Peanuts to This Proudly reading my words,I glanced around the room,only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.Confused,I glanced toward my stonefaced teacher.Having no choice,I slowly raised the report I had slaved over,hoping to hide myself."What could be causing everyone to act this way?" Quickly,I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task.This was the first real task I received in my new school.It seemed simple:go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington.Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country,I had never heard of that name before.As I searched the name of this fellow,it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different!One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts,while the other led some sort of army across America.I stared at the screen,wondering which one my teacher meant.I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice:flip a coin.Heads--the commander,and tails--the peanut guy.Ah!Tails,my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter,George Washington Carver. Weeks later,standing before this unfriendly mass,I was totally lost.Oh well,I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, _ to find out what I had done wrong.As a classmate began his report,it all became clear,"My report is on George Washington,the man who started the American Revolution."The whole world became quiet!How could I know that she meant that George Washington? Obviously,my grade was awful.Heartbroken but fearless,I decided to turn this around.I talked to Miss Lancelot,but she insisted:No redos;no new grade.I felt that the punishment was not justified,and I believed I deserved a second chance.Consequently,I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year.Ten months later,that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather,now having an entirely different conversation.I smiled and flashed back to... In the end,the author turned things around _ . A) by redoing his task B) through his own efforts C) with the help of his grandfather D) under the guidance of his headmaster
B
College students constantly hear the praises of education.We have all become used to believing that a college education is always a guarantee of an easier life.I was nine years old when my fourth-grade teacher presented me with a task, to write down all of the things I wanted in my life.I filled my paper with things like: own a big house and have servants; be rich and have a good job.The next day my teacher handed back my paper and in red ink she wrote: " GO TO COLLEGE." For a long time, I was convinced that once I obtained an education, BAM! Life would be easier. However, education cannot promise all wishes, dreams, and desires.Society must reject the foolish idea that a college education's main purpose is to satisfy our desires and secure success.Like most challenging things, education is a gamble in which results depend entirely on people's ability to look past their wants to see the realism and reason behind their wants. For instance, my first year of college, I took a sociology class.In class, we were taught that Third World countries were poor.We learned that our quality of life would be almost impossible for an average person in those countries.I began to examine my own desire to be rich.To always go after money felt selfish when knowing others had none at all.Learning about other society's financial situations forced me to look beyond what I wanted. Through the process of education, everything once desired is tested.Wanting something no longer is enough; it's more important to examine why we want it and whether we really want it.When my desire for money changed, everything changed.I stopped longing for money-driven careers and stopped valuing the people who had them.I began to examine the things I purchased and my reason for wanting them. Education is a tool to be used to develop and advance our desires, so we can discover the things that are truly significant in life.Education is a source to expand our society to see beyond the superficial appeals and the "quick fixes" , leaving the belief of an... Why does the author mention her sociology class? A) To share her learning experiences with readers. B) To support her new understanding about education. C) To express her sympathy for people in Third World. D) To stress the importance of taking a sociology course.
B
A Divine Plan At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learningdisabled children, the father of one student delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by those who attended. He began with a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn and understand things as other children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The audience was stilled by the question. The father continued,"I believe that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child." Then he told the following story: Shay and I walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they will let me play?" I knew that most boys would not want him on their team. Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. So I approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs . The game is in the eighth inning . He can be on our team and we will try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. They had the potential to win. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this _ and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. At last, understanding what the boy's intentions had been, the boys from both teams helped Shay win the game for the team and Shay was cheered as the hero. "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,"the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world." The sentence "Although no hits came his way, he was obviously very happy just to be on the field." should be put at the end of _ . A) Paragraph 5 B) Paragraph 6 C) Paragraph 8 D) Paragraph 9
B