My mother was born in a small town in northern Italy. She was three when her parents immigrated to America in 1926. They lived in Chicago when my grandfather worked making ice cream. Mama【C1】____________ in the urban environment. At 16, she graduated first in her high school class, went onto secretarial school, and finally worked as an executive secretary for a railroad company. She was beautiful too. When a local photographer used her pictures in his monthly window display, she felt pleased. Her favorite【C2】____________ showed her sitting by Lake Michigan, her hair went blown, her gaze reaching toward the【C3】. My parents were married in 1944. Dad was a quiet and intelligent man. He was 17 when he left Italy. Soon after, a hit-and-run accident left him with a【C4】 limp. Dad worked hard selling candy to Chicago office workers【C5】. He had little formal schooling. His English was self-taught. Yet he【C6】___ built a small successful wholesale candy business. Dad was generous and handsome. Mama【C7】____________ him. After she married, my mother【C8】____________ and gave herself to her family. In 1950, with three small children, dad moved the family to a farm 40 miles from Chicago. He worked the land and【C9】____________ to the city to run his business. Mama said good-bye to her parents and friends, and traded her busy city neighborhood for a more【C10】____________ life. But she never complained.

Very few people can get a college degree before 11, but Michael was an【C1】. He started high school when he was 5, finishing in just nine months. He【C2】 the world's youngest college graduate when he was 10 years and 4 months old, earning an【C3】degree. Now at 11, Michael's【C4】 a master's degree in artificial intelligence. But Michael's success hasn't always come easy.【C5】____________ his intelligence, he still lacks important life【C6】. In one class, he had to【C7】 understand romantic novels, because, he says, "I'm 11. I've never been in love before." Another challenge was his size. High school【C8】____________ education was difficult, because all of the equipment was too big for the then five-year-old student. He likes computers so much that in graduate school he's studying how to make them think like people. He wants to make【C9】____________ do all the heavy tasks. Michael is smart, but he【C10】____________ every other kid.

In February last year, my wife lost her job. Just as suddenly, the owner of the greenhouse where I worked as manager【C1】____________ a heart attack. His family announced that they were going to close the business because no one in the family wanted to run it. Things looked pretty 【C2】. My wife and I read the want-ads each day. Then one morning, as I was hanging a Going Out of Business sign at the greenhouse, the door opened and in walked a customer. She was an office manager whose company had just moved into the new office park on the edge of town. She【C3】 potted plants to place in the【C4】_______ areas in offices. 'T don't know anything about plants," she said, "I am sure in a few weeks, they'll all be dead." While I was helping her select her【C5】, my mind was racing. Perhaps as many as a dozen firms that recently opened offices in the new office park and there were several hundred more acres with【C6】 under way. That afternoon, I drove up to the office park. By 6 o'clock that evening, I had signed【C7】_________ with 7 companies to rent plants from me and pay me a fee to【C8】____________ them. Within a week, I had【C9】____________ an agreement to lease the greenhouse from the owner's family. Business is now increasing【C10】____________. And one day we hope to be the proud owners of the greenhouse.