My parents fixed in me the ideas of family, faith and patriotism(爱国主义) when I was young1we struggled to make ends meet, they2 to me and my four brothers and sisters how 3we were to live in a great country with 4 opportunities.
I got my first real 5 when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a factory and had to be6as a hairstylist. The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a(n)7on his rent for cleaning the parking lot(停车场) three nights a week, which meant a little 8that looked like a lawn mower(割草机). Mom and I emptied garbage cans and 9 waste by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I'd 10in the car on the way home because of tiredness.
I did this for two years, but the11I learned have lasted a lifetime. I 12discipline and a strong work ethic(道德准则), and learned at a(n)13age the importance of balancing life's 14interestsin my case, school, homework and a job. This really15during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week at a fastfood restaurant while taking collegepre 16.
The hard work 17I attended the U.S Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in 18and business from Harvard.19 I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(议会). In these jobs and in everything else I've done. I have never forgotten those20in the parking lot.
