I ask every student I interview for admission (获准入学) to my college the same question, “What do you look forward to the most in college?” I was surprised and pleased recently when a student replied, “I look forward to the possibility of failure.” This is not how most students answer the question when sitting before the person who can make decisions about their academic (学术) futures, but this young man took a risk. “My parents have never let me fail,” he said. “When I want to take a risk at something, they remind me it’s not safe. They think taking a hard course or trying a challenging activity will destroy my college admission.”

This is not an uncommon story. Kids all over the world are under great pressure to be perfect. So it’s hard to find imperfection in a college application (申请). Students try their best to hide negative things and only tell us impressive things. But perfection doesn’t exist (存在), and we don’t expect to see it. In fact, admission officers are likely to be skeptical of students who present themselves as persons without weaknesses.

We want to find out who students really are outside of their medals and test scores. We get excited when we read an application that seems real. If their viewpoints are about lessons learned or challenges overcome, these applicants are likely to jump to the top. We believe a mistake in high school should not define (定义) the rest of your life, but how you react could shape you forever.

Teenagers will never be perfect. They do silly things, mess up and fall down. The ability to bounce (反弹) back is a basic life skill students have to learn on their own. The lessons of failure can’t be taught in a classroom; they are experienced and reflected upon. During my interviews, another student told me, “I’m ashamed that I failed my math class, but I took it again and got a B-plus.” “From the experience I learned to let go of shame,” he said. “I realized that I can’t let a grade define my success.”

I smiled. This kid will do well and be successful in my college. He has the skills to face challenges. Failure is about growth, learning, overcoming, and moving on. Let’s allow young people to fail. Not only will they learn something, it might even get them into college.

1.The writer tells the story of the student in Paragraph 1 to show that ________.

A. many kids are usually told to avoid taking risks

B. some students like to behave in an unusual way

C. some students feel uncertain about their college life

D. many kids and their parents often have different opinions

2.What does the phrase “be skeptical of” probably mean?

A. Be interested in. B. Be ashamed of.

C. Be doubtful about. D. Be pleased with.

3.The writer probably agrees that ________.

A. teachers should be responsible for helping kids deal with failures

B. kids can grow and learn lessons by facing challenges bravely

C. parents should try to keep their kids from making mistakes

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Want to Succeed? Work Hard

B. Want to Be Perfect? Do Your Best

C. Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail

D. Want to Do Well in an Interview? Be Honest

阅读短文,根据短文内容,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选择最佳选项。

Have you ever seen a car without a driver? It sounds crazy, but these computer-driven driverless cars will soon be filling roads near you. Some big companies have been designing and testing these cars. The first robot-taxis with no drivers are planned to hit the road, and it is said that more than 10,000 driverless vehicles will be in use around the world by 2021.

The cars have sensors (传感器), including radar and GPS, which allows the cars to “ see” moving objects, like cars and people, in order to work out when to go faster or slower, or when to stop or turn. Sensors on the wheels also help when parking, so the car knows how far it is from the curb or other parked cars. Road signs are read by cameras, and GPS is used so the car knows how to get to the place you want to go. All you have to do is to type in the address!

Sound like your idea of heaven? Sitting back, looking out of the windows and even watching a film or reading a book while “driving” would be possible with this new technology. You wouldn’t have to worry about remembering directions to where you’re going. In addition, computers would drive more safely than people—they don’t get distracted by music or friends.

However, there are many drawbacks of driverless cars. Computers would have difficulties making decisions: if a child ran into the road, would the computer choose to hit the child or change direction and potentially kill the car’s passengers? Moreover, some people don’t believe these cars are safe and reliable. They think it’s highly possible for technology to make mistakes, meaning that driverless cars are just as dangerous as cars driven by actual drivers. There would also be many legal (法律的) decisions to be made—should children, or drunk people, be allowed in a driverless car by themselves?

Although being driven around by a machine would perhaps mean that no one needs a driver’s license, saving money for everyone, but many people would lose jobs. Bus and taxi drivers as well as driving instructors may not be needed any more.

Personally, I don’t think I’d ever want a driverless car because I find driving fun. But it’s only a matter of time before they’ll become more affordable and common on our roads.

1.The second paragraph is mainly about ________.

A. how driverless cars work B. what driverless cars can do

C. how comfortable driverless cars are D. what people like about driverless cars

2.The underlined word “drawbacks” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”.

A. mistakes B. accidents C. problems D. rules

3.The writer probably agrees that ________.

A. driverless cars will bring more jobs for people

B. some people may refuse to buy a driverless car

C. traditional cars will disappear in the near future

D. people’s lives will be better because of driverless cars

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The driverless car: is it safe to be on the road?

B. The driverless car: it’s the technology of the future

C. The driverless car: is it a great or problematic invention?

D. The driverless car: its advantages are more than disadvantages

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