Garth is eighteen years old. He is happy that he can help his parents to ______ his little sister Dora. But it can sometimes feel like a lot of work.

One Friday afternoon, Garth’s parents asked him to pick Dora up at school. Of course Garth agreed, because he knew it was very ______ to help his parents when he could.

Around 3:40 p. m., Garth got a ______ from his friend, Jill.

“Garth! Forget about whatever plans you had for today! Amy’s mother just ______ to let us use her country house this weekend! Come on. We will leave in twenty minutes!” he said ______ on the phone.

Garth always talked about going there and he really wanted to go with his friends.

Garth looked at his watch and ______ how much fun he could have in the country. He knew the teachers at Dora’s school would call his grandmother if he did not pick her up. But he knew he could not let his parents and sister down and leave Dora alone. He thanked Jill for the ______, and said he really couldn’t go. Without much time left, Garth ______ to his sister’s school.

He was five minutes late, and when he got there, he saw that Dora was about to ______. She was the last student at the school, and the teachers were waiting with her.

When seeing her big brother, Dora smiled, ran to him and gave him a big hug. Garth realized that he had done the ______ thing. He must always keep his word and be worthy of trust.

I did badly at school. My headmaster thought I was useless and when I was 14, he said, “You are never going to be _________.”

I left school and after five years of odd jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class (中产阶级)   girl. It was the best thing that happened to me. I _________ to do something positive (积极的) with my life because I wanted to prove to her that what people said about me was wrong. So I tried hard with my _________ and went to college. My first book came out while I was at college.

After college I taught during the day in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a degree (学位) in history. I became a lecturer at a college, but later I was thinking of _________ that job to write full time when I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel _________ —here was a working-class boy left school early, now teaching at the university.

My writing career took off when I discovered my own style. Now I’m rich and famous, have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. But what does it mean? I _________ wish all the people that have put me down had said: “I believe in you. You can make it.”