The other day my aunt paid me a visit. She was overjoyed. “I got the highest mark in the mid-term examination!” She said. Don’t be surprised! My aunt is indeed a student, exactly, a college student at the age of 45.
“Compared with the late 70s,” she says, “now college students have many doors.” I was shocked when she first told me how she had had no choice in her major. Look at us today! So many doors are open to us! I believe there have never been such abundant opportunities for self-development as we have today. And my aunt told me that we should reach our goals by grasping all these opportunities.
The first door is the opportunity to study different subjects that interest us. My aunt was happy to study management, but she could also attend lectures on ancient Chinese poetry and on Shakespearean drama. As for myself, I am an English major, but I may also go to lectures on history.
The second door is the door to the outside world. Learning goes beyond classrooms and national boundaries. I have many fellow international classmates, and I am applying to an exchange program with a university abroad. As for my aunt, she is planning to get an MBA degree in the U.K.
The third door is the door to life-long learning. Many of my aunt’s contemporaries say she’s amazingly up-to-date for a middle-aged woman. She simply responds, “Age doesn’t matter. What matters is your attitude. I don’t think I’m too old to learn.” Yes, she is right. Since the government removed the age limit for college admissions, there are already some untraditional students, sitting with us in the same classrooms. Like them, my aunt is old but young in spirit with incredible energy and determination.
The doors open to us also pose challenges. For instance, we are faced with the challenge of a balanced learning, the challenge of preserving our fine tradition while learning from the West, and the challenge of learning continuously while carrying heavy responsibilities to our work and family. So, each door is a test of our courage, ability and judgment, but with the support of my teachers, parents, friends and my aunt, I believe I can meet the challenge head on.
小題1:Which of the following words can best replace the “door” in the passage?
A.challenge | B.knowledge | C.learning | D.opportunity |
小題2:What made the writher’s aunt overjoyed?
A.Having a chance to visit the writer |
B.Having lots of choices in subjects |
C.Getting the highest score in her exam |
D.Getting admission to a university |
小題3:Which of the following statements will the writer’s aunt agree with?
A.No pains, no gains. |
B.Failure is the mother of success. |
C.One is never too old to learn. |
D.Rome isn’t built in a day. |
小題4:The following word can be used to describe the writer’s aunt EXCEPT __________.
A.fashionable | B.traditional | C.energetic | D.determined |
小題5:Which chart shows the correct structure of the passage?