5 . I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of our country depends on you. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to build our country. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.
The circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home — none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your future for you, because here in our country, you write your own future. You make your own future. Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．Students adjust to their new schools easily. |
| B．Students wish they could be still on holiday. |
| C．Students decide to live up to their expectations. |
| D．Students influence the future of the whole country. |
2. Which skill should students have is not mentioned in paragraph 3?
| A．Problem solving. | B．Creativity. |
| C．Critical thinking. | D．Independent thinking. |
3. What does the speech mainly focus on?
| A．Opportunities in creating new jobs. |
| B．Great challenges in this new school year. |
| C．The strategies of protecting environment. |
| D．The responsibilities for students’ own education. |
4. What should you do in your new school year according to the speaker?
| A．Talk back to our teachers at all time. |
| B．Have a negative attitude in school occasionally. |
| C．Devote ourselves to whatever we are intended to do. |
| D．Make excuses for neglecting homework if necessary. |
