Make the Most of College

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. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.

Your college years will be the most important of your life. It is in college that you will discover what learning 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 learning skills you acquire will be something you will cherish forever.

Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy. Don’t be trapped by what others think or say, but make up your own mind.

Most importantly, make friends and be happy. College friends are often the best in life. Pick a few friends and become really close to them – pick the ones who are genuine to you. Don’t worry about their hobbies, grades, looks or even personalities.

Start planning early – what would you like to do? Where would you like to live? What would you like to learn? I think your plan to study fashion is good, and you should decide where you want to be, and get onto the right courses.

Whether it is summer-planning, or coursework planning, or picking a major, or managing your time, you should take control of your life. I will always be there for you, but the time has come for you to be in the driver’s seat – this is your life, and you need to be in control. Being in control feels great. Try it, and you’ll love it!

College is the four years where you have:　

The greatest amount of free time

the first chance to be independent

the most flexibility（靈活性）to change 

the lowest risk for making mistakes

So please treasure your college years – make full use of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny, be bold to experiment, learn and grow through your successes and challenges.

May your years at Columbia be the happiest of your life, and may you blossom into just what you dream to be.

                                                    Love,

Dad (&Mom)

What does the author think college life holds in store for his daughter?

A. Uncertainty                                          B. Pure enjoyment.

C. Successes and challenges.                D. Experimentation with life.

What does the author advise his daughter to do in college?

A. Plan everything.                                  

B. Party with friends in her free time.

C. Ignore what others think or say.     

D. Treasure and make the best of her college years.

Which of these pieces of advice is given in the article?

a. think and live independently

b. learn how to learn

c. choose friends with similar personalities

d. be genuine and sincere

e. try new things

A. abe                   B. bce                   C. cde                   D. abc

From the text, we can conclude the father ______.

A. is worried about his daughter

B. is strict with his daughter

C. is optimistic about his daughter’s future

D. is sad that his daughter is leaving home

Seth DeBolt is a plant scientist at the University of Kentucky US. He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity.

The United Nations Development Program says a billion and a half people have no electricity. A billion others have an undependable supply.

    Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural Indonesia. He saw that there was very little waste in the use of agricultural products. Everything that farmers grew was used for something. Even the remains of fruit that people did not eat were fed to chickens.

Little waste meant there was little that could be used for fuel. Growing a separate fuel crop would take land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do.

    DeBOLT said, "The people at most risk with respect to energy poverty, typically they're the same people who have food insecurity issues as it is. And then any change in availability would be most damaging to that group of people."

    But he found one item that was in plentiful supply and would not create competition between food and fuel. Coconut shells are generally thrown out. Yet Professor DeBolt says it has an "excellent" heating value. All someone needs is a way to release that energy.

    DeBolt says he and his team see possibilities for coconut power. "Coconuts are growing here and these are the areas where there is possibility for energy poverty to be eased at least in part by these small-scale production systems."

    The researchers say these systems could provide as much as thirteen percent of the energy needs of a country like Indonesia. Other tropical countries with large crops of coconuts and similar fruit could benefit, as well.

    But DeBolt says this is not a perfect solution. There are technical questions, like how to safely deal with the dangerous waste produced in the process. And there needs to be money to get these projects started.

1.Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural areas of developing countries to       .

    A. help farmers make full use of waste

    B. seek certain materials to make electricity

    C. persuade farmers to grow more coconuts

    D. find a suitable place to carry out the experiment

2.DeBolt thought it was not a good idea to grow fuel crops because       .

    A. there are plenty of coconuts

    B. local farmers have no interest in it

    C. it would make food problems worse

    D. fuel crop has little use for local farmers

3.The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that coconut power       .

    A. needs further experiments and efforts

    B. can help solve energy problem perfectly

    C. will cause technique and money problems

    D. has drawn Indonesia's government attention

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

    A. Make Full Use Of Coconuts            B. Make Power From Coconuts

C. A Perfect Solution                            D. Food And Energy Problems

Respect your teachers.   
First of all，students should respect the teachers.They should pay attention in the classes.That means to salute him，to stand from his chair when the teacher enters the classroom etc.Attend any lesson attentively.In class of a certain subject or teacher you don’t like very much，if it’s total anarchy，how can we talk about respect?
Play by the rules.
If your teacher wants you to use wide-lined paper--do it ! If she tells you to sharpen your pencils only before class starts，listen to her.If she doesn’t accept late homework，do yours on time.Sometimes classroom rules seem strict or even silly，but most teachers know what’s necessary to make things run smoothly，what it takes to let the learning begin.And the better the learning environment，the smarter you’ll be!
Expect her／him to like you.
Teachers are teachers because they like kids.Given the chance，most teachers want to be your friends too.Respect your teacher，but don’t be afraid of her／him.She／He wants you to have a great school year just as much as you want to have!
Put first things first.
Friends are a fun part of school.But they’re not the most important part.When your teacher is teaching，give her／him your full attention.Even when it's hard to do.— recess_ will come soon enough，and that’s the time for playing with your friends.

1. 1.

   Which of the following would be the best title for the text? ______

   1. A.
      Advice Before You Go To School
   2. B.
      What You Should Do At School
   3. C.
      How To Get Along With Your Teacher
   4. D.
      How To Plan Your Time At School
2. 2.

   What do you think the title of the second paragraph“ Play by the rules’’ mean ?

   1. A.
      Don’t play if you haven’t completed your homework.
   2. B.
      Follow what the teacher says.
   3. C.
      Work is work and play is play.
   4. D.
      Make the learning environment as good as possible.
3. 3.

   According to the last paragraph，what do you think the first thing is?

   1. A.
      The teacher.
   2. B.
      The teacher’s lecture.
   3. C.
      The students.
   4. D.
      Friends.
4. 4.

   The underlined word “recess” most probably means ______  .

   1. A.
      break
   2. B.
      play
   3. C.
      parents
   4. D.
      news

Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?

  Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理學家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.

    Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.

  However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.

    All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（動機）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.

45．According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A. To think about happy times.  

B. To make many decisions at a time.

C. To stop feeling regretful about the past.

D. To learn about the process of decision-making.

46．Damasio’s study suggests that _________.

A. emotions are the enemy of decision making

B. our brain has nothing to do with decision making

C. people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds

D. our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions

47．Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A. They often forget their past choices.    

B. They make decisions without much thinking.

C. They tend to save time when shopping.

D. They are too angry to bargain.

48．What do we learn from the text?

A. Emotions are a part of decision making.

B. Sad people always make worst choices.

C. No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D. Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?
Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理學家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.
Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（動機）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.
【小題1】 According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?