Question

I ask every student I interview for admission (獲準(zhǔn)入學(xué)) 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 (學(xué)術(shù)) 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 (申請(qǐng)). 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 (定義) 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 (反彈) 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

Answer 1