Some say college is wasted on the young. So many of us look back at our own college years and realize what we could have done differently to make the most of them. While we can’t go back, we certainly can offer our sons and daughters our best advice to help them make the right choices in college. Hopefully, they will have fewer regrets than we do. Following are five guidelines parents can share with their college-bound kids to put the whole experience in perspective.
EDUCATION IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY
As soon as you arrive on campus, there will be competing interests. Feel free to check them out but always remember that you are there first and foremost for your education. Go to class prepared and on time. Be engaged during class. Make sure your professor knows you and realizes that you care.
BE RESPONSIBLE
There are many layers of responsibility. Do what you say you will do and, if you can’t, confess it early and communicate clearly. But being responsible isn’t just about meeting your commitments; it is also about taking care of you, your body, and your friends. For example, more than 1800 college students die annually from alcohol-related injuries. Look out for yourself and other people. Make moderate, sensible decisions so you aren’t reeling from(受…影响) the consequences later.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY
Incredible opportunities will present themselves: studying abroad, interning at a unique place, trying new things. Don’t let fear prevent you from taking advantage of them. There may never be so much time or as many resources devoted to your betterment again in your life. Say yes to opportunities that will help you grow.
FIND AND BE A MENTOR
Some of the best lessons available to us can come outside of the classroom in the form of a mentor(良师益友). One of the most powerful growth opportunities is being a mentor. Early on, find someone on campus who you feel can help you grow and develop a relationship with him or her. Also find someone for you to mentor. You will reinforce and enrich your own learning experience by teaching someone else.
GET THE JOB DONE
It is natural to occasionally feel you want to quit, when it makes more sense to you to go find a full-time job. Resist that urge. As Jocelyn Negron-Rios, a mother of two, who is currently completing her degree, advises, “No matter how difficult it seems, keep at it because however insurmountable（不可克服的） it feels now multiply that by 10,000 and that is how it feels when you are in your thirties with a full-time job and a family and are trying to pursue a degree.”According to the passage, the most important thing for college students is ______.
| A．taking part in different activities |
| B．working hard to get a degree |
| C．seizing every chance to try new things |
| D．improving themselves by learning from the others |
Which of the following about college life is true?
| A．Passing on what you’ve learned in college can help you enrich your learning experience. |
| B．Make sure that you are responsible for yourself rather than others. |
| C．Professors will not assess your performances in class but the grades you get in exams. |
| D．You can make full use of the opportunity whenever you want. |
What can we infer from the words said by Jocelyn in the last paragraph?
| A．Persistence is the key to success when you meet with difficulties in your learning process. |
| B．It is better if you gain more working experience before you finish your education. |
| C．As long as you work hard, you can gain a degree even when you are in your thirties. |
| D．Youth is the best time to learn since you have less burden. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To give some rules for the college students. |
| B．To call on the students to make full use of college years. |
| C．To summarize some tips for parents to share with their children. |
| D．To analyze the benefits and difficulties of college life. |
Many people cannot forget the beautiful thousand hand dance performed by disabled people during the 2005 CCTV Spring Festival Gala(晚会). Many of these dancers cannot hear or speak, but their performances are wonderful.
The leading dancer is a beautiful young woman, Tai Lihua, who was born healthy but lost her hearing when she was two years old because of a fever. Not long after that, she also became mute and, from then on, her world was silent. She did not realize this at first, but when she was five, she played a game about sounds with her school friends and discovered she was different. She felt very sad. Her father went to many places looking for treatments for her disabilities, but nothing worked.
When she was seven years old, Tai Lihua went to a school for deaf and mute children, where she did very well in her studies. Her teacher said she used her brain more than other children and was very good at expressing her feelings through movements.
Then when she was fifteen, she started learning to dance. At first, she found it difficult but she didn’t give up. She spent a lot of time practicing and became a brilliant dancer. In the last few years, she has performed in many countries and is much admired by foreign audience. Dancing has changed her life and brought her world wide success and fame.Which of the following is expressed in the passage?
| A．Where there is life, there is hope. |
| B．No one is too old to learn. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．The early bird catches the worm. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “ brilliant”?
| A．very gentle | B．very beautiful | C．very talkative | D．very successful |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Tai Lihua was born healthy. |
| B．Tai Lihua isn't successful now. |
| C．Tai Lihua’s parents didn’t take good care of her. |
| D．Tai Lihua had a natural ability to dance very well. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A disabled girl. |
| B．A dancer in a silent world. |
| C．A beautiful dancer. |
| D．Dance performance in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. |
Flags have existed for over 3000 years. The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles topped with a carving. About 2000 years ago pies of fabric were added to some poles for decoration. Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important.
