Dear Daughter,
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind.
First, I want to tell you how proud we are.Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are.It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about.I encourage you to be curious, but I also want to tell you “Education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten”.That is really what learning in college is about–this will be the period where you go from teacher-taught to master-inspired, after which you must become self-learner.So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn isn’t critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever.
There is no single simple answer to any question.Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don’t believe in? I did that for a reason– things rarely “black and white”, and there are always many ways to look at a problem.You will become a better problem solver if you recognize that.This is called “critical thinking”, and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life.This also means you need to become tolerant and supportive of others.I will always remember when I went to my Ph.D.advisor and proposed a new thesis topic.He said “I don’t agree with you, but I’ll support you.”
Do your best in classes, but don’t let pressure get to you.Your mother and I have no expectations for your grades.If you graduate and learn something in your four years, we would feel happy.Please don’t be worried.The only thing that matters is that you learned.The only metric you should use is that you tried.Grades are just silly letters that give the vain people something to brag, and the lazy people something to fear.You are too good to be either.
College is the four years where you have:·the greatest amount of free time.·the first chance to be independent.·the most flexibility to change.·the lowest risk for making mistakes.
So please treasure your college years.
Love,
Dad (& Mom)
(A letter from Kaifu Lee)
1.According to Kaifu Lee, the underlined sentence in the second paragraph means_________.
A.you should learn by yourself instead of learning from your teachers.
B.the knowledge isn’t as important as the ability to learn.
C.the knowledge from college is of less worth than that acquired after college.
D.education is nothing but what you have remembered.
2.Kaifu Lee expects his daughter to _________.
A.agree with those who hold the opposite opinions.
B.find out the difference between ‘right and wrong’.
C.think of more ways to solve a problem critically.
D.step into others’ shoes and think from others’ positions.
3.Based on the letter, it can be inferred that ________.
A.high grades are not important for people.
B.Kaifu Lee and his wife don’t care about their daughter’s grades or college life.
C.Kaifu Lee doesn’t expect her daughter to make any mistakes in her life.
D.Kaifu Lee’s daughter is a freshman in Columbia University.
4.We can conclude that Kaifu Lee’s daughter is _________.
A.dependent and curious B.tolerant and supportive
C.well-rounded and worried D.excellent and hard-working
Mini Book Excerpts(节选)
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land , the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger:A Life by Kenneth Slawenski(Random House,$27)
Mystery(疑案小说)
"You're a smart boy. Benny's death was no accident, and you're the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it ? "The boy was starting stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika ,"Did you …You recognized the man in the car , didn't you?"
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers ,"Maybe ,"he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund(Atria Books, $25. 99)
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned , none of it in class. Some women are borm stupid,and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give ,and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers,some who they don't want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won't. Some mothers love so their daughters won't.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna (Riverhead Books,$15)
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times! 's "amusement cycling "is the most fun you can have , legally , in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half to that within a day's drive lf most cities?
Happy And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle(Ecco,$14. 99)
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If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger , they should buy the book published by.
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The book Happy: And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for.
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Which book describes women with characters of their own?
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4. |
After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that.
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Inside the pleasingly fragrant café, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver, the spirit of generosity is instantly noticeable: A donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.
A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant provides poor local people with healthy, delicious lunches six days a week. Those unable to pay for their meals can instead volunteer as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.
"It's based on trust, and it's working all right" , says co-owner Brad Birky , who started the café in 2006. With his wife Libby. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there.
"We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable ,regardless of their circumstances," Birky says. SAME's special lunch menu changes daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers.
The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during the long winter said goodbye to the Birkys," He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane cleanup," says Birky.
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What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys prcviously worked for?
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According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
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The author's attitude towards running such a café is
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Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.
A wise teacher once told me that every teenager needs to experience a not-so-fun first job from working at a grocery store to the fast food industry.
Now I still remember my first day at a fast food restaurant three years ago. I wanted to save up money and buy my own car, so I applied everywhere I could that summer. The restaurant called me right away and I thought to myself, this is going to be easy. Within four hours of my first shift (.轮班), I had angry customers who complained how slow I was. I watched in fear as a kid spilled his milk everywhere, and I heard the words that no 16-year-old boy or anyone for that matter wants to hear: "Mike, there's a problem in the men's bathroom and you might want gloves for this one." I realized right away that working at the restaurant was not going to be a picnic. The manager expected a clean environment and, particularly, fast service with a friendly smile.
Over three years later I still work at that restaurant whenever I go home during vacations. I love my co-workers there and all the customers know who I am. Every morning the same senior citizens come in and get their morning coffees. They chat with us workers and joke around. Our smiles have just as much to do with them making us a part of their everyday lives as the coffee does.
From my first job at the restaurant, I learned teamwork and devotion. I also learned staying positive no matter how rough things seem to get. I will forever carry the experience that I gained at the restaurant with me as I go forward in my life.Why did the author apply everywhere that summer?
(No more than 12 words) (2 marks)What did the manager particularly expect the workers to do?
(No more than 14 words) (3 marks)Why does the author still work at the restaurant during vacations?
(No more than 13 words) (2 marks)What did the author learn from his first job?
(No mom dm II words) (3 marks)
Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable (可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp ('虾) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called "shrilk." It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.
A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?
Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer(肥料), and so will enrich the soil.
Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.
Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they're exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They're also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.Paragraph I of the passage is mainly about shritk's_____.
A.remarkable design | B.interesting name |
C.major features | D.basic elements |
What has become a concern about plastic?
A.Using it properly. |
B.Producing it cheaply. |
C.Developing its properties quickly. |
D.Evaluating its contributions fairly. |
According to the inventors, shrilk has great potential partly because_____.
A.it can help plastic degrade |
B.it can be found in living things |
C.its mass production has been realized |
D.its raw materials are abundant in mature |
What are the inventors doing in the lab?
A.Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk. |
B.Testing ahrilk's use in wet conditions. |
C.Making shrilk out of used household goods. |
D.Improving shrilk's flexibility for medical purposes. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Recent Progress in Environmental Protection |
B.Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research |
C.The Harm of One-time Products |
D.A Possible Alternative to Plastic |
Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere walk away from your college.
King's Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend tees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to 'learn from the masters' or get more creative with paint ---- free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called 'Hissing Sid' is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron's Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron's time as a student of Cambridge University, Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of "mess and drunkenness". However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I'm not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his roans. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron's Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don't trust me, then perhaps you'll take it from Virginia Woolf- ----over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.
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As mentioned in the passage, there is a small charge for.
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"Torch Aloe" and "Venus Flytrap" are.
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We can infer from the passage that Byron seemed.
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In the passage Byron's Pool is described as a lake.
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What is the passage mainly about?
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