After three years at New York University, I left at the time to take a six-month break and

come back the next semester. I needed time to sort things 【C1】______ . Not having a family that had been college educated made 【C2】______ tough to make some decisions. This was my first 【C3】______ to having to make decisions by myself that would affect the rest of my 【C4】______ .

I left school and got a job in an import-export company. I had no office 【C5】______ but very soon I realized how 【C6】______ my speaking, reading, and writing Spanish was. I recall, 【C7】______ a child, how I rebelled when Mom 【C8】______ that we ail sit at the kitchen table for an hour as she 【C9】______ us in Spanish. I hated it then because all the other children were out 【C10】______ and here I was studying again after a full 【C11】______ day. I later appreciated the time taken 【C12】______ for these lessons. Mom's idea was that we had to learn English in school 【C13】______ that we would never forget our Spanish roots, culture, or language.

I had my greatest 【C14】______ when I owned a metal fabrication (制造) factory. We did machining and welding there. I was in a non-traditional 【C15】______ for a woman, and I did receive some flack (宣传). However, behaving like a lady -- but one that knew what she was talking about -- 【C16】______ me many friends in this arena (舞台).

After proving myself 【C17】______ price-wise and quality-wise, I was treated as one of the "boys" .At this point in my business career I 【C18】______ one of the biggest contracts in my life. I won the 【C19】______ competitively from the government. At the same time I was elected a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business. I owe all these achievements 【C20】______ the education I have got as a young girl.

【C1】

A．out

B．off

C．through

D．over