Every country today has its own flag. Many groups and organizations also have a flag which stands for, or symbolizes, the aims of the group.
The flag depicts (描绘) a world map, centered on the north pole. The map is surrounded by an olive (橄榄) wreath (花环) symbolizing peace and co-operation. The flag is blue and white.Flags have been in existence for _________.
| A．500 years | B．more than 3000 years |
| C．about 2000 years | D．between 500 and 2000 years |
A very old flag is likely to _________.
| A．be made of fabric | B．have a map on it |
| C．have white shapes on it | D．be made of carved wood |
An olive wreath is used to stand for _________.
| A．peace | B．purity | C．justice | D．equality |
Most American children eat potatoes every day, but they don't know which part of potato is most nourishing(有营养的).Take a sharp knife and cut a very thin slice(薄片) from it and hold it to the light, and you will see that the potato has skin, an outside rim(边缘) and the inner part. The outside rim which is right under the skin is most nutritious.But this part is often thrown away with the skin. Even the skin itself is better for food than the inside. When eating a cooked potato, if you choose the inside and leave the outside, you are wasting the best part of it. If you can’t eat the whole potato, it is better to eat the outside rim and leave the inner part.A potato has _________.
| A．one part only | B．two parts | C．three parts | D．four parts |
The best part of the potato is the _________.
| A．middle | B．skin | C．outside rim | D．inside |
What does this reading tell about potatoes? It tells us _________.
| A．how to cook them | B．how to cut potatoes |
| C．what is a potato made up of | D．how to eat them |
Every culture has it own ways to show friendship. On the island of Hawaii, friendship is part of the “aloha spirit”. In the language of the Hawaiians who first settled the islands long ago, aloha had a very special meaning. That is “to be with happiness”.
Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community. This is the second most important thing of friendship. It is called lokahi in the Hawaiian language, which means “oneness with all people”. To enjoy the land you should not be selfish. The land is for everyone who lives on. Today many different people call Hawaii their home. Indeed, Hawaii is a place where people make one big community from many smaller communities. Each person gives kokua(help) to other people so that all feel stronger. It is believed that the islands can be a paradise(天堂) when people live in peace. People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea. When problems happen, people are asked to solve them with understanding. So when people of Hawaii talk about ohana(family), they are really talking about all those who live on the island.
Living in peace, Hawaiians have developed a third sign of friendship. This personal friendship is shown by giving leis to one another. The lei, a string of flowers, is put over a friend’s neck. Then the friend is given a kiss on the cheek. Visitors to the islands are also given leis. When they hear aloha, visitors began to feel at home. Aloha also means “goodbye”, so visitors will hear it again when they leave. It can mean “our hearts singing together”. Perhaps this is how most visitors will remember their new friendship.Which of the following can be the proper title for this text?
| A．People in Hawaii | B．Visitors to Hawaii |
| C．Traveling in Hawaii | D．Friendship in Hawaii |
How do you understand the underlined sentence in the first paragraph ?
| A．Happiness matters most for Hawaiians. | B．Friendship is always together with happiness. |
| C．Friendship is every thing in Hawaiian culture. | D．Friendship has special meanings for Hawaiians. |
Which of the following proverb can best express the idea of friendship by Hawaiians?
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Love me, love my dog. |
| C．A penny saved is a penny gained. | D．An apple a day keeps a doctor away. |
Which of the following is a sign to show friendship by Hawaiians?
| A．A warm handshake. | B．A kiss on the cheek. |
| C．A string of flowers. | D．A big hug. |
According to the text, which of the following Hawaiian word expresses more good wishes?
| A．aloha | B．lokahi | C．kokua | D．Ohana |
Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames. Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy's home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1992 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say, “Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.”
He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.Armstrong was called Pops because he ________.
| A．looked like a musician | B．had great effect on the world of music |
| C．showed great interest in music | D．traveled to play modern music |
What is the third paragraph mainly about?
| A．Armstrong loved traveling on the Mississippi River. |
| B．New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz. |
| C．Armstrong showed great talent for music in his youth. |
| D．Many great musicians were born in New Orleans. |
Which statement about Armstrong is true?
| A．His tale begins in New Orleans. | B．He was born before jazz was invented. |
| C．He learned popular music at a boy's home. | D．His music was popular with many people. |
So many people loved and respected Armstrong because ____________.
| A．his music had a deep humanity and warmth | B．he had two famous nicknames |
| C．he and Jazz grew up together | D．his mouth looked like a large bag |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Invention of the Jazz Music | B．The Father of the Jazz Style |
| C．The Making of a Musician | D．The Spread of Popular Music |