Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about drinking is the key to critical（判断性的）thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others．Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.

The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen-beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the incorrect reasoning.

Critical thinking is an attitude（态度）as much as an activity. If you are curious about life and desire to dig deeper（希望深挖）into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.

Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning（高阶推理）are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure of intelligence（智力）, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein. Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately put Hoffman at ease by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.”

34. Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, __________.

A. it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast

B. we might be controlled by other people’s ideas

C. we will follow the ideas of others naturally

D. we might be footed by other people’s ideas

35. If you are a critical thinker, you will __________.

A. think deeply about different ideas                B. trust the reports in the newspapers

C. take one view against another view             D. criticize other people for their mistakes

36. In the last paragraph, “something new” suggests that__________.

A. the smarter you are, the faster you do things  

B. the faster you do things, the smarter you become

C. speed can improve intelligence             

D. intelligence is not decided by speed

37. What would be the best title for the passage? 

A. Thinking and Critical Thinking.   　　     B. Understanding Critical Thinking.

C. Thinking Is Natural and Human.  　　     D. Thinking Fast Means Intelligence.

I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box and landing on my head. Now I am thirty-two. I can vaguely(模糊地) 　1　 the brightness of sunshine and what color red is. It would be wonderful to see things again, 　2　 a disaster can do strange things to people. It happened to me the other day that I might not have come to love 　3　 as I do if I hadn’t been blind. I believe in life now. I am not sure that I would believe in it so 　4　. I don’t mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes. I 　5　 mean that the loss of 　6　 made me enjoy more of 　7　 I have now.

Life asks us to keep making 　8　 to reality. If a person is able to get ready for anything changeable his world will 　9　 more meaningful. I became blind, but I was 　10　. My parents and my teachers saw 　11　 in me－a potential(潜力) to live, you might call it－which I didn’t see, and they make me fight it out with blindness.

The hardest 　12　 I had to learn was to believe in myself. That was what I had to do at least. If I hadn’t been able to do that, I would become a chair rocker for the 　13　 of my life. When I say I believe in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self-confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase 　14　. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: A belief that I could deal with anything alone; that somewhere in the 　15　 there is a special place where I can make myself fit.

1. A. imagine       B. find             C. remember     D. guess

2. A. but           B. though               C. so           D. because

3. A. myself        B. life             C. eyes         D. blindness

4. A. that          B. therefore            C. happily      D. deeply

5. A. seldom        B. just             C. hardly           D. always

6. A. them      B. it                   C. blindness        D. light

7. A. that          B. what             C. which            D. where

8. A. moments       B. encouragements       C. improvements D. changes

9. A. become        B. change               C. look         D. end

10. A. brave        B. lucky                C. sad          D. wise

11. A. something    B. everything           C. nothing      D. anything

12. A. problem      B. experience           C. difficulty       D. lesson

13. A. rest     B. whole                C. need         D. last

14. A. lonely       B. alone                C. self         D. person

15. A. company  B. group                C. society  (社会)   D. family

Are only clever and good-looking students happy in the school? Best-selling ___31___ Xiao Nizi (Nini) doesn’t think so.

 “___32___ has his own place in the sky." she said.  "We're all special in our own ways.”

Nini, from Hunan, writes stories about young people in the school. Her books, ___33___ Devils Kiss and Un-e on Midsummer’s Night, are very ___34___ with students.

In her stories, the main characters arc usually common girls who are neither pretty ___35___ smart. But they always win the love of a Prince Charming(白马王子)，or ___36___ successful stars.

"It’s not because of luck."' said Nini. ""They are ___37___ honest and they don't lie. They know what they arc good ___38___ and work hard to realize their dreams. "

Nini herself is like one of the characters in her stories. She was a shy girl at school. But she thought a lot and liked languages, and that made her ___39___ to be a writer. She hopes her stories ___40__ make more kids happy.

1.A. writer        B. reader         C. speaker

2. A. Nobody      B. Everyone      C. Someone

3.A. as           B. for example    C. such as

4. A. successful    B. popular        C. funny

5. A. nor          B. or             C. but

6.A. become      B. make          C. take

7. A. still          B. only          C. ever

8. A. at           B. for           C. with

9.A. deciding      B. to decide      C. decide

10. A. can          B. must         C. need

When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’ d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
【小题1】 We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

Are only clever and good-looking students happy in the school? Best-selling ___31___ Xiao Nizi (Nini) doesn’t think so.
“___32___ has his own place in the sky." she said.  "We're all special in our ownways.”
Nini, from Hunan, writes stories about young people in the school. Her books,___33___ Devils Kiss and Un-e on Midsummer’s Night, are very ___34___ with students.
In her stories, the main characters arc usually common girls who are neither pretty ___35___ smart. But they always win the love of a Prince Charming(白马王子)，or___36___ successful stars.
"It’s not because of luck."' said Nini. ""They are ___37___ honest and they don't lie. They know what they arc good___38___ and work hard to realize their dreams. "
Nini herself is like one of the characters in her stories. She was a shy girl at school. But she thought a lot and liked languages, and that made her ___39___ to be a writer. She hopes her stories ___40__ make more kids happy.
【小题1】A. writer        B. reader         C. speaker
【小题2】 A. Nobody     B. Everyone      C. Someone
【小题3】A. as           B. for example    C. such as
【小题4】 A. successful    B. popular        C. funny
【小题5】 A. nor          B. or            C. but
【小题6】A. become      B. make         C. take
【小题7】 A. still          B.only         C. ever
【小题8】 A. at           B. for           C. with
【小题9】A. deciding      B. to decide      C. decide
【小题10】 A. can          B. must        C. need