Reading comprehension1
How does the author start his essay?
By telling a fairy tale —“Goldilocks and the Three bears”.
Why did the author give up her high school dream after she entered college?
How come the author had a hatred of math later?
Because she struggled in the introductory engineering math class, which made her realize that her math was not good enough for her to become an engineer.
Because she thinks that it was math that let her down. That’s why even today, she still doesn’t want to calculate the tip on a restaurant bill.
Column A
confirm
pursue
rediscover
switch
disprove
Column B
theory / concept / idea
decision / doubt / password
dream / career / happiness
beauty / source / mistake
attention / policy / strategy
confirm decision / doubt / password
pursue dream / career / happiness
rediscover beauty / source / mistake
switch attention / policy / strategy
disprove theory / concept / idea
Why does the author say that the fairy tale is very similar to her experience?
Because, like Goldilocks, she had to try three different things before she made the right choice.
1. What made the author drop her second choice of a major — graphic design?
2. When did the author’s prolonged hesitation over her major end dramatically?
3. How did the author illustrate her unique ability in writing?
1.The requirements to get into the program were not challenging, and she couldn’t feel any excitement about the subject. She had no passion for it, so she walked away from it.
2. When her father called and told her she was always doing well in writing, she suddenly realized that journalism was her true calling.
3. The author illustrated her writing ability with the following examples:
winning writing contests and getting second place in two Spelling Bees;
earning straight A’s in English and writing classes;
proofreading her friends’ papers.
Column A
be passionate about sth.
be obsessed with sth.
be fascinated with sth.
pick one’s brains
throw sth. out
Column B
say sth. without a lot of thought
have special interest in sth.
think about sth. a lot without paying attention to other things
be attracted by sth.
ask sb. for information and advice
be passionate about sth. have special interest in sth.
be obsessed with sth. think about sth. a lot without paying attention to other things
be fascinated with sth. be attracted by sth.
pick one’s brains ask sb. for information and advice
throw sth. out say sth. without a lot of thought
Why does the author say that choosing a major can be a lengthy process of self-discovery?
Because the process requires students to make a lot of effort to think, experience, and seek opinions before making the right decision.
1. Why does the author think journalism is the perfect balance for her?
2. What major did the author finally decide on?
1.Because journalism combines what she loved about engineering and graphic design. It’s structured, like engineering, but it’s also artistic, for writing needs to be creative.
2.In the end, the author majored in journalism with a minor in English after rediscovering her love for writing.
Fill in the blanks with the following nouns . Tanslate the sentences into chinese.
sentiment, aspiration, awe, hatred, calling
1. The ______and respect she held for Lu Xun in her early childhood spurred her to become a writer like him.
2. Love and _______ are two of the most elemental human emotions.
3. In the face of anti-globalization __________, a more open China will inspire confidence worldwide.
4. The reunification of the motherland is an _________ cherished by all the Chinese people.
5. During my four years of study in college, I am committed to pursuing my _________ in the field of medicine.
awe hatred sentiment aspiration calling
True or False.
1.____Her career goal during her high school years makes sense today.
2.____She was fascinated by skyscrapers and roller coasters because of her passion and keen interest in engineering.
3.____She was not sure whether her math would be good enough for the college-level math course, indicating she was still struggling in the process of self-discovery, not knowing what she was good at.
F T T
What will you do in choosing a major, follow your passion or choose what you are good at? And why?
What is the most important thing in choosing a major in your opinion? Why?
I will choose what I am good at because only in this way can I succeed in completing my college education.
I will follow my passion because in doing so I will be more focused and more willing to push my limits and overcome obstacles, thus being more likely to be successful and happy.
The most important thing in choosing a major is my talent / interest. If I have the talent for / interest in what I major in, I will achieve success in my academic studies and land a satisfactory job upon graduation. If I don’t, I might fail to pass the exams and have difficulty in getting my degree.
Fill in the blanks with the following phrases.
be passionate about; be fascinated with; be obsessed with;pick one’s brains; throw sth. out
1. We should not _______________ too many material pursuits, such as a fancy car or a big house.
2. If you look back into Chinese history, you will certainly ___________________ many unique customs and cultures.
3. You’ve got to _________________ what you are doing or it will be overwhelming.
4. He has helped me enormously over the last few years. Whenever I had problems,I_______________ for information.
5. He _________ a suggestion but withdrew it right after, afraid of offending others.
be obsessed with, be fancinated with, be passionante about, picked his brain, threw out
Young people have different life goals and career choices. But only when you integrate your goals with those of the nation and the people, advance with the times, and share the aspirations of the people will you live up to your values and realize the lofty goals of life.
— Xi Jinping: The Governance of China III
Q: Why do you think young peope should integrate their goals with those of the nation and the people when choosing a college major?
青年的人生目标会有不同，职业选择也有差异，但只有把自己的小我融入祖国的大我、人民的大我之中，与时代同步伐、与人民共命运，才能更好实现人生价值、升华人生境界。
——《习近平治国理政三》
Young people should take into consideration the interests of their country when choosing a college major because they are the future of their country and the driving force of society and they should ask what they can do for their country. Just as late Premier Zhou Enlai said, they should “read for the rise of China”, making due contributions to building a strong and prosperous country.
In your opinion, what makes choosing a major difficult?
We don’t know what we want and what we are good at.
There are so many options available to us and we may not know much about the majors.
The process involves many factors, so it needs to be weighed carefully.
The decision may affect our future.
How does the author links the fairy tale with her own experience?
hot The author’s high school dream career — Engineering — was too challenging for her.
cold The author’s second try at the graphic design program was not exciting at all.
just right The author’s final try of journalism suited her exactly.
Complete the sentences with the help of Chinese expressions in brackets, and then translate the whole sentence into Chinese.
1.
1. “Stay the course” is bad advice, whether for business success or personal happiness. We need to _______________ (改变策略)a few times to get where we want to go.
2. To finish setting up your account and keep it secure, please ___________________ (确认密码）you first selected.
3. Magellan was the first person to travel around the globe and his discovery ________________（驳斥看法)that the world was flat.
4.
4. During the weekend trip to the countryside, I was able to _____________________（重新发现美）of nature amidst the serene forests and flowing rivers.
5.
5. The aspiration of the Chinese people to _________________
(追求幸福)and create wealth is an inexhaustible reservoir of drive for the country’s modernization.
switch strategies 不管是为了事业成功还是个人幸福，“坚持到底”都是糟糕的建议。为了达成所愿，我们需要多次改变策略.
2. confirm the password 为完成账户设立，确保其安全，请再次输入密码进行确认。
3. disproved the idea麦哲伦是第一个环球航行的人，他的发现反驳了地球是扁平的的看法。
4. rediscover the beauty 在周末到乡下的旅行中，我在宁静的森林和流动的河流中重新发现了自然的美。
5. pursue happiness 中国人民追求幸福、创造财富的愿望是推进国家现代化的不竭动力。
青年志存高远，就能激发奋进潜力，青春岁月就不会像无舵之舟漂泊不定。正所谓“立志而圣则圣矣，立志而贤则贤矣”。
——《习近平治国理政三》
Q: Why should young people have high career aspirations?
High ambitions can stimulate your potential to forge ahead, so that you will not drift aimlessly like a boat without a rudder. It is said that “a person who aspires to be a saint will become a saint; and a person who aspires to be a sage will become a sage.”
—Xi Jinping: The Governance of China III
Because high career aspirations can
encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and explore new possibilities for greater achievements;
give them confidence to overcome obstacles along the way;
motivate and drive them toward a particular goal;
make it possible for them to live a fulfilling life, contributing to the society while realizing their life values;
...