How would you like to study at an American university in China? With the news that New York University (NYU) is considering setting up a branch（分校）on Chinese mainland, the possibility of getting an American education becomes a reality. But how will Chinese students deal with a very different style of teaching? One that encourages debate（辩论）, discussion and critical thinking (批判思维)； one which puts little attention on rote learning.

You know how kids ask questions all the time? Asking questions shows they are curious (好奇). So when does that natural curiosity get weak? Not at kindergarten or nursery, nor at primary school. As you grow older perhaps refusing to draw attention to yourself by asking the teacher questions, you grow quiet. If so, that's a pity, because questioning your teachers should be encouraged. After all, they're the ones who've been educated, have a lot more experience than you and perhaps have a little wisdom. When I taught joumalim at college in Scotland I enjoyed answering students' questions. Some of them raised difficult questions. I didn't always know the answers. If I didn't, I'd accept it and try to find out later.

At university we were encouraged to challenge our classmates and teachers. There was often a regular meeting between teachers and some students. A student would prepare a paper on a subject and the other students would criticize it. It could be frightening. But it was a way of developing critical thinking.

We need to differentiate critical thinking with loudmouths. We've all come across loudmouths who speak out quickly as if they knew what they were talking about. I know one loudmouth who is paid a great deal of money by a British tabloid newspaper to entertain readers with his deeply-held prejudices(偏见). You might not agree with columnist(专栏作家) Richard Littlejohn, but you have to say that he is entertaining and there is an internal logic（内在的逻辑）to his statements. Having a logical mind can help develop critical thinking.

My wife doesn't have a logical mind, but she does have emotional intelligence（情商）. I can't say that I have anything like her emotional intelligence. but I'd like to think some of it rubbed off on me. If you can't at least try to put yourself in someone else's shoes, how can you understand their situation, their problems and issues?

So try to develop your powers of critical thinking. Start with books, films, music and newspapers. And don't believe everything you read or see. Think independently.

57. According to the passage, to develop your critical thinking, you can____________.

A. keep curious and follow your heart

B. think logically, not emotionally

C. do more reading and think actively

D. voice your opinion like a loudmouth

58. The underlined words 66rubbed off on mc" in Paragraph 5 probably mean " __________".

A. helped me solve the problem better

B. had some influence on me in a way

C. moved it backwards and forwards

D. advised me to wear others' shoes

59. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Want to be different? Think critically

B. Want to be critical? Think for yourself

C. Choose NYU, choose critical thinking

D. Importance of improving critical thinking

本文为纪实性报导，作者目击了国际重大悲剧惨案，因而思绪万千．读后会激发学生：学习兴趣，用英文了解国际事件，外国朋友的心态．

　　One of the things I always believe is that no matter how bad something is, you can take something positive out of it. The one time I wasn't sure of that was on September 11.

　　I usually wake up at 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. That day, I happened to wake up earlier. I turned on the TV and I saw that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. My first reaction was that it was a terrible accident. Then I saw another plane fly into the South Tower and I realized that I was witnessing an act of terrorism.

　　My wife and I spent the day watching the terrible pictures over and over again. When I watched family members looking for their loved ones, the pain in their eyes was something I would never forget. I couldn't understand how something this terrible could have happened.

　　It wasn't until a few weeks after September 11 that I began to see that perhaps some good did come from this tragedy. People seem different now, more understanding, more tolerant. Little things that seemed to be such a trouble before are no longer big things. Personally, I am more tolerant than I was. I realize life is too short, and too precious, to let myself get worried over small things. I've learned also that you can't take things for granted. Things change in the blind of an eye. People go to work and don't come back. One moment they're living and the next minute they're not. And, it doesn't matter who you are, there is nothing you can do about it. We never know when our time here will be over, so we all need to make the most of every minute we have.

　　You try to learn from what happened. You can't be used up by it. You can't live by it. All you can do is just live.

　　注：crash撞击　　reaction反应　　witness目击　　tragedy悲剧　　tolerant宽容的　　precious珍贵的　　take…for granted认为……是当然的

1．The word “positive” in the passage probably means ________.

[　　]

2．What did the writer see after he turned on the TV that morning?

[　　]

3．From September 11, the writer has realized that ________.

[　　]

A．people should make the most of every minute they have

B．he has become less tolerant towards others

C．he should get worried about little things

D．life is too short to care about others

4．What's the best title(题目) of this passage?

[　　]

A．A Report about September 11

B．The Tragedy of September 11

C．September 11 and My Family

D．September 11 and My Turn

　　One of the things I always believe is that no matter how bad something is, you can take something positive out of it. The one time I wasn't sure of that was on September 11.

　　I usually wake up at 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. That day, Lhappened to wake up earlier. I turned on the TV and I saw that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. My first reaction was that it was a terrible accident. Then I saw another plane fly into the South Tower and I realized that I was witnessing an act of terrorism.

　　My wife and I spent the day watching the terrible pictures over and over again. When I watched family members looking for their loved ones, the pain in their eyes was something I would never forget. I couldn't understand how something this terrible could have happened.

　　It wasn't until a few weeks after September 11 that I began to see that perhaps　　some good did come from this tragedy. People seem different now, more understanding,more tolerant. Little things that seemed to be such trouble before are no longer big things. Personally, I am more tolerant than I was. I realize life is too short and too precious to let myself get worried over small things. I've learned also that you can't take things for granted. Things change in the blind of an eye. People go to work and don't come back. One moment they're living and the next minute they're not. And, it doesn't matter who you are, there is nothing you can do about it. We never know when our time here will be over, so we all need to make the most of every minute we have.

　　You try to learn from what happened. You can't be used up by it. You can't live by it. All you can do is just live.

　　注：crash撞击　　reaction反应　　witness目击　　tragedy悲剧　　tolerant宽容的　　precious珍贵的　　take…for granted认为……是当然的

1．The word “positive” in the passage probably means ________.

[　　]

2．What did the writer see after he turned on the TV that morning?

[　　]

3．From September 11, the writer has realized that ________.

[　　]

A．people should make the most of every minute they have

B．he has become less tolerant towards others

C．he should get worried about little things

D．life is too short to care about others

4．What's the best title(题目) of this passage?

[　　]

A．A Report about September 11.

B．The Tragedy of September 11.

C．September 11 and My Family.

D．September 11 and My Turn.