of all time，but his first book，Carrie，was rejected by about 30 publishers.Eventually，Stephen threw it in the bin，but his wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it，which he did and succeeded this time!
【语篇解读】 世界上有许多人在成功之前都遭遇了失败，本文就为我们列举了几位著名人物的相关事例。
1．Which statement is TRUE about Abraham Lincoln?
A．He led the American War of Independence.
B．He never succeeded in his business.
C．He was full of courage and perseverance.
D．He is the greatest president of the United States.
C [推理判断题。由Abraham Lincoln部分的最后一句“He later said，‘My great concern is not whether you have failed，but whether you are content with your failure.’”可推断出，虽然历经失败，但亚伯拉罕•林肯仍充满勇气并坚持不懈，故选C。]
2．Who became famous all over the world after his death?
A．Abraham Lincoln. B．Vincent Van Gogh.
C．Albert Einstein. D．Stephen King.
B [推理判断题。由Vincent Van Gogh部分的第三句“However，during his lifetime，Van Gogh sold only one painting for a very small amount of money.”可推断出，梵•高是在去世之后才闻名于全世界的，故选B。]
3．What was the most likely reason for Albert Einstein's dropping out of school?
A．He was too slow to learn.
B．He couldn't speak or read.
C．His teacher thought he was stupid.
D．He didn't obey the school rules.
C [推理判断题。由Albert Einstein部分的第四句“His teachers and parents thought he was slow，so he was expelled from school and couldn't get into the Zurich Polytechnic School.”可推断出爱因斯坦被退学，最可能的原因就是老师认为他很笨，slow在此处意为“迟钝的，笨的”，故选C。]
4．What do these people have in common?
A．They are all Americans.
B．They are known for their writings.
C．They were born in the same century.
D．They all suffered failure before they succeeded.
D [推理判断题。由文章第一段“Many of the world's most successful people were once failures.Here are the stories of a few of them.”可知，这些人的共同之处是他们在成功之前都遭遇了失败，故选D。]
