I Have a Dream

Title: ______________________________________________________________________

1. Read the text. Fill in the gaps. What is the most suitable title to the text?

Did you know that it took Abraham Lincoln thirty years to achieve his dream of becoming President of the United States? After losing his mother at a young age, his first attempt at business ended in failure. Then he failed to 1)......... into law school, which he desperately wanted. He eventually became a lawyer, but then he was defeated for congress three times and got less than one hundred votes when he ran for Vice-President. He was finally elected sixteenth President of the United States when he was  sixty years old. He faced countless insurmountable obstacles, but he never gave up. He just kept on going until he reached his goal!
So what about you? You may not dream of being a world leader, but perhaps you long to become a lawyer, an astronaut or an inventor, to climb Mount Everest or perhaps simply to do something to help those less fortunate than yourself. At times, achieving these ambitions may seem impossible and, like Abraham Lincoln, you might come up against incredible 3 difficulties. But 2).............. heart because there are some very practical steps you can take to help make your dreams come true... 
• Believe in yourself
Without a doubt, this is the first step on the road to achieving your dreams! And this means not listening to anyone who tells you, 'You can't.' Einstein, Beethoven and Edison, all knew about this. Einstein was considered an 'unteachable fool' by his early teachers, Beethoven's music teacher told him he was a 'hopeless composer', and Thomas Edison's mother was told to 3)........... him from school because he was 'too stupid to learn'. Sometimes, though, it's not others that we have to worry about. Many times, we are our own worst enemy. We look at ourselves and all we can see are our weaknesses, failings and defeats. But when you banish self-doubt, you are capable of doing everything you attempt to the best of your 4)........... because you believe you can succeed. As Henry Ford once put it, 'If you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right.' 
• Take steps to achieve your dreams
Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day! In other words, achieving your dreams is usually a process involving a lot of 5).......... work and perseverance. Therefore, read books, take courses, practise for hours or do whatever you need to do that will give you the skills to achieve your goals. After all, in the words of Thomas Edison, 'Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.' 

• Don't give up
Finally, don't be afraid of failure on the way to achieving your dreams. Michael Jordan is someone who understands this very well. 'I've failed over and over again in my life,' he once said, 'and that is why I succeed.' Thomas Edison's life proves to us that this is true. After 50 thousands of failures, each of which showed him how not to make a light bulb, he was able to achieve a success that would change people's lives for ever. In the same 6)..........., George Lucas' script for Star Wars was initially rejected by various studios. If he had given up at this point, he would have never seen Star Wars become one of the most popular films of all 7)............ !
So, never say never. Believe you can climb that mountain, swim that ocean or reach that place, and surely one day you will. There would be no Ford cars, Star Wars, light bulbs or Beethoven symphonies if this was not true! 

1	A.    accept	B.     pass	C.     get	D.    succeed
2	A.    take	B.     have	C.     make	D.    find
3	A.    pull	B.      erase	C.     cut	D.    remove
4	A.    power	B.     skill	C.     ability	D.    gifts
5	A.    strong	B.     hard	C.     heavy	D.    tough
6	A.    idea	B.     way	C.      method	D.    means
7	A.    years	B.     moments	C.     days	D.    time

2. Rewrite the sentences in the left column. Use words/word combinations from the middle column.

He eventually became a lawyer, but then he was defeated for congress three times and got less than one hundred votes when he ran for Vice-President.	to lost to be a candidate
He faced countless insurmountable obstacles, but he never gave up.	so big that it cannot be solved
At times, achieving these ambitions may seem impossible and, like Abraham Lincoln, you might come up against incredible 3 difficulties.	to be faced with
We look at ourselves and all we can see are our weaknesses, failings and defeats.	faults
But when you banish self-doubt, you are capable of doing everything you attempt …	to get rid of
In other words, achieving your dreams is usually a process involving a lot of work and perseverance.	to continue with sth even when it’s difficult
George Lucas' script for Star Wars was initially rejected by various studios.	to turn down at first

3. Discuss in groups. 
Do you have a dream? What obstacle can you face?
To your mind, what does the process of achieving your dreams involve?
Have you ever run for an important posotion? Tell us about this experience.
Have you ever exrerienced failing or defeats? What's your attitude towards them?

4. At home: watch ML King’s speech “I Have a Dream” and find out some facts from his biography. Answer the questions.

1.      Who was ML King?

2.      What goals did he want to achieve?

3.      What was the purpose of his speech?

4.      Does the speech inspire you? (why, to do what)

5.      Did ML King make his dream come true?