阅读理解 Born on February 9, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Christopher Gardner never know his father. He lived with his mother, Bettye Jean Gardner, whom he adored, and, when necessary, in fosterhomes (寄养家庭). Despite a life of hardship, his mother provided him with strong "spiritual genes" and taught him some of the greatest lessons of his life, which he follows to this day. She convinced him that in spite of where he came from, he could attain whatever goals he set for himself by saying, "If you want to, one day you could make a million dollars." Gardner believed this to be fact, and knew he would have to find a career he could be passionate (热情的) about, one that would allow him to "be worldclass". Though he was hardworking and determined, a series of circumstances in the early 1980's left him homeless in San Francisco and the single guardian of his 2yearold son. He was unwilling to give up his son and his dream of financial independence. Though without connections or a college degree, he still somehow earned a spot in a stockbroker (股票经纪人) training program. Often spending his nights in a church shelter or the bathroom at a train station in Oakland, Gardner ended up the only trainee offered a job at Dean Witter Reynolds in 1981. Today, he's the CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings, a company he founded with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The amazing story of his life was published as an autobiography, The Pursuit of Happiness, and is the inspiration (灵感,启示) for the movie of the same name starring Will Smith.