With a hat by his feet, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building. He held up a sign which said, “I’m blind, please help.”

Only a few people put   36  in the hat. A man was walking by. He   37  some coins into the hat. He then turned the sign   38 , wrote some words, put the sign back and left.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people   39  to give money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man came to see   40  things were. The boy recognized his footsteps （认出他的脚步声）and asked, “Were you the one who   41  my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a   42  way.” What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day,   43 I cannot see it.”

Both the   44  told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply   45  people to help by throwing some money into the   46 . The second one, however, told people that they were able to enjoy the   47  of the day, but the boy couldn’t   48  he was blind.

There are at least two lessons we can learn   49  this story. First, be thankful for what you have. Someone else has less. Help them if you can.   50  , be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way!

With a hat by his feet, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building. He held up a sign which said, “I’m blind, please help.”
Only a few people put   36  in the hat. A man was walking by. He   37  some coins into the hat. He then turned the sign   38 , wrote some words, put the sign back and left.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people   39  to give money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man came to see   40  things were. The boy recognized his footsteps （认出他的脚步声）and asked, “Were you the one who   41  my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a   42  way.” What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day,   43 I cannot see it.”
Both the   44  told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply   45  people to help by throwing some money into the   46 . The second one, however, told people that they were able to enjoy the   47  of the day, but the boy couldn’t   48  he was blind.
There are at least two lessons we can learn   49  this story. First, be thankful for what you have. Someone else has less. Help them if you can.   50  , be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way!

　　Jim Green has been in China for more than two years. He has been to many interesting　 31 in Beijing, but he has not yet been to many other parts of 32 . Last week he went to Mount Emei in Sichuan with his 33　 .

　　Many people like to travel by 34 , but the Greens think that travelling by train is the best. It is much 35 and far more enjoyable than a rushed journey by air. They had a wonderful train ride to Chengdu 36 they went on to Mount Emei by bus.

　　The train was quite nice and tidy, and there weren't too many people in 37 sleeping car. The Greens could stand up and 38 around. It was a long journey, 39 none of them felt tired. They kept 40 the beautiful things out of the window. They talked, laughed and played cards. The conductor kept coming to give them hot water and 41　 them newspapers. People nearby 42 with each other. A young man tried to speak English with Mr and Mrs Green. Jim thought the train was like a big moving party. He went to sleep quite 43 . He enjoyed listening to the sound of the running train and then fell asleep.

　　When Jim woke up the next morning, the train was already 44 Chengdu. His train ride seemed really 45 , but his memory (记忆) of the pleasant journey will last long.

31. A. schools　　 　　　 B.　places　　 　　　　　 C.　villages　　 　　　 D.　cities

32. A. England　　 　　 B. America　　 　　 C. China　　　 　　　　 D.　the world

33. A. friends　　 　　 B.　classmates 　　　 C. father　　　 　　　　　 D.　family

34. A. air　　　　 　　　 B.　bus　　　 　　　　 C.　train　　　　 　　　　 D.　ship

35. A. cheaper　 　　　 B.　dearer　　 　　　　 C.　dirtier　　　 　　　　 D.　quicker

36. A. before　　 　　 B.　when　　 　　　　 C.　after　　　　 　　　　 D.　while

37. A. my　　　　 　　 B.　your　　　 　　　　 C. our　　　　　 　　　　　 D.　their

38. A. sit　　　　　 　　　 B.　walk　　　 　　　　 C.　run　　　　　 　　 D. dance

39. A. and　　　　 　　 B. so　　　　 　　　　 C.　also　　　　 　　　　 D.　but

40. A. looking　　 　　　 B.　drawing　 　　　　 C.　watching　　　 　　 D.　getting

41. A. reading　　 　　　 B.　buying　 　　　　 C.　selling　　　　 　　　 D.　writing

42. A. talked　　　 　　　 B. spoke　　 　　　　 C.　told　　　　　 　　　 D.　said

43. A. early　　　　 　　 B.　late　　　 　　　　　 C.　easily　　　　 　　　 D. hard

44. A. beside　　　 　　　 B. to　　　　 　　　　 C.　past　　　　　 　　　 D.　near

45. A. quick　　　　 　　　 B.　slow　　　 　　 　 C. short　　　　　 　　　 D.　Long

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